Fragments of a Panorama by Murthovic and Thiruda: Opening Party

Fragments of a Panorama is a kaleidoscope of worlds oscillating between a speculative future and an alternative past, created by visual artist Thiruda (Avinash Kumar) and musician Murthovic (Sri Rama Murthy), and guest curated by Kinnari Saraiya.

Since 2016, Murthovic and Thiruda have taken on the role of archivists for their ongoing project, Elsewhere in India, remixing and fragmenting millennia of South Asian cultural traditions, sonic and visual heritage, and classical dances of India. This initiative explores cultural heritage, digital technology, and speculative futures through film, interactive experiences, video games, and sculpture, with Fragments of a Panorama, presented by arebyte gallery, as a commissioned chapter within this broader exploration.

The topology of Fragments of a Panorama is built on layers of destruction, construction, and reparation, connecting us to generations past and future. Through the malleability of space-time in virtual AI-rendered worlds, the exhibition introduces immersive experiences across various states and technological landscapes, transporting us to Elsewhere in India.

The exhibition features a panoramic video projection titled A Road in India (2079), set in a future where global cultures are near extinction. The film layers archival footage of colonial India with AI-generated images. Telematic Transmissions, is a film that transcends the boundaries of physical space and time, as it draws from the dance archives of Jayalakshmi Eshwar, a dancer captured in decades-old films. Through computer vision and AI renditions, her movements become a source of regenerative dances that cross time, space, materiality, and virtuality. Post-cyberpunk, indo-futuristic sculptural instrument titled VEENA: model no.12, is a new commission inspired by its ancient namesake that is modified to replicate the spinal column. Antara, an interactive game, is a scavenger hunt set on an island within Fortnite, scattered with 3D scanned objects from museums in India and England. Lastly, Meena XR is an extended reality experience where audiences embody Meenakshi, a cyborg archivist piecing together lost fragments of endangered dance, music, art, and architecture.