Day 1:
The 10th Art Marathon began on a wonderful note as 7 schools and over 150 enthusiastic participants attended the 7 workshops.
In the Ceramics workshop, the central idea was teamwork and finding the creative and abstract part of oneselves with a 3D material like clay. The students represented school life through a mural shaped book made from clay.
In the Photography session, the participants learnt about contrasting types of portraits in paintings and with a session on how to shoot portraits (view, exposure etc).
The Big Picture, under the watchful guide of Ms. Broota, intended to let students be free of their suffocative cage of rules and regulations through painting and move their fingers as their minds will.
The Calligraphy workshop consisted of learning upward and downward strokes of the pen and applying them on paper forming the alphabet. The next day’s artwork was discussed, coming to a common topic of seasons and space.
In the Theatre workshop, improvisation exercises about stillness and emotions were played. Towards the end, an activity requiring all the actors to play out a scene was held.
The Indian Dance workshop conducted by Guru Panchanan Bhuyan focused on learning different mudras as well as a dance piece which will be showcased on the second day.
In the Music Production workshop, Mr. Bose suggested that the entire group should write and compose an original song. Everyone worked to enhance a simple beat by separating into different segments – vocalists worked on harmony, the guitarists strummed a pattern of chords, and the piano and saxophone created a main melody.
Day 2:
The second day of the event began with utmost enthusiasm as the participants worked on culminating their work into a final presentation. The Visual Arts workshops set up displays around the school, forming a beautiful exhibition while the Performing Arts categories came up with performances and films to showcase.
The students of the Ceramics workshop showcased their artwork in the form of 6 sculptures, turned into 4 pages of a book representing their school life in a creative manner.
In the Photography session, the students showcase their talent in the form of an exhibition of the portraits they clicked around the school over the last two days while keeping the points given by Mr. Sundeep Bali in mind.
The students of the Big Picture put up an exhibition showing their creative sides and putting up a display of the work they did in the last two days, using Ms. Broota’s tips.
On the final day the students of Calligraphy presented their work of art regarding either space or seasons using the calligraphy style they learnt the day before.
The students of the Theatre workshop engaged in eye contact building activities and assessing the tension created between two actors working a scene. They also worked on trying to convey emotions through the most subtle actions and face movements.
After a quick rehearsal, the dancers of the Indian Dance workshop were ready to take the stage showcasing the skills they learnt the last two days. With the gajras and ghungroos in place, the talent flowed through the stage. The dance focused on the story of Shiv and Parvati and was featured through the different formations created by the dancers on stage.
In the Music Production workshop, with the guidance of Mr. Bose, the participants pooled their creativity to create a piece that was individual with each instrument yet unified in spirit and harmony.
With this, another successful edition of Vasant Valley’s Art Marathon came to a satisfactory end.