Tune in for narratives critical to our times. Listen, ask and seek answers.
Monica Narula
Monica Narula formed Raqs Media Collective in 1992 along with Jeebesh Bagchi and Shuddhabrata Sengupta. The word 'raqs' in several languages denotes an intensification of awareness and presence attained by whirling, turning, being in a state of revolution. Raqs Media Collective takes this sense to mean ‘kinetic contemplation’ and a restless and energetic entanglement with the world and with time. Raqs practices across several media; making installation, sculpture, video, performance, text, lexica and curation. Their work finds them at the intersection of contemporary art, philosophical speculation and historical enquiry. The members of Raqs Media Collective live and work in Delhi, India. In 2001, they co-founded the Sarai program at CSDS New Delhi and ran it for a decade where they also edited the Sarai Reader series. They were the Artistic Directors for the recently-concluded Yokohama Triennale 2020, Afterglow, where they developed sources around toxicity, care and the luminosity of friendship, with artists and publics.
Session
Tracking in the Age of the World Wide Web
Perry Chen and Monica Narula in conversation
Traditionally, trackers were used to lead us to animals, people or lost geographical features concealed in jungles and wildernesses. Today, we need help in navigating the complex and bewildering world of technology. The two speakers in conversation today are aptly poised to clear much of the confusion and the ‘unknowable’ factors involved in lifting the mists surrounding the virtual world of communication as it is today, and as it will be increasingly in the future. Perry Chen is an American artist and the creator of Kickstarter, an online funding platform for creative projects. Monica Narula co-founded the Raqs Media Collective with the avowed intention of forcing viewers to look anew at everyday sights taken for granted.