www.cspa.in, the official website of 'The Centre for Social & Political Art' (CSPA), will be inaugurated by Shri Jaspal Singh IPS, former Minister from Gujarat and former Mayor of Baroda on Saturday, August 9, 2014 at noon at Ashirbhavan, Ernakulam, Kerala.
CSPA, the first collaborative project of Design & People and Sylviander House, is a platform to promote the collective involvement of every citizen to appreciate the rights of all living beings. It enables the marginalised and victimised people to voice their grievances, build awareness and receive empowerment. The Centre rallies creative artists, thinkers and activists under its banner to work against all power structures. It upholds freedom of all arts and creativity. The Centre is a catalyst, inspiring all vulnerable communities to strive against the existing repressive Social and political order.
CSPA.in, the institution's website, will also be the virtual space for the Friends of Tibet Library of Books & Films and Design & People Library of Books. CSPA's website allows its members and visitors to choose books and films online without visiting CSPA. Researchers and students outside Kerala can use the 'Get a Book by Post' facility. CSPA at Alappuzha consists of two Libraries — 'Friends of Tibet Library of Books and Films' and 'Design & People Library of Books — developed and maintained by Friends of Tibet and Design & People, two organisations associated with CSPA. The CSPA Library has an extensive collection of books on Art, Design, Society, Politics, Architecture, Human Rights, Photography, Tibet, China, History, Religion, Traditional Medical Systems, etc. Library facilities are open to CSPA Associates and members of CSPA Residency Programmes, while memberships are available for individuals and organisations. CSPA will also have a permanent collection of original photographs of renowned Indian and International Photographers. Some of them include Angel Lopez Soto (Spain), Brian Harris (Canada), Diane Barker (UK), Jaqueline Meier (Switzerland), John Ackerly (USA), Giulia Francesca Johnson (USA), Lobsang Wangyal (Tibet), Kathryn Culley (USA), Manuela Metelli (Italy), Ken Damy (Italy), Nancy Jo Johnson (USA), Prabir Purkayastha (India), Prabuddha Dasgupta (India), Sonam Zoksang (USA), Suresh Natarajan (India), Vijay Kranti (India) and William Chapman (USA).
CSPA houses rare collections of art and artefacts from Tibet. The museum section is being made possible with the generous support of Friends of Tibet, a Tibet Support Group, and a Member Organisation with CSPA. The Centre also houses original prints of political cartoons by renowned Indian cartoonists. All are welcome!
To know more, visit: http://www.cspa.in or call: +91.9995181777, +91.9645817014 Fax: +91.11.4761514 Email: life@cspa.in Web: www.cspa.in
SYLVIANDER HOUSE: AN ART VILLAGE AMID CANALS
ALAPPUZHA, KERALA, INDIA
An Artistic Journey Begins: Alexander Devasia's mother lights a lamp at Sylviander House Art Museum, Chettikad, Alappuzha, Kerala, on December 21, 2012. The Art Museum is one of the village's firsts that can hold exhibitions, concerts, lectures and performances. (Photo: Design & People)
Alappuzha: It's an unlikely venue for a modern art gallery. But Alexander Devasia's gallery, 'Sylviander House', somehow blends into the surroundings of Chettikad, a remote coastal village of Alappuzha. It could have something to do with the backdrop of his work, rain, which reflects the serenity of village life.
Having lived in Germany for 14 years, Alexander Devasia has moved to Kerala to set up its first village modern art gallery that will open to the public on Friday. The idea, he says, is to raise awareness among the rural folk about the importance and influence of modern art in society and also draw tourists to Kerala's villages. Of the 59 paintings that he did while in Germany, 39 are based on the life of Vincent Van Gogh. His fascination with Van Gogh was so deep that he researched various stages of the renowned painter's state of mind during the last days of his life and tried to give his own impression of it using rainfall as a metaphor.
"Rain comes from another world, reminding us of the relationship between nature and humans. A casual look reveals only water drops, but their content means pulsating energy. It has soul and life! I've done my best to give meaning to rain, and my Van Goghian creations are the result of it," he says. Born in 1963 in Punnapra, Devasia worked as an artist with the Residence Theatre in Munich and now lives with his writer-artist German wife, Sylvie Bantle, in Chettikad. "I hope the gallery will encourage modern art and unlock young talent in this part of the world," he adds.
(By Sudheesh T, Deccan Chronicle, December 19, 2012)
MODERN ART IN A RUSTIC SETTING
Exhilarating locale for art exhibitions and permanent collections.
Serene abode for creative people to assemble and engage in dialogues and performances.
The event opened on Friday, December 21, 2012, with a show of paintings and installations by Alexander Devasia.
(December 21, 2012 - March 21, 2013)
WATER, THE MIRROR OF THE WORLD
Sylviander House Art Museum, Blue Star Library Road, Chettikad, Pathirapally PO, Alappuzha 688 521, Kerala, India.
Tel: +91.9645817014 Email: Life@sylvianderhouse.com Web: www.sylvianderhouse.com