![\"\"](\"https:\/\/aviuk.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/03\/av-destival-organize.jpeg\")
Organisers discuss the preparations for the upcoming Chennai edition of the Auroville Festival on Saturday. Photo: S.S. Kumar<\/p><\/div>\n
The Auroville Festival with the theme, \u2018What is Auroville\u2019 has been designed to help Chennaiites answer that question and in the process gain a sense of its diverse activities and projects, especially in the area of sustainable existence.\u00a0Afforestation, organic agriculture, educational research, holistic health care, small and medium-scale business, renewable energy, and of course art and craft are areas in which Auroville has made significant strides in.\u00a0\u201cMany people come from Chennai, visit the viewing point of Matrimandir, and go back. This event aims to show visitors what we are doing here,\u201d says Fabienne Marechal of Auroville Outreach Media. Auroville Festival set to unravel its idea of sustainable existence Art and…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2145,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/aviuk.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1047"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/aviuk.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/aviuk.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aviuk.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aviuk.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1047"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/aviuk.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1047\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aviuk.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2145"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/aviuk.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1047"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aviuk.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1047"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aviuk.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1047"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nAfter similar festivals in Delhi and Bhubaneshwar, Aurovillians wanted to reach out to the State in which they are located and have worked closely with, Tamil Nadu.\u00a0Though the link between Auroville and Tamil Nadu are present on many levels, from Aurovillians taking courses in IIT and in the field of fashion designing and the eco-restoration of the Adyar Creek, people are unaware of these interactions, says Krishna Devanandan, one of the organisers of the festival.\u00a0\u201cWe want to bring this decades-long relationship in the spotlight,\u201d she says.
\nMarco Feira, who is curator for the art exhibitions, says, \u201cArt is a big part of Auroville life. We are surrounded by nature, which is inspiring. As artists we are constantly searching, and Auroville is a 360 degree experiment. We have a variety of artists from all over the world. Working in Auroville has given artists a different approach on life and art.\u201d\u00a0Artist Oorothumkandy Ramesh agrees. \u201cThe multicultural and unique society we live in reflects in our works.\u201d
\nVisitors can expect to see paintings, sculptures, ceramic art, up-cycled art, photography, videos and wax installations.\u00a0Art exhibitions open earlier than the festival, with a month-long ceramic art exhibition at the INKO Cultural Centre, featuring five artists from Auroville, among others.
\nThe \u2018What is Auroville\u2019 exhibition at the Lalit Kala Akademi (March 8 to 21) will feature 20 Auroville artists.\u00a0From miniature works to the gigantic three-metre high ceramic work \u2018Tower of Rakhee\u2019 by artist Rakhee Kane, and everything in between, organisers promise something for every art lover.\u00a0There will also be exhibitions at seven other galleries over the course of the next couple of months.\u00a0\u201cThe exhibitions open new possibilities for artists and help them make new connections,\u201d says Mr. Marco Feira.
\nThere are also choir performances, including a children\u2019s choir (March 7, at Sir Mutha Venkatasubha Rao Concert Hall), a crafts bazaar (March 1-21, at Dakshinachitra) and an Auroville Ethical Market (Amethyst).
\nThe Hindu<\/i> is a partner for the festival which is also supported by Lalit Kala Akademi, Dakshinachitra, Max Mueller Bhavan, Prakriti Foundation, NIFT and reStore.<\/p>\n
\nRead more about Auroville Festival in an\u00a0article published by the Hindu<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"