SA AS gives development an alternative interpretation by turning unfinished shops & desolate spaces into ‘ArtShops' 
Putting a village on the map through arts
Creative Design & Technology
About the campaigner
The 4tables Project
Gunehar, IN
Frank started the 4tables project 9 years ago with the aim of creating a space for alternative and meaningful living. The 4tables project has grown from a small gallery and café to now include village beautification activities, restoration of traditional buildings, interactive village activities and, of course, ShopArt ArtShop. The village itself now hosts an Art gallery, an ecological boutique hotel, a fusion restaurant and other infrastructure that has been carefully planned and implemented in a manner not to destroy the fabric of the village yet develop the village into an alternative destination based upon the idea of quality, responsibility and non-destructive development. Frank was born near Hamburg, Germany, and came to India for the first time when he was barely 4 years old and has been coming back to India on a regular basis. Before a set of coincidences would have him settle down permanently in the small Himachali village of Gunehar with his little son, Frank has worked and lived in 3 continents: Europe, Asia and America. He has been part of numerous projects related to the Arts, Culture and Hospitality but it was through his settling down in Gunehar and the founding of the 4tables project that he could start putting his vast experience into cohesive practice. Frank chose the village because of its relative ‘unspoiltness’ and also because he believes that in a truly globalized and interconnected world, a small village can be as valuable as any other place.
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A whole village turned into an arts gallery!
ShopArt ArtShop (SA AS) is a conceptual arts event set in a small, pristine village, Gunehar, in Kangra Valley, HP, India. Gunehar was once a prominent economic hub on the trans-Himalaya caravan route. Today, it is economically marginalized. The number of new shops, build in anticipation of economic prosperity in the new market economy, have become symbols of a future yet to arrive. By turning these shops and desolate spaces into ‘ArtShops’, SA AS gives development an alternative interpretation.
SA AS is unique because it not only, for a short while, reimagines a village but also gives the contemporary Indian arts scene a much-needed alternative. We believe arts must occasionally be taken out of the urban, gallery and market oriented space and set in open spaces and put in unusual contexts.
SA AS was first successfully held in 2013 with 13 emerging artists and their ‘ArtShops’, drawing 6,000 visitors to the village and putting the village ‘on the map' through arts.
For this second edition of SA AS, which is being hosted by us in collaboration with the artists Ketna Patel and Puneet Kaushik, 11 contemporary artists from around India and the world are living in the village for a month-long residency since May 14, 2016. They have been allotted empty shops and desolate spaces as their workspace and, for 3 weeks, they are working on art concepts dealing with themes that attempt to transcend the rural-urban divide that exists in today’s India and indeed, the world. SA AS artists are required to develop concepts that combine the traditional with the contemporary and work daily in front of villagers and visitors to make the whole process of creating arts transparent and accessible.
SA AS 2, partially funded by our first Ketto Campaign, is well underway! Watch the videos of artists and their projects below. We are still short of funds. With your help, these artists can finish the work they have started!
ArtShops underway:
The 3minute Stories by Amrit Vatsa (Goa) — multi-media installation around a number of 3 minute films, blogs and photographs shot in the village.
1-Rupee Cinema by KM Lo (Hong Kong) — a group of children are making short films that at a later stage will be taken on a journey to Mumbai for screening to the greats of Bollywood.
Market Square Graffiti by Gargi Chandola (Delhi) and the Kangra Miniature Painters (Dharamshala) — a mixture of traditional miniature and modern graffiti styles to refurbish the Gunehar Market Square.
Mud House Project by Frank Schlichtmann (Gunehar) - Restoration of the last house still standing in the market square in traditional style.
Gunehar Fashion by Rema Kumar (Delhi) — exploration of local fabrics, designs and people to create a line of clothing for a fashion show (on 14 June) in collaboration with village women.
Gunehar Pop by Ketna Patel (London/Pune) — Her ‘PhotoShop’ captures portraits of the villagers and translates them into ‘POP’ art narratives.
‘Those Who Live in Glass Houses’ by Puneet Kaushik (Delhi) — installations reflecting upon perceptions of viewers of art works. The concept of glass house emerges from this as we all see what we want to see.
The ‘Hidden Spaces’ Collective by Sheena Deviah (Bangalore) & Bianca Ballantyne (Bir & Goa) — art installations to give meaning to some ‘dead spaces’ that exist in the village due to plan-less construction activities.
The Terracotta Space Installation by Mudita Bhandari (Indore) — large-scale spatial installation combining terracotta forms with local materials to explore the themes associated with traditional building forms and changing trends.
‘From the Sky’ Installation by Puneet Kaushik (Delhi) — multi-dimensional installation exploring the possibilities offered by the topography and structures of Gunehar. It can, in its entirety, be seen while flying/ paragliding above Gunehar.
Our innovative Internet platform, 'Virtual Village' by Ksenia Bosak, is a fun way to explore the village virtually. It meticulously documents, demonstrates and archives the whole process of creation, plus allows ‘virtual’ visitors to ‘visit’ the village, engage and communicate with the artists as well as participate in the events.
Try it out here!: www.shopartshop.com/village/intro
From the villager’s perspective, SA AS is nothing less than “bringing back the Mela” to the village. In earlier times, the largest Mela of this valley was held here every summer. Villagers from the Himalayan interiors would mingle with tradespeople from the plains, exchanging goods, stories and ideas. SA AS revives this tradition in a contemporary avatar.
The Art Festival or ‘Mela’ (from June 7 - 14' 16) as the villagers fondly call it -- will see traditional villagers, urbanites and tourists come together to celebrate their creative unity. The finished art works will become the centre pieces around which a whole cultural program with local ‘Mela’ elements, music concerts, performances, live shows, film screenings, podium discussions etc. will be held.
Village Map for SA AS 2 festival:
What else is in this for the village?
--SA AS revives the village by establishing Gunehar as an alternative destination associated with arts and meaningful living rather than mass tourism. The activities of the 4tables project, of which SA AS is a part, include a number of other initiatives that aim towards qualitative, non-destructive development.
--SA AS itself is, from the village perspective, a renovation and beautification project.
--SA AS provides employment and for the (empty) shop owners, income.
--SA AS exposes villagers to creativity, conceptual thinking and problem solving through interaction with artists and participation in projects.
--SA AS provides entertainment for villagers and interaction with visitors.
Why contribute to SA AS?
-- Because you love arts and want to help an event that documents and archives the whole process of creating arts.
-- Because you want to help develop a village responsibly.
-- Because you believe that artist must be paid and not exploited.
-- Because you believe arts must be made accessible to everybody.
-- Because you love and believe in a modern, creative and innovative India.
-- Because you want SA AS to become a premium fixture on the Indian arts calendar showcasing Indian arts to the world.
ShopArt ArtShop is a not-for profit enterprise; all the money raised goes towards the project. All expenses will be documented on our website and accessible to everybody online. Our mission is to make “the whole process of creating arts transparent”— this includes the economics!
SA AS 2 expenditure includes Artist’s Expenses (travel and transportation, living), ArtShop Material Expenses, Shop Renovations, ’Virtual Village’ Platform (development and implementation), Village Mela (stalls, stage, sound etc.), Market Square Renovation, Hiring (short and medium term supporting professionals), Advertisement etc.
SA AS 1 was entirely funded by the 4tables project. All the funds on SA AS 2 until now have come from the 4tables project; primarily from its first crowd-funding campaign on Ketto (https://ketto.org/SAAS2)
Web-links
Website: www.shopartshop.com
FB: facebook.com/ShopArtArtShop
Instagram: @shopartartshop
Twitter: @shopartartshop
Youtube: www.youtube.com/c/shopartshop
A Heartfelt thanks to all our Contributors! We would love you to visit us during the event and see for yourself what your support has helped us achieve.
-- All contributors will have specially designed exclusive guided tours of the event during the festival.
-- All contributors can take part in our workshops. Yes, do also bring your kids along!
-- A list of all contributors will be published on our ShopArt ArtShop website.
We also have thought of some gifts for you:
Contribution of Rs. 500: poster of the event!
Contribution of Rs. 1,000: poster, signed by all artists!
Contribution of Rs. 10,000: poster, signed by all artists + a small limited edition artwork* created by one of the artists during SA AS 2.
Contribution of Rs. 50,000: poster, signed by all artists + a medium sized single-piece artwork* (approx. 60cm x 60 cm) by an artist + an invitation to stay at our own eco-village hotel** during the festival for 1 person for 2days/1night*** + all meals in our restaurant.
Contribution of Rs. 1,00,000: poster, signed by all artists + a large single-piece artwork* (approx. 80cm x 100 cm) by an artist + an invitation to stay at our own eco-village hotel** during the festival for 2 persons for 3days/2night*** + all meals in our restaurant + a tandem paragliding flight over the venue to see the Sky-Art
* Art-works of different sizes will be created by our artists for this purpose. All art works will be numbered and distributed according to a lottery system // ** Our Hotel website: www.the4roomshotel.com // *** If you are unable to come during the event, you can visit us thereafter. The ‘voucher’ will be valid until 14. June, 2017.
