The Sunaparanta Art Initiator Lab (SAIL) programme culminated in the exhibition In Between – within the vacuum of space, we find presence in multitudes. The exhibition has been on since June 28 and ends tomorrow, July 15.
It showcases the individual and collaborative works of candidates (mentees) mentored over 10 months by invited external mentors, led by art historian Lina Vincent, who initiated the SAIL programme in collaboration with Panjim-based Sunaparanta Goa Centre for the Arts.
Speaking to Gomantak Times Digital, Vincent said the programme provides a much-needed incubator space for ideas to sprout.
What is the Sunaparanta Art Initiator Lab (SAIL) programme about, and what are its objectives?
The SAIL mentorship programme was developed to address certain gaps and grey areas that exist in the educational and professional spaces of the creative industry.
Institutional curriculums often follow systems that are obsolete and do not facilitate individual and/or collective exploration of experimental forms of making and sharing.
Today, (particularly in a post-pandemic world) with the continued evolution of technology, socio-cultural shifts, as well as global human and environmental conflicts that require innovative thinking, the needs and objectives of creative education and production have changed immensely.
How long was the SAIL programme?
SAIL offers a structured and intuitively designed curriculum that engages the participants in various modules over a 10-month period.
The sessions, which relate to the multi-layered aspects of creative practice, are directed towards the enhancement of the participants’ skills, knowledge, and work methodologies.
The mentees evaluate their prior experiences and develop personalised tools that take their creative work forward.
Be it artistic production, research or collaborative projects, SAIL aims to contribute to a stronger cultural community by bringing together practitioners from various fields and facilitating the exploration of multidisciplinary approaches.
What is the need for a programme like this in Goa?
Despite Goa’s rich cultural history and its contemporary presence as a melting pot of aesthetics, there is limited exposure and opportunities for creative practitioners here to expand their repertoires.
SAIL provides a much-needed incubator space for ideas to sprout, grow and for networks to be built and extend beyond the limitations of location and language.
Sunaparanta, as a centre for the arts, has always supported and encouraged multi-layered discourse on artistic practice and created a platform for diverse cultural forms to be exhibited and viewed.
It is necessary for more spaces like these, and programmes like SAIL to act as interfaces for dialogue and outreach. The initiative is feeding into the larger picture of innovation and experimentation, even while being rooted in the ethos of the land.
What are the learnings from hosting SAIL for two editions?
When the programme began, nobody knew how popular it was going to get and how many practitioners of various age groups were looking for an opportunity to have a space of (un)learning and discussion.
The various collaborations made by the first batch of 2021-22 allowed them to strengthen the core methodologies under the module.
Their feedback was invaluable in understanding the structures that worked and didn’t work, that have been introduced in the curriculum now.
It has been heartening to see members of batch I engaging deeply with the mentees of batch II who are just hosting their culminating show at the galleries at Sunaparanta.
As the connections develop, the SAIL family keeps growing – and it is beautiful to see people follow their practices and break their own boundaries, branching out from this extension of their education.
What are the future possibilities of SAIL?
Future plans for SAIL would like to witness participants take all their learnings out into the various spaces where they work and live so that the central ideas of sharing and collaboration get passed on widely.
The curriculum has the potential for a full-fledged experimental course in the arts in a formal institution and SAIL definitely has the potential to become a model for other such developments in andragogy.
