A proposal for an Ecumenical Centre for Christianity and the Arts in Kerala

Artists need time and space for reflection, solitude and study, in a supportive atmosphere of natural beauty and isolation from the stresses and obligations of daily life to renew their spirit, invite inspiration, and to do the work of creation.

There is a long term plan to found a school for the arts at Deenabandupuram, a remote village on the Tamil Nadu/Andhra Pradesh boarder, which will engage working creative artists in various fields and from various of the artistic traditions of India, to enliven the minds of students to the beauty of art—music, dance, visual art, & writing, from whatever their tradition or community, whether it be Hindu, Moslem, Christian, any other religious community, or secular. Such an endeavour will take many minds working together over a lengthy period of preparation to formulate and implement such a place and course of study.

Towards this goal, we propose to create a retreat for artists in various disciplines, specifically the composition of literature, music, the visual arts, and dance, enabling them to do creative work for a specific amount of time, from two weeks to six months, depending on the scope of a project. Applicants for residency at this retreat will be chosen for their achieved excellence or evident potential, by a panel of respected artists in these respective fields, charged with the mandate to invite artists to work on specific projects as defined by themselves in their applications.

The physical needs for such a retreat will be residential studios fitted for the specific needs of each field. A visual artist´s studio will need, for example, sufficient space for canvasses of various dimensions in progress and northern light exposure. In that same studio, a flexible space for working in a variety of media, from wood and stone to steel fibre glass or mixed media would be necessary if the visual artist invited to work there were to be a sculptor. A dancer/choreographer's studio will need room freely to move, and a flexible (wooden or synthetic) floor. For the musician, electrical connections for keyboards computers, etc, plus perhaps an acoustic piano to assist in musical composition will be needed. Writers may need significantly fewer material fittings other than a reliable power supply for a laptop computer and internet accessibility. It is to be understood that the invited artists will need to bring any needed supplies for their work to the centre, and that the centre will not be responsible for furnishing artist's materials, computers or other material needs any specific project demands, though the demands of the present time suggest that the whole facility should be made accessible to the internet through Wi-Fi or other reliable wireless connectivity.

The idea is to form, over time, a working community of visiting residents who may or may not interact with each other while in the creative process, but whose work should reflect the idea of spiritual/aesthetic awakening and political awareness offered by the tranquillity of the place, the proximity of Deenabandu's other existing community and facilities: a thriving village mostly of teachers and agricultural workers, a mandapam (which is a CSI church), an elementary school, and the Women in Development Trust (an NGO) compound, to promote and facilitate the production of serious work in the arts within a unique existing community.

One of any art´s principal aims is to express the inner life and times of the individual artist to the larger community. This centre is proposed, first for generating individual creativity, and then (at such a time when an actual school of the arts is deemed appropriate and possible) for the passing on of learning to succeeding generations with the crucial aim of enlivening the soul for spiritual awakening, and in daily living for all.

Money for such an enterprise will need to be raised to build the necessary facilities at Deenabandupuram, and an endowment created to insure the stability of such a centre. The Deenabandu Trust has identified a site of approximately 15.5 acres, on its own property, for the building of such a centre. Artist's studios/cottages will need to be separated from each other sufficiently to give a sense of undisturbed privacy while not loosing some feeling of community. A central space for gathering and sharing of work, with facilities for communal dining and preparation of food will be necessary, plus five artist's studios, suited to the various artistic disciplines involved, and all with clean water, sleeping, and eco-friendly sanitary facilities. The buildings on this site will be designed by a regionally respected and sympathetic architect to reflect the character of the rugged landscape in which they are to be situated; and to the extent possible, of local construction and materials; but, notwithstanding their modest dimensions and specific purpose, the aim is for each to be of significant architectural interest.

Money raised will be needed specifically for the initial building of five studios and a central space for gathering at about fifty dollars US per square foot; minor landscaping; the digging of a well and piping of water to the studios; and the hiring of a suitable maintenance staff and the hiring of a person, preferably someone with an active interest in one or more of the five metiers, to manage and administer the work of the retreat on site, including fund raising.

The ideal situation will be for artists to be invited solely on the basis of their work and their proposal for creative activity at the centre, and not on any other criteria, and especially not on their financial ability to pay. Artists may want to use the facility to fulfil a commission, in which case, there could be the possibility of a donation to the centre for their keep. Otherwise, it will be best if the fundraising activities for the centre can, after the facilities are built, focus on the creation of a trust fund for the running of the centre so that no artist will be turned away because of his or her lack of ability to pay. It should go without saying that religion; gender, sexual orientation, caste, or community will not be taken into any account in the selection process of potential residents.

Some work, done at the centre, especially in the visual arts, can beautify the buildings and surroundings, if the artists involved are so inspired to create site-specific work, and are willing and able to donate such work. It is envisioned that there will also be a location (a storefront or a freestanding building) in central Chennai created wherein the work created at the centre can be exhibited and/or performed.

An invited “Blue-Ribbon’ panel consisting of one person from each artistic area will judge the applications for residency at the centre, and will need to be drawn from the most respected people in their various fields. A musician such as Iliyaraja or Zubin Metha, painters such as K. Prebhakeran or A. K. Husain, a writer such as Arundhati Roy, come to mind as the calibre of artists needed to be asked to evaluate applicants' work. Such people may even be interested, if the occasion presented itself, to come to work at the centre if they could benefit from the beauty and solitude of such surroundings. Illustrious names attached to the centre, it should be added, will likely attract financial donations to the centre.

The aim of this centre is specifically to foster creativity in the arts. With this in mind, while the site on which the retreat is to be built is in a specifically Christian community, it must be made clear that no specific church or temple sponsorship is to be involved in the direction of this centre. Rather, anyone sympathetic with the aims and physical situation of the centre, and whose work is of sufficient artistic merit, will be welcomed to apply for residency, to interpret the aims of the centre as he or she, as an artist, sees fit.

Randall Giles,
Thumpamon, Kerala
23 December 2007

Specific needs for each building:

Main Gathering Space:

A spacious exhibition & performance space (probably one space, not two), which could also serve as a lounge area accommodating up to 12 people comfortably for lounging, reading, conversation, etc.. Walls (maybe moveable) for hanging of artwork, but windows looking out onto the landscape as well. A site with a good view will be ideal. Space enough (5 ½ x5 feet) for a small grand piano should be included. While generous in proportions, this space will not be intended for public performance or exhibition, but rather a space for sharing work and ideas among the residents only. Tall ceilings would be ideal, with much attention paid to ventilation. Maybe two bathrooms (toilets) will be needed. Some relaxing seating (cushions, many pillows) could be built-in around the perimeter of the main space as a part of the structure itself, but there will also be need for coffee tables, comfortable chairs, a dining table (seating a maximum of 12 people) which should be visually set apart somehow from the main exhibition / performance / lounge area. A kitchen will likely bee needed suitable for the preparation of a variety of meals (though institutional standards need not be met unless local regulations dictate this), which could be used by the residents to prepare their own meals as well as by a resident cook. Perhaps a cook´s quarters (room with a bed, chair, private bath) would be necessary as well. Close relation of the surrounding landscape to this building, with shady terraces immediately accessible from the main spaces will be desirable. A non-sectarian meditation room that need be no more than 12x12 feet, set apart in some way from the more active areas of the building would be desirable.

In the residence portion of each studio:

A comfortable bed-sitting space with both a lounge area (a lounge suite with couch, two armchairs and a coffee table, chair & writing desk suitable to accommodate a laptop computer etc. with internet accessibility) and a sleeping area (double bed; nightstand, closet for clothing). Warm lighting fixed to the walls; a small food preparation area (midnight snacks, a quick lunch) with a two-ring gas cooker, a small refrigerator, cupboards for food storage. Perhaps a private sit-out would be welcome in this part of each residence/studio. These things will be desirable in each of the studios and for the caretaker´s quarters.

Perhaps these bed-sitting spaces could be in some way built identically as “modular units’ so that they could be built more efficiently (and less expensively?), then in some uniform way attached with direct access to whatever studio space is required for the various artists´ needs.

Visual artists´ studio:

The visual artists´ work space will want to be spacious—maybe 30x30 feet, with a high ceiling (16 feet or so), to accommodate a number of large canvasses when necessary, with plenty of natural northern lighting from the ceiling (but with the possibility of shielding these large windows from direct sunlight on hot days), as much wall space as possible for working surface, plus an easel, a generous work table & stool, and a storage area for paints, etc. The studio should be fitted minimally for the needs of either a painter or sculptor. Those needs must be checked with professionals in both fields. There should be a door to the outside large enough to allow finished canvasses or large sculptures of, say, 6x8x12 feet to be removed from the studio with out disassembly. This studio should be able to be accessed by a vehicle suitable for carrying away the completed objects made in such a space.

Composer/Musician´s studio:

A composer or other creative musician will need a generous desk including room for an electronic keyboard, with adequate lighting; an acoustic piano (an upright piano for now, but enough space should be allocated for a grand piano in the future: one 6 feet long by about five feet wide at its widest point should be planned for), storage area for paper, recording equipment etc.. This studio is not intended to be a performance space, but rather a space for a composer or other creative musician to work in isolation, with perhaps a few other people present some of the time (a singer, another player, etc.). Any more formal performance would be able to take place in the main “Gathering Space’.

Writer´s studio:

A comfortable office space, with a generous desk with storage space for paper, electrical outlets for computer, storage space for books, etc. and a great view is all I can think a writer would need.

Dancer/choreographer´s studio:

A dancer/choreographer would need a large well lighted space for potential rapid movement, about the same size as the artist´s studio (30X30). Relatively high ceilings, not less than 12 feet would provide room to run and to leap. At least one wall, and perhaps two walls should have floor to ceiling mirrors, with a barre for exercise along the full length of the mirrored wall(s). The room should otherwise be empty. To prevent injury to the dancers, a floor suitable for strenuous dance exercise (in other words, not a concrete floor) will be necessary. Separate from the dance floor, a storage area for costumes & sound equipment. We´d need to check with a professional dancer to see if the size of the space is right for the optimum needs of a choreographer. It could need to be smaller or larger. I don´t know.

Director´s office/residence:

Basically a total space slightly larger than the floor space and with the same sort of furnishings and needs as exist in the flat I am in on Santhome High Road (lots of pictures), but with a larger lounge area and guest room, a dining room and a servant´s room. Ideally, it would include:

A lounge large enough to accommodate furniture appropriate for a lounge (a three piece suite, two other armchairs, various musical instruments and coffee tables.
A dining room with table and chairs to accommodate eight people and a sideboard for storage of dishes with space for serving food.
A bedroom big enough for a king-sized bed, night tables, wardrobe chests of drawers and a writing desk.
A room large enough for two guests (two single beds, wardrobe, night stand, chest of drawers).
A study/library to accommodate a big desk, an upright piano and around 3,000 books.
A modest kitchen.
One or two bathrooms with shower, sink with space surrounding the sink for toiletries, and a western commode, and a laundry and clothes drying area.
A private (screened from the rest of the site) sit-out or terrace large enough comfortably to accommodate a low table and four chairs, but separate from the laundry/clothes drying area.
This could be the last building to be completed.

Caretaker´s residence:

The caretaker´s residence could be just like the residential module of any of the residence / studios (sitting area, modest kitchen facilities, bathroom, sleeping area), but comfortable enough for a married couple to share. This could be a part of the “gathering building’ along with the cook´s quarters, or it could be a free standing structure. It should however be separate from any of the artists´ studios.