Here are some pictures I managed to take from my mobile phone.

Untitled, 2011. Mixed media on canvas, acrylic glass. 143X122X24cm. Indian Mylar Vision, Galerie Isa, Mumbai.

The artist also talks about a topic that is close to my heart – the distinction between design and art and how his collaborations with companies such as Dior question these rigid definitions. ‘I find it strange that the intersections between art and design are still so taboo,’ he says while introducing his new work. ‘Such practice was quite common in the 1920′s as the Bauhaus style shows: along with its progression, the antagonism between craftsmen and artists have dissolved – at least for a while. And it did well.’

It is important to point out that art in India does not reject decoration outright. Local craftsmen have played important roles in Indian art today, and there are close links between folk tradition and modern and contemporary art in India.

The multimedia installation is inspired by my memories and experiences of Mumbai, emphasizing the conflict between a desirable elsewhere and an undesirable here within this fast-growing metropolis. This violent conflict between bipolar aspects of the perceived city is apparent in the dynamic and uncanny relationship between the artifice in the work, its shadows and specular reflections.

More of my art and design work is here.

From the photos you notice that some parts of these murals look newer than others. I can only guess that these parts have been restored and touched up recently.

Mumbai’s first comic con was crowded and full of enthusiastic fans and artists. I even met several NID alumni and graphic designers, so I’m hoping there will be another one next year. Amongst the notable independent graphic novels being sold, the ones that caught my eye were Hush: A Silent Scream, Twelve: Prelude 0.2, Milk and Quickies and The Itch You Can’t Scratch.

Hush by Pratheek Thomas and Rajiv Eipe. Manta Ray Comics, India.

Detail, inside page.

The preview of the book is beautifully illustrated and literally breaks the silence on a socially relevant and taboo topic with a depth of understanding. It gave me so much hope for the future of independent art like this in our cities.

Twelve: Prelude 0.2 by Jasyot Singh Hans and Prabha Mallya. A collection of short stories.

Milk and Quickies by Anupam Arunachalam and Abhijeet Kini. A collection of short stories.

Wonder Bai by Abhijeet Kini, a hilarious series. Others such as Wolver Anna, Angry Moushi etc. were also sold.

This work reads ’69′ in Devanagari letterforms. I attempted to create a humorous yet cryptic example of how literal translation often fails. Photos by Tomek Radej.

Neon work displayed at Bournemouth library in the town center.

Neon work displayed in a small retro caravan by the sea. Sept. 2011.

Some of the work was displayed indoors. The work on the far right reads “Go away” in arabic.

Organized by AUCB students George Bills, Louise Byng, Michael Compton, Nathan Hackett, Ashley Peevor and Laurie Ramsell the exhibition displayed work by over 30 artists from varied disciplines. Converting an abandoned car park into an art space was a great idea. And being located on busy Winton high street helped push the number of visitors to over 1000 in just one week. The dead space literally came alive and a lot of local people were curious about a familiar space suddenly full of art and noise.

I’d rather be by I.Nash, Mixed media.

The Brain is a performance by L.Byng.

Detail, Stop. Look left, look right by L.Banks. Pen.

Untitled by George Bills.

Detail. Survival by H.Macedo, textiles.

We will make things for you, cardboard stall by Ollie Adams and Bana Toutounjee.

This was very popular with the audience, especially children. All you had to do was submit a sketch of what you wanted, and enthusiastic volunteers would make it for you, absolutely true to the sketch. Several people came back the one or two days later to pick up their precious hand-made goodies.

Residents by E.Vazquez, paper mache.

Lego City by A.Kulkarni. Toy blocks and projection.

Overall participating in the event was a rich and rewarding experience. It inspired me to try and organize something similar in Mumbai or Bangalore, there are definitely enough enthusiastic people here too :)

Press: BHBeat, Arts Bournemouth, AN.

Cutting a glass tube

Glass tubes are bent after careful heating in the right angles, using gravity. Results like this only come after lots of practice.

The ribbon burner has a long flame that softens a large part of the tube evenly.

Joining two glass tubes using a precise burner was extremely difficult. I totally failed at my attempt, I ended up blowing a glass bubble instead because of too much air, and then the bubble burst. A tube with a hole can never be used for neon.

Part of the giant machine that creates a vaccum in the tubes before filling it with the required gases.

Neon master Julia Bickerstaff and British artist Richard Wheater encouraged us to question the limits of the material and explore its potential in relation to our individual art practice. That was the best part, being introduced to a completely new medium and told to freak out with it on the same day. Also worth mentioning was how to transcribe an idea into a drawing for neon-making.

The video below is my work (made by Julia of course) which we filled with helium. I love the colour of helium, its a natural pink hue that went well with the concept, which is the number sixty-nine in Devanagari letterforms. Due to a few impurities added in the tube flickers continuously, an effect that I really really wanted to try out. Another way to do this would be to programme it to flicker. However this is purely physical and does not need any external controls.

The best work was displayed later at the Light Night festival in Bournemouth town center and the Neon: Shaping Light exhibition at the text+work gallery.

Artist Yi Lu with her paper mache world

Subconscious Form by Shiro Araki

Urban Brick by Bana Toutounjee

by Taro Morimoto

Mumbai/Bombay by Aditi Kulkarni

New Blindness by Rocco Nahas

A stretchable movie by Richard Hurst.

Be-Bee Project by Kaya J. Lee

The Ophelia Project by Samantha Else.

The exhibition Out of Sight is from 17th to 24th of September from 11am to 6pm and will showcase a wide variety of artwork from multimedia installations to sculpture and drawing.

With an unused underground car park as its gallery walls, Out of Sight investigates the resilience and flexibility of art, and the need for its development with supporting communities in unorthodox circumstances: an appreciation for the otherwise overlooked in the chosen location compliments the political provocation of the role of the outsider in society and rebellion against industry precepts.

Below is a video by Michael Compton of day two of the massive clean-up of the dark, unused space.