City Circle

Notes:Pradeep locates his work “city circle” in the cultural geography of the city… Pradeep has juxtaposed popular public sites and private views to create a curtain. This curtain will conceal and create a private space in a public environment… Pradeep overarching interest is to create an interactive archive of the past and changing present in cultural landscape studiesCITY CIRCLE - by Suresh Jayaram

Bangalore represents the “new”, a global city for many. The liberalized market, economy, cosmopolitism and high tech labels. Others who belong to this city’s cultural geography feel that their identity is threatened by development. It is here we find many Bangalore’s.

Pradeep locates his work “city circle” in the cultural geography of the city. The artist was surprised to know that most roundabouts and circles were vanishing, making way for the never ending traffic. The city was in transit, change was inevitable. One can recollect these circles as landmarks, designed by the enlightened ‘city founders’ who envisioned a city with aesthetics. These were places to pause as one traversed the city. All this is nostalgic and are only part of the memory and loss of a citizen’s archive.

Industry has a stake in this city with the IT and BT sector and has positioned it in the global market. But this is only a certain section of the city's identity. There is more to see beyond the sleek glass facades and the notion of a "global city". The artist mapped the many layers of sedimentation of visual culture and society.

Pradeep has juxtaposed popular public sites and private views to create a curtain. This curtain will conceal and create a private space in a public environment. The printed curtains will look like shower curtain that conceal, and he wishes to install this in a public space and create a situation for interaction. The viewer is allowed to use this opportunity to look and interact at leisure. The conflict between public/private/ and self/ other will overlap creating a zone that collapses binary boundaries.

Pradeep’s objective is to raise questions about the city, environment, culture, landscape, migrants, social disparities, gender, and chauvinism. He makes visible the many images of city beyond the gloss and hype. Make you listen to many unheard voices that have never spoken about their city.

Pradeep overarching interest is to create an interactive archive of the past and changing present in cultural landscape studies, an emergent field concerned with the history, form, and meaning of ordinary built environments of our city Bangalore.

The artist’s viewpoint is kaleidoscopic, but with a focus on many way of looking at a unique city. It is a dynamic project that opens up avenues to others to participate in it

Suresh Jayaram

VAC/1SHANTHIROAD

STUDIO/GALLERY.