Projects | Process: Season 02 was launched in October 2019. Now a part of G5A academy, the series of sessions features artists, performers, theatre makers, designers, and more talking about the significance of process and its relevance to project-making in contemporary India, through insights into the development of one piece of their work.
Our fifth session features Yuki Ellias (theatre artist and corporate coach), Neeraj Jain (cinematographer), and Deshna Mehta (visual artist and co-founder of Studio Anugraha) – discussing their work through the lens of ‘Obsession’ – an idea or thought that continually preoccupies or intrudes on a person’s mind.
Stay tuned for the next two videos this month, every Wednesday at 6:00 PM IST. Each month features a new theme, with 3 speakers. To continue supporting experimental and independent art and artists, subscribe to our YouTube channel.
Yuki Ellias is a performer, director, and a corporate coach. She trained at the Jacques Lecoq International School of Theatre in Paris and is a trained pedagogue from the London International School of Performing Arts. As an actress she has performed in the UK, US, Canada, Australia, Italy, and India. She is the founder of DUR SE BROTHERS, and also a convenor and instructor at Drama School, Mumbai.
For this session Yuki Ellias, explores characters and their ‘Obsession(s)’. Yuki takes us through three of her projects, and the triggers and inspirations behind them that drive her to continue dreaming, creating, and sharing stories.
Neeraj Jain is a first generation, Indian-American cinematographer based in New York City. In high school, Neeraj took a plunge and started shooting various short documentaries. In 2015, Neeraj graduated from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts with a B.F.A in Film and TV production. He hopes his narrative work will allow him to tell stories from various corners of the world.
For this session Neeraj explores the theme of ‘Obsession’ and looks at how quiet and evocative environments are created using light and frame to reveal characters and their stories on film. He takes us through the process of shooting the feature film ‘The Sound of the Wind’ (2020), and the collaborative, ever evolving nature of working on a film set.
Deshna Mehta is a visual artist with a passion for photography, design, writing and curation. A graduate of Sir J.J Institute of Applied Art, followed by a masters in Graphic design from the London College of Communication and a masters in Visual Communication from the Royal College of Art in London, she moved back to India seeking to find meaning within her own design practice. This led to the inception of Studio Anugraha that serves as a platform to encourage and undertake collaborative practices in the field of visual art, design, and research.
For this session she explores the theme of ‘Obsession’, and looks at how purpose drives her practice. She takes us through the process of documenting the Kumbh Festival with Studio Anugraha. Here, one discovers the painstaking research process and the development of a vast, yet intricate design system and language that went into creating these books.
