Indian Strings and Dances – An interactive exhibition at the Croydon Clocktower

by theMuseum of Croydon and the London Sitar Ensemble

The Museum of Croydon and The London Sitar Ensemble ran a major exhibition in the Croydon NOW gallery of the Museum of Croydon, and other public display areas at Croydon Clocktower, from April to July 2009.

The exhibition showcased the outputs of the Heritage Lottery Fund funded ‘String and Dance Festival’ Project which was run by The London Sitar Ensemble. The core exhibition, which was displayed in two separate galleries at Croydon Clocktower, comprised oral history interviews (video), musical instruments and associated objects from the Community Groups involved and other donors (Horniman Museum), photographs and videos showing musical performances and dances from the Indian Sub-Continent as performed in the UK, costumes and associated musical instruments of all eight classical Indian dances and three folk dance genres from western India. Within the musical instruments display the emphasis was on stringed instruments such as the sitar, sarangi, violin, veena, sarod, santoor and the supporting instruments such as drums and cymbals.

Two photo exhibitions complemented the exhibition and where displayed in other public areas of the Clocktower: one showing Croydon-based dancers and musicians; and the other showing  a musical instrument collection project in India.

The exhibition was embedded in a string of events such as workshops, rehearsals, oral tradition interviews and concerts. Taking and using a wealth of digital video, still photography and audio recordings which constituted a major part of the activities and displays.

Indian music and dance is one of the finest traditions in the world. Tracing its roots back to times immemorial, these art forms have an interesting pattern of evolutionary change. Many changes, transformation and evolution have taken place, enriched by the contribution of the musicians and dancers, great and small, famous and unknown.

The India – Britain story is a 400 year long tale of travel, migration and cultural exchange. This journey has made a significant influence on the cultural scene of British Arts. The ‘Indian Strings and Dances’ project, undertaken by The London Sitar Ensemble and The Croydon Museum and supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund, aimed to explore the evolution and contribution made by the musicians and dancers in Britain. The exhibition therefore provided a representative sample of the artistic and cultural contribution made by South Asian people to the development of music in the UK.

The exhibition was curated by Lata Desai and Rolf Killius in close collaboration with Rob Shakespeare, Acting Museum Service Manager. 


       
Sutton Subrang Dance Ensemble                                                                        London Sitar Ensemble


Contact Rolf:  rolfkillius 'at' yahoo.com