What've SEZs got to do with the Salt Satyagraha?

Lots, shows a series of interactive installations at an art exhibition starting tomorrow. The Guide picks the top three

Take the hullabaloo out of SEZs (Special Economic Zones) and we city dwellers lose interest. But tomorrow, a group of artists are going to rattle our feeble memories yet again. 'SEZs Who?', as the name defiantly suggests, is an interactive exhibition which tries to question the rationale behind the much debated SEZs.


Salt-making in open pans

The show is a result of a research initiated by a group of artists who visited the SEZs near Mumbai. Tushar Joag and Sharmila Samant, along with Justin Ponmany, Prajakta Potnis and Uday Shanbhag, through their installations, will try to present their perspective of the issue.

Calling attention to their dynamic equation with space, the installations will undergo some change in form everyday, as a mark of unstoppable creative alteration. They are alsou00a0 devoid of unnecessary frills and innovatively interactive in nature. The dynamism corresponds to displacement, which is the core theme of the show.

"We were determined that the issue could not be represented merely by creating works that would hang in a white cube. It's a problem that is alive, and had to be represented as an ongoing commitment and struggle against displacement," says participant Tushar Joag. "We used to visit the villages around the SEZs and exchange our experiences.

That's how it came about," adds artist Sharmila Samant. Khoj International Artist Association, an artist exchange forum, backs the project. "Weren't the SEZs supposed to get all the benefits and tax holidays so that they could bring development and opportunities to under-privileged areas?

Then why were they invariably situated very close to mega cities and big towns, where infrastructure already existed and economies were flourishing?" questions Khoj Studios director Pooja Sood. These are some of the questions raised here. While it might not go down well with the sarkari clan, use this non-violent,u00a0 creative route if you have your own questioning to do.

Salt-making in open pans
"People in the metros are hardly aware of the ground realities. They are very different from the selective reporting they are exposed to. This installation symbolises the historic Dandi March and the Salt Satyagraha. The water used has been collected from the Uttan Gorai region and Raigad district. Making salt is one of the main occupation in the villages, thus it was an apt representation," explains artist Sharmila Samant.

Telephones
"Sometimes, helplines can be very frustrating. We end up choosing options and go round and round until we reach nowhere. Those frustrations somehow lead to this artwork. We have created and recorded sound bytes through which we have tried to do two thingsu00a0-- put forth our view on SEZs and make it interactive," elaborates Justin Ponmany, the man behind the idea.

Salt pile and grain sacks
"Salt will be spread over the floor, and gradually, the grains will move away from the walls towards the centre, forming a heap. It symbolises the waking up of the masses. And represents the people coming together and uniting for a common cause," says Tushar Joag, the creator.

SEZ what?
SEZs or Special Economic Zones are geographical regions with liberal economic laws, usually to increase Foreign Direct Investment or promote export from the country to pull up domestic enterprises to compete globally. The Indian government passed the Special Economic Zone Act in 2005. According to the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, it has 105 functional Zones all over the country. Nandigram and Singur are the prominent places that have been in the midst of controversy following protest by the villagers over the acquisition of the land.

SEZs who?
Where: S-17, Khoj Studios, Khirkee Extension, Malviya Nagar
When: March 6 to 14, 11 am to 7 pm
Call: 65655874