The Gyaan Project

16th July is World snake day - 4 days from today when this episode is released and on this occasion, we are doing a case study of Snake-a-doo, a board game about Snakes and Snake-bites. More than a million people have died due to snakebites in India in the past 20 years. “Snake-a-doo” is an original take on the conventional snakes and ladders game, only this time without any ladders (it only has snakes). It is geared towards education on 9 snake species commonly found in India including the 4 main venomous ones.

Today we have Peeyush Sekhsaria who conceptualised the game and Khyati Pathak who designed it. Peeyush has a Masters's in Earthen Architecture from CRATerre, France, and an M.Phil in Geography from the Sorbonne, Paris. He is currently based out of Delhi working as a Consultant in the domains of Environment, Disaster Management, and Development. Khyati is a writer and a cartoonist. Passionate about policy frameworks and also the host of Puliyabaazi Podcast.

Before we begin, I also want to call out the team who have designed this game with careful messaging, attractive colors, good photographs, and in the tradition of a good board game that will be fun and learning at the same time. Shubham Sayanke, Jose Louis, Parikshit Suryavanshi, Shashi Jha, and Vivek Sharma. Snake-a-doo has been brought to you by Indiansnakes.org and WASA Amravati. 50% of the profit from your purchase goes to support WASA, Amravati’s work in education on snakes and snake bite reduction, and 50% goes to support copies of the game for local groups. So head on to https://snakeadoo.wordpress.com to buy.

Questions

1. What is Snake-a-doo?


2. What made you come up with this idea?


3. Can you briefly share some numbers related to “people dying due to snake bites, types of snakes, density of snakes in different areas within India, snake deaths, impact on food chain etc…”


4. What was the process of making it? Initial iterations, user testing (🙂) getting it verified with experts and more? How did you adapt for tribal areas and villages?


5. How and why did you pick on these 4 main venomous ones? And which are the other snakes which are non-poisonous


6. What modification you made to traditional snakes and ladders. What were the challenges?


7. Seems like you have added few things like, points and notes along with rescue kits. Tell us some bits about it


8. Why did you decide to make on cloth and not a board or any other material?


9. Seems like it’s not just for kids? Who can / should play this game?


10. Why did you make in 3 sizes and 3 languages? Have you used local names for snakes?


11. Can it be replicated by locals and regional people?


12. How has the response been so far? How close we are to the Mission Zero Snake-bite Death. Is it possible?

Reference reading

1. https://snakeadoo.wordpress.com


2. http://indiansnakes.org


3. https://www.pashoopakshee.com/about-us


4. https://www.facebook.com/peeyush.sekhsaria


5. https://www.instagram.com/enthunature/


6. https://twitter.com/crepescularia


7. www.peeyushsekhsaria.com


8. https://www.facebook.com/groups/1534385603578576


9. https://www.instagram.com/snakeadoo/

As Scott Adams, an American author and cartoonist says, “Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep.” In our today’s episode, we’ll try and understand who is making mistakes and who keeps the art. I am personally super interested in knowing how things unfold in this episode with Ujjwal Agarwal also known as Kala.

Ujjwal is a generative artist whose works explore the intersection of art and technology through the use of algorithms and code. His art is characterized by intricate patterns and shapes that emerge and evolve organically from within the digital canvas. He creates art that is both structured and spontaneous, offering a glimpse into the complex interplay between order and chaos. Drawing inspiration from nature, music, and mathematics, KALA's art invites viewers to immerse themselves in a world of beauty and complexity. Kala has a degree in Computer Engineering from NIT Jaipur and a MA in Computational Arts from Goldsmiths University, London.

We can call Ujjwal a multidisciplinary artist given his work in Design, music, and art. But in today’s conversation, we’ll deep dive into his artworks.

Questions

1. Broad
   
   1. What is Generative art / design? Because these days, Generative AI is a buzz word, how different or similar it is?
   
   
   2. How and where do you classify your style of work? Which genre, category does it belong? You work seems to be abstract.
   
   
   3. Can you help us understand the landscape of this kind of work by comparing it with the west or rest of the world? Artists, markets, etc…? - Just a sneak-peak
   
   
   4. As per the starting quote, what principles or prompts you use to curate or self critique your work? (Apart from looking good and feeling nice - usually which any artwork is judged)
   
   


2. Work
   
   1. What do you do exactly? How do you make your art? How do you know the artwork is finished?
   
   
   2. Your work illustrates a lot of chaos, lines and abstract forms - Do they emerge organically due to the medium and means or you have something in mind before you start? How do you bring order to the chaos?
   
   
   3. (Little technical) Which softwares and consoles you use? Which are the applications commonly used for this kind of work?
   
   
   4. How do you start an artwork?
   
   


3. Philosophy
   
   1. What the story behind Kala?
   
   
   2. What makes you interested in Music and Design also? Do you see a common underlying thread?
   
   
   3. What makes you say that tomorrow is made of art?
   
   
   4. Why do you think, Kala is black?
   
   
   5. What’s the future of art? Generative art according to you? What do you think we can see as artwork in 2050 or 2100 :)
   
   

Reference Reading

• https://www.ujjwalagarwal.com/index.html


• https://www.artblocks.io/collections/presents/projects/0x99a9b7c1116f9ceeb1652de04d5969cce509b069/414


• https://themethod.art/collections/ujjwal-agarwal-kala/time-pieces


• https://www.linkedin.com/in/ujjwalagarwal/

Welcome to Audiogyan and I'm your host Kedar Nimkar. Audiogyan brings you conversations with the most influential figures in the Indian creative world - Artists, filmmakers, musicians, architects, writers, curators and designers. I had the honor of hosting remarkable guests like the late Ar. B.V Doshi, Sujata Keshavan, Varun Grover, Taufiwu Quereshi and many more…

We deep dive into their philosophies to understand their worldview. I hope these enriching conversation fuel us with inspiration and understand design and art in the larger context.

Subscribe and tune into Audiogyan on your favorite podcasting app or visit audiogyan.com for more details. Thanks for listening!

David M. Torn, an American guitarist, composer, and producer once said, “The original source of any loop is whatever your sound is, at the moment of input.” Well to unpack this and know more about looping, we have Vasuda Sharma with us on Audiogyan.

Vasuda is a Singer, Songwriter, Producer, and Performer. In fact, being a performer, I have seen her live, playing multiple instruments and live looping at Blue Frog a long time ago. She is trained in Indian classical music. After composing many songs, she later decided to study music more rigorously. Vasuda studied Contemporary Writing and Production at Berklee. More about her in the show notes. We’ll try and understand some basics of looping in the context of music.

Questions

1. What is looping? (More abstract and philosophical)


2. What is looping in the context of music? Is it close to tiling? Is it only to set the rhythm and to create a base texture or something more?


3. Any short history about it? When and how did it start? How did you get into it?


4. How do you arrive at a final song? What comes first while you create a track, the base cycle of looping or the tune or the lyrics, or anything else? I suspect these happen simultaneously due to their nature, but if we can break it to understand? 🙂


5. What’s the trip/kicks-in looping? On one side doesn’t it feel restrictive since you working in the same taal / tempo? No? Can you give an example of how looping can be explorative?


6. What are the different approaches for looping as an art form? Any difference between live looping and recording? Is anything that is more challenging than others?


7. What is the long-term future of looping in this digital world? Any artists to follow?

Reference Reading

• https://www.vasudasharma.in/


• https://open.spotify.com/artist/2ED6kjY3EyIRkxM2HAbrCL


• https://music.apple.com/in/artist/vasuda-sharma/403246645


• https://twitter.com/vasudasharma


• https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHvU7UkPj1jHpHbuletJzVg


• https://www.youtube.com/user/vasudasharma


• https://soundcloud.com/vasuda


• https://www.instagram.com/vasudasharma/


• https://www.linkedin.com/in/vasuda-sharma-86262034/


• https://mixtapelive.in/artists/vasuda-sharma/

Kamini Rao has built giant cakes, designed cozy mountain homes and boozy retro diners, created fake airplanes, and architected a house for a doll. Although her work is deeply rooted in architecture and interior design, we will be talking about space, exhibition, and set design. She is a multidisciplinary designer with a focus on collective experiences using art and architecture. She founded Studio Slip in 2018 with the aim to bring an experimental approach to interior design. At SLIP, she heads a team of architects and designers and together they design cultural spaces, museums, and exhibitions but also work in the commercial and residential realm.

Questions

1. Let's start with what kind of work you exactly do.


2. What are exhibition design and set design? What is the kind of brief you get? Which are the entities involved in any exhibition and while making a set; from a designer’s point of view?


3. How does a space for an exhibition come to be? What are the steps involved in it? If you can explain with and example?


4. How do you decide when to use a fake and when to get an original for a particular theme?


5. How and from where do ideas come from since each theme will be different? From where do you seek inspiration? People involved in the exhibition, theme, objective of the project, or anything else?


6. How much of overlap does architecture, interior design, industrial and furniture design have while designing an exhibition or making a set? Again if any example to explain?


7. In design, we call the best design to be invisible design. How much of it holds true in spatial design?


8. Can you share the most fun and exciting project you did and a few nuances of it? Maybe a little bit about the Doll Project or any of your miniature spaces?


9. I have been to film sets and other productions. Usually, what's in the frame is clean while outside the frame it’s usually messy. Why? How does your designer in you make peace with it?


10. What’s the future of space design, exhibitions, and real spaces where the world is moving towards a meta-verse? 🙂

Reference reading

1. https://www.instagram.com/kaminira0/?hl=en


2. https://studioslip.com/home


3. https://worldarchitecture.org/architecture-news/evvvz/of-dioramas-dollhouses-and-design-collaboration-interview-with-ruchika-nambiar-and-kamini-rao


4. https://studioslip.com/bodiesatsea-ncbs-exhibition-design


5. https://tbcy.in/what-is-spatial-design-kamini-rao-founder-and-creative-director-studio-slip/

I am not sure where do I start today’s episode since it’s about aesthetics. This concept can be seen in mathematics, arts, poetry, literature, music, sculpture, photography, cooking. In fact anything that you see, smell, taste, touch or hear. So lets leave it to our today’s guest, Saugata Bhaduri. He is an Professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in Delhi, India. A scholar in the field of aesthetics, which is the philosophical study of beauty and taste. As a professor at JNU, Saugata is known for his engaging and thought-provoking lectures and has made a significant impact on the education of students in the arts and humanities. Through his teaching, research, and engagement, he is making important contributions to the field of aesthetics and to the study of the arts and humanities more broadly. We’ll try and understand some basics and how to go about understanding aesthetics.

Questions

1. What are aesthetics? How would you define aesthetics, and what role do you see it playing in the study of the arts and humanities?


2. Since it’s about beauty and taste, is it subjective or objective? Who defines aesthetics? Are there any categories to classify or framework to understand aesthetics?


3. How do you approach the study of aesthetics from an interdisciplinary perspective, and what benefits does this bring to the field?


4. What role do you think aesthetics plays in shaping the society? How do you think it can be used to address social and cultural issues?


5. Can you discuss any current research or initiatives in the field of aesthetics that you find particularly interesting or important, and why?

Reference Reading

• https://www.jnu.ac.in/content/bhaduris


• https://jnu.irins.org/profile/56659


• https://twitter.com/saugata_bhaduri?lang=en


• https://scholar.google.co.in/citations?user=H_0CYrgAAAAJ&hl=en


• https://www.linkedin.com/in/saugata-bhaduri-42743133/?originalSubdomain=in


• https://www.amazon.in/Books-Saugata-Bhaduri/s?rh=n%3A976389031%2Cp_27%3ASaugata+Bhaduri


• https://www.facebook.com/saugata.bhaduri/


• https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Saugata-Bhaduri

Rajni Bakshi joins us on Audiogyan. She is an Indian author, researcher, and activist. Her work primarily focuses on non-violence, economics, ecology, and peace issues. Rajni is the founder and curator of Ahimsa Conversations

In episode 220 with Hrush Bhatt, he said, a sculptor knows his / her medium, marble, mud, or stone, and an architect knows what kind of material he/she wants, similarly, a digital product designer should know how to code, design and write copy. Today we have a guest who is a perfect blend of understanding materials and implementing them in her practice. Sagarika Suri - a practicing architect and urban designer in Mumbai. She practices small and large-scale projects through Studio Tessera based in Mumbai and dabbles with materials at rockpaperscissors. It’s a material lab for the studio to experiment with ideas and concepts on a smaller scale. Sagarika is also a part of CSA which is the Collective for Spatial Alternatives and has been engaged in self-development and low-cost housing projects in Mumbai. 

Questions

1. What does material mean to you? Has that definition changed over time? How important it is for a designer to know his/ her medium? Why?


2. What is "rockpaperscissors"? Why did you start it?


3. From your research on materials, what are you trying to arrive at? Is there a goal or just exploration? Because it is said that material is just a medium. (as BV Doshi says, even RCC can be made to look beautiful).


4. What are a few parameters on which you evaluate a material? Is there a framework or set of guiding principles to identify good material versus bad?


5. You also engage in repurposing/reusing waste. Here plastic seems to be the most versatile material if used properly. Tell us about plastic and your engagement with waste.


6. Which is the most versatile material, plywood, paper, resin, concrete, glass, and cloth that you are currently working with or anything else?


7. How do you investigate the short-term and long-term implications of a particular material? If you can give any examples?


8. Can you explain the process by taking an example of any material and how has the journey been so far? What have you uncovered? How about Liquid Plywood for eg?


9. How does this help in your commercial projects?


10. What is the future of materials? Which material do you think will dominate the market? We see a lot of sustainability brands mushrooming all over. Do you think they will scale?

Reference reading

1. https://media.biltrax.com/sagarika-suri-breathing-new-life-into-construction-waste-materials/


2. https://surfacesreporter.com/architect/105/ar-sagarika-suri


3. https://syntalk.wordpress.com/episodes/turn-six/tcafg/


4. https://open.spotify.com/episode/3psCaazWtE3Kmeck0HnRiS?si=e74c7076d3a14016


5. http://studiotessera.in


6. http://studiotessera.in/rock-paper-scissor/


7. https://www.instagram.com/surisagarika/?hl=en


8. https://www.instagram.com/rockpaperscissors_bombay/?hl=en

Dr. Keshavchaitanya Kunte joins us on Audiogyan. He is a Harmonium player, composer, and musicologist. Keshavchaitanya Sir received extensive training in Hindustani Art music, for Harmonium under the able guidance of Dr. Arawind Thatte. For vocal music from Pt. Mohanrao Karve and Dr. Ashok Da. Ranade for musicology.

We’ll try to document Keshavchaitanya Sir’s thoughts on parampara (tradition) and paddhati (methodology) in the context of Hindustani Music. Just as a disclaimer, these subjects are studies of a lifetime and it’s almost impossible to pack in an hour or so… Please consider these as conversation starters.

Also before we begin, a special thanks to Dakshina Dwarka Foundation and Baithak Foundation for introducing me to Chaitanya sir. I met him at a workshop organized in Pune in 2022 on Talking with Tradition. This Audiogyan will be in Marathi and English

Questions

What according to you is Prampara and Paddhati? I know these are 2 massive subjects but just a brief introduction will help.

What are the main 5 categories of Indian music? (That Dr. Ashok Ranade spoke about) Do all of them have paddhati?

Seems like all music will have paddhati but does all of them have parampara? How do you define parampara in Music?

In classical music, you are supposed to undergo rigorous training to master what? Paddhati? When and how are you allowed to experiment?

In the music world, we hear this often, “The Lalit that morning by Aamir Khan will be etched in the heart for life”. What is the significance of time and place in this context? Which aspect of parampara and which aspect of paddhati keep the relationship?

What according to you is the difference between “Shastrokta sangeet” and “Shastriya sangeet”?

Reference Reading

http://baithak.org/talking-with-tradition/

https://unipune.academia.edu/KeshavchaitanyaKunte

https://chaitanyakunte.weebly.com/profile.html

https://www.instagram.com/keshavchaitanya/?hl=en

https://chaitanyakunte.wordpress.com/about/

https://www.facebook.com/keshavchaitanya

https://audiogyan.com/2022/04/28/baithak-foundation/

https://www.amazon.com/Kabir-Way-Mandar-Karanjkar/dp/938566557X

https://twitter.com/mandarkaranjkar

https://www.youtube.com/c/MandarKaranjkar1

In this episode, poet and songwriter Mohammad Muneem Nazir reflects on what it truly means to be a poet. Is an artist born or shaped by experience? Can the artist be separated from the art?

We explore the mathematics of poetry, the role of discipline, why rules matter before breaking them, and how choice defines creative identity. Muneem also speaks about Ishq Majazi and Ishq Haqiqi, language as music, audience responsibility, failure, fear, and the mindset required to become an artist.

A thoughtful conversation for writers, musicians, designers and anyone curious about creativity and artistic growth.

Reference links

https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/music/mohammad-muneem-of-alif-on-their-unique-music/article25908501.ece

https://rollingstoneindia.com/alif-mohammad-muneem-siyah-azizo/

https://twitter.com/alifsmusic?lang=en

https://www.instagram.com/everythingisalif

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mohammad_Muneem

https://www.instagram.com/mohammad.muneem

https://www.facebook.com/MMuneem/

https://indianexpress.com/article/express-sunday-eye/what-makes-kashmiri-band-alif-such-a-sensation-8790835/

https://ifp.world/season-15/creator/mohammad-muneem/

https://www.platform-mag.com/music/alif.html