Pablo Picasso is known to have said, “The purpose of art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls.” Art is indeed balm to the soul, knowledge to the seeker, and freedom to the creative mind. However, for art to elicit interest, it must feel like a tangible entity that can be engaged with. High art from centuries gone by, is revered the world over. People line up for miles on end to see, touch, feel, and interact with art pieces made by masters. Even today, the Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci inspires frenzy at the Louvre in Paris on a daily basis, giving any modern-day celebrity a run for their money.
However, despite a rich artistic and cultural heritage, one cannot say the same for the state of Indian art. Here, art has remained largely inaccessible to the public, displayed and forgotten in a museum or the walls of an institution. That is, until now, when things finally seem set to change. In a rare move of displaying public art of varying sizes, mediums and from various periods, Terminal 2 of the Bengaluru International Airport Ltd., has taken the lead amongst public institutions, to invite viewers to interact and engage with the art on display so they may learn and develop an interest in this sphere.
“T2 aims to be a visual delight to all passengers with its insightfully curated art and décor elements as part of its Art Programme. The art programme at BLR Airport is based on two themes – Karnataka’s rich heritage and culture, and Bharata Natayshastra’s Naurasa or nine emotions. Here, sixty artworks by 43 artists capturing these two themes are on display. They promise to inspire awe and make the journeys of passengers through the terminal an unforgettable experience. Our focus through the Art Programme at T2 is to make passengers pause, observe, introspect and feel rejuvenated,” says Yamini Telkar, the head of the Art Programme at the Bengaluru International Airport Ltd.
When the team embarked on this mammoth project in 2019, they were given a mandate to follow. The art on display had to reflect the four pillars upon which the programme was built. These four guiding principles influenced the design and architecture of Terminal 2 in its entirety, and they were: ‘terminal in a garden’, ‘sustainability’, ‘technology’, and ‘art and culture’.
It is no secret that Bengaluru has always been a ‘garden city’ owing to its bountiful greenery amidst a bustling town. Leaning on this pleasant thought, the team behind the Art Programme decided to create an experience within the airport which would enable the passenger to replicate a “walk in the garden”. This is no ordinary feat, as one can see as soon as they enter the terminal. Instead of a traditional garden, which would have hampered the functionality of an airport, passengers are instead met with over 10,000 sq mt of green walls, and greenery hanging from the rooftop, sustained on cutting-edge technology. This beautiful new-age garden has been made in India and relies on indigenous technology.
Satyaki Raghunath, the Chief Operating Officer of the airport adds, “BLR Airport has already established a benchmark in sustainability with 100 percent usage of renewable energy across the campus. Terminal 2 has been created with sustainability principles woven into its design. With such innovations, Terminal 2 has established several benchmarks. Based on the sustainability initiatives, it has been recognised as the largest terminal in the world to be pre-certified with a Platinum LEED rating by USGBC (US Green Building Council) before operations even commenced. The principle of technology and innovation is integral to the functioning of the terminal, which is further demonstrated through the seamless passenger journey using the Digi Yatra app. Several integrated technology features power the terminal to keep it customer centric, operationally efficient, and innovative.”
In addition to the ecological and sustainable angles, the team leading the Art Programme was keen to weave the selected pieces around a common theme which they felt would especially connect with travellers. Telkar explains, “An airport terminal is a place where we find all kinds of human emotions on display – people are travelling and have plenty of thoughts going through their mind. They could be excited, happy, anxious, tired and so many other things. To express all of these emotions, we felt ‘Naurasa’ would be a fitting theme that would unite all the commissioned artworks displayed in Terminal 2. The artworks are exhibited at strategic locations and serve as beacons in a traveller’s journey, allowing passengers to pause, reflect and enjoy them at leisure. Further, the artworks represent the heritage and culture of the state of Karnataka as well as the broader Indian ethos.”
After doing a themed call out for artist submissions, 60 artworks made by 43 artists were selected from over 300 entries. These include contemporary artworks by renowned artists like L. N. Tallur and Subodh Kerkar, folk art works from Karnataka and a few ancient bronze sculptures on loan from the state government to show the depth and variety of artistic traditions and forms.
At the entrance, one is met with Tallur’s ‘V+Mana’, a play on words that describe both the airplane in Sanskrit and the ancient temple façade which is shown inverted to look like an aircraft. Tallur’s other popular work is ‘In the Journey of Navarasa’, which a lovely photo booth where people can pose with their heads is sticking out through a hole in a giant bird-human hybrid sculpture. Other notable works by contemporary artists include Madhvi Subrahmanian’s ‘Bird’s Eye View’, which is a compilation of two gigantic murals cleverly mapping the layout plans of airports that Bengaluru is connected with; Dinesh Maneer’s photographed forest, ‘Nityotsava, Ramnagara Forest’, which greets people as they enter the terminal; Tanya Mehta’s digital artwork ‘That Which Encircles Us’, synced to change with real-time temperature; and Pragati Mathur’s mixed media installation, ‘Nauraspur’, which hangs from the ceiling and seeks to evoke emotions through the use of different textures and colours.
Notable folk art consists of Anupama Hoskere’s ‘Spiral of Life’, based on the endangered art of the Sutrada Bombe (string puppets) of Karnataka; ‘Sensorium of Wonders’ by Gaatha Design Studio which proffers a stunning double-sided marble panel with intricate silver inlay work from Bidar, known as Bidri; and traditional Kinnala puppets, some of which stand guard near a gate while others made by Santosh Kumar Chitragar hang from a ceiling. Floor art embedded with a clever and creative use of marble by Yayati Godbole, recreates traditional Indian board games in an aesthetic manner.
There is a lot to see, and one visit simply isn’t enough to cover it all. Fortunately, since this is a permanent exhibit, one can delight in knowing that every visit to Terminal 2 of the Bengaluru International Airport Ltd. will yield a new artistic discovery.
Telkar sums it up best, “All these facets give T2 a special status as a terminal that is modern yet rooted in culture, and an airport that offers a memorable ‘destination’ experience to all travellers.”
Noor Anand Chawla pens lifestyle articles for various publications and her blog www.nooranandchawla.com.