Plus 2 more must-catch events Prashant Miranda has a problem. And it has nothing to do with the fact that he spends six months of the year in Toronto and the rest of his time in India, when it gets too cold in Canada. "I am a chronic doodler," he admits over the phone to us. "I have been chronicling my life through doodles for the past 16 years." The painter was ambling through Bandra's bylanes when his eyes fell on the quaint houses nestled there. Miranda's trails inspired him to pick up his watercolours and capture them in five different paintings. <img alt="" src="/imagedata/2011/may/13art.jpg" border="5" /> Miranda's watercolours are just one of the many interesting curiosities to look out for (and buy) at Art Stack, an annual multi-media show organised by a design studio called Design Stack for the fourth consecutive year. "This is a fun thing for which we invite various artists experimenting with installations, photography, video, art and products to come together and explore ideas that are different from what we all do on a daily basis," says Priyanka Bhasin, one half of the founding duo of the studio, which is nestled in a cottage that is currently packed up for free-flowing space for the show. Check out Bhasin's 'Helping Hands' which are moulded in rubber, a life-sized installation by Deepak Pathania, the cutest colourful trunks for kids by Delhi brand Sotomoto (check out the picture above), neon lights strung in a way to instill happiness, and Anoop's (co-founder) mixed media work on the theme of love. "The show started off as a great, fun party, with art thrown in. At that time, everybody brought in stuff from home that was lying around and got so drunk that they ended up gifting it to each other," chuckles Bhasin. Is there a running theme to this show, we ask Bhasin --u00a0 because it all seems so abstract. She replies, "The moment you attempt to give meaning to something, it stops being fun. People here do what they please and it seems to come together quite nicely." We like fun, so 'fun' it is. Period. From May 14 (8 pm onwards) to May 28 (11.30 am to 8 pm on the rest of the days) Where Design Stack, 33, Aram Nagar 2, JP Road, Andheri (W). Call 09769047713 Get the 360-degree view of our country's art and craft Yes, the Dastkar Bazaar has been featured on our pages several times before. But whenever it returns to Mumbai, packed with delights from around the country, it leaves us with no choice but to devote more print space to the craftsmen and their works. This time around, you will be surprised to see a flower vase, plant and light holders made out of gourds, and puppets that reflect light. The bazaar, back in the city after three years, will display the works of 60 craftsmen groups from different parts of the country. It has been organised by Dastkar, an organisation that has been working with craftsmen for 30 years. <img alt="" src="/imagedata/2011/may/13dastkar.jpg" border="5" /> "Many new products that were not part of the event held in 2008 will be seen in this bazaar," says Deepanshi Seth, the co-ordinator for the bazaar. The shadow puppetry is a special attraction from Andhra Pradesh. Leather puppets are made in different shapes and colours. Tiny holes are later made in these such that they reflect light to give an intriguing shadow effect. Sanjhi work from Rajasthan is a kind of paper craft in which different designs are made by using only scissors.o sketching or painting is done and many decorative articles like coasters and bookmarks are made from them. The paintings on palm leaves made by Oriya craftsmen make for beautiful wall hangings for your living room. You get to choose from folk-sy weaves and prints that range from block prints, Kosa silk weaves, Tussar and Kanjeevaram to Kota weaves on sarees, dresses, kurtis and skirts, and even chunky jewellery from Karnataka. Though, Dastkar is associated with over 30,000 craftsmen, founder Laila Tyabji, believes it's just a drop in the ocean. "There are over 14 million craftsmen in India and many art forms are dying or have died in the past due to lack of effort to revive them. Crafts can make a comeback if people patronise them. People need to appreciate traditional crafts and understand their value. After all, it is part of India's aesthetics and our tradition." Till May 23, 10.30 am to 7 pm Where Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (Prince of Wales museum), Coomaraswami Hall, Kala Ghoda. Retail therapy for a paw-sitive cause The best thing about the garage sales organised by Welfare of Stray Dogs (WSD) is that they pop surprises every time you drop by. Some sales are heavy with silver jewellery, others have focused on books. This time around, it appears as if the musicheads will find maximum joy. The jumble sale, which takes place through the weekend, features three guitars (one of them being an electric guitar 'minus a couple of strings'), a couple of Hohner recorders, bongo drums, LP records, CDs, DVDs and even VCDs. You can even pick up crockery, clothes, glassware, coffee makers and juicers for what these guys term as 'throwaway prices'. <img alt="" src="/imagedata/2011/may/13dog.jpg" border="5" /> "Money raised from the sale will be used for sterilisation and immunisation of stray dogs, as well as treatment for the injured ones," shares Laila a volunteer with WSD. "Our donors have been amazing. Once, a lady from an erstwhile royal family in Madhya Pradesh sent over a tempo packed with fab stuff including gorgeous lamps, potted plants and antique stuff that made it seem like she was giving us a part of her heart." Head over for an awesome purchase and a smiling conscience. From Today till May 15, 10 am to 7pm Where Ground floor garage, Surya Darshan, 44/50, near Sital Baug Bus stop, Walkeshwar Road. Call 64222838

Prashant Miranda has a problem. And it has nothing to do with the fact that he spends six months of the year in Toronto

Stack up on the bizarre, 'fun' and peculiar

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Stack up on the bizarre, 'fun' and peculiar

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