From dak at sarai.net Sat Oct 2 17:01:54 2004 From: dak at sarai.net (dak at sarai.net) Date: Sat, 2 Oct 2004 17:01:54 +0530 (IST) Subject: [Sarai Newsletter] Call for Proposals: Student Stipends For Research on The City Message-ID: <1092.202.159.204.249.1096716714.squirrel@202.159.204.249> CALL FOR PROPOSALS Student Stipends For Research on The City 2004-2005 Sarai Programme, Centre for the Study of Developing Societies, Delhi **DEADLINE for Application: 25 October 2004** Sarai, an interdisciplinary research and practice programme on the city and the media, at the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies, Delhi, invites applications for short term studentships to facilitate research on Urban life in South Asia. /What is Sarai ?/ Sarai is a public initiative of media practitioners and scholars looking at media cultures and urban life. Sarai's interests are in the field of old and new media, information and communication technologies, free software, cinema, and urban space -its politics, built form, ecology, culture and history - with a strong commitment to making knowledge available in the public domain. For more information, visit What is Student Stipendship For Research on The City? Sarai is committed towards building a network of young researchers,with an interest in the urban condition. The Student Stipendship Programme is a crucial intervention in this regard. The Studentship will provide candidates with Rs. 15,000 for the preparation of a research paper to be presented at a workshop in September 2005. Apart from financial support, during the period of the stipendship, researchers will be exposed to new trends in urban research and its methodological complexities. These researchers will get an opportunity to share their ideas and problems and interact closely with senior practitioners of urban research. Selected scholars will also get an opportunity to participate and discuss their ongoing research in two initial workshops to be held in December 2004 and June 2005. After the culmination of the nine month long programme, the selected researchers from across the country will present their research papers. Sarai will take care of travel, boarding and lodging for attending these workshops. /Who can Apply? / Sarai invites application from students registered in any discipline in any educational institutions (research organisation, university, institutions etc.). The studentship is normally meant for MA, M.Phil and Ph.D. research scholars. However, in exceptional circumstances original proposals may be accepted from students doing undergraduate courses as well. The proposal could be to help with your existing research, clarify it and present it to a larger audience, or open up entirely new questions in your work. /What do we mean by Urban Research? / Sarai is open to accepting innovative concepts and ways of doing research. You are free to delineate your own definition of urban research as long as you show certain serious and systematic engagement with your own intellectual question, your source material and your field of research. /What are you expected to do as a Sarai Student Stipend? / While Sarai does not strictly supervise your work, we certainly wish to provide you critical inputs and feedback to help you clarify issues. It is entirely up to you to use these inputs or discard them. In the course of nine months you will be invited to participate in three workshops. These workshops will be held at Sarai- CSDS, Delhi in December 2004, June 2005 and September 2005. In the first two workshops, students will be exposed to different concepts, crucial interventions in urban studies, methodological problems and ideas of doing urban research. The researchers will present their final work in the third workshop. Selected researchers will also be interacting amongst themselves and share their experiences, thoughts and problems throughout the period of the stipendship. They will post their work on an urban studies mailing list where they will have access to a larger community of researchers. /What are we looking for? / We are open to both conventional as well as unconventional intellectual questions related to urban experiences. At the same time we expect a realistic plan to pursue the work within the stipulated time frame. The proposals will be selected on the basis of --Questions raised in the proposal & --Innovativeness in terms of selection and engagement with the source material /List of indicative themes: (This is merely a suggestive list. You are free to venture outside these themes. However, your research must directly address one or more aspects of urban experiences) Urban Histories Architecture and Spatial Transformations Modernist Planning Alternative Urban Visions Urban Memory and Narratives of Violence Urban Ecologies Literature and Urbanism Cinema and the City Visual Culture The Future of Public Space Media Practices and the City Labour in the City /The Experience of Previous Years / For a better understanding of the programme you can look at the selected proposals from previous years. This list is available at /What Do You Send Us? / 1. A covering letter 2. A project Proposal: With a clearly formulated research question, a brief about the nature of source material or about the field (in case of a field work based project), a note on the methodology you intend to use and a very realistic work plan. 3. Your updated resume. We do not need any work sample but if you think this will help us to evaluate your case better then go ahead. Applicants who apply to other institutions for support for the same project will not be disqualified, provided they inform Sarai that support is being sought(or has been obtained)from another institution. The applicants should inform Sarai about the identity of the other institution. Envelopes should be marked - "Attention: Student Stipends For Research on The City" Mail these to: Sadan Jha, Student Stipendship Programme, Sarai, Centre for the Study of Developing Societies, 29 Rajpur Road, Delhi 110054, India. Inquiries: sadan at sarai.net -- The Sarai Programme Centre for the Study of Developing Societies 29 Rajpur Road, Delhi 110 054 Tel: (+91) 11 23960040 (+91) 11 23942199, ext 305, 306, 307 Fax: (+91) 11 23943450 www.sarai.net From dak at sarai.net Sun Oct 3 23:48:38 2004 From: dak at sarai.net (dak at sarai.net) Date: Sun, 3 Oct 2004 23:48:38 +0530 (IST) Subject: [Sarai Newsletter] OCTOBER 2004 Message-ID: <1143.202.159.206.238.1096827518.squirrel@202.159.206.238> CONTENTS -OCTOBER 2004 ANNOUNCEMENTS: Positions Available EVENTS: Presentation @ Sarai - Universal Beach: Poetry Reading By Vivek Narayanan Film @ Sarai - Focus on the Documentary --------------------------------------------------------- POSITIONS AVAILABLE Applications Invited for Positions in Sarai-CSDS at The Sarai Programme, Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS), 29 Rajpur Road, Delhi 54 Sarai: The New Media Initiative, an interdisciplinary programme of the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies, Delhi requires a Designer (Associate) to work in the Sarai Media Lab and Associate Content Editor for the Sarai-Ankur Cybermohalla Project. At Sarai-CSDS, our interests include Cinema and Media Studies, Urban Space, Culture & Politics, Digital Media, Language and Critical Pedagogy issues in the New Media, Free Software and Cyberculture. For more details about Sarai please visit our website - www.sarai.net 1. Designer (Associate) The position of the Designer (Associate) carries with it the responsibility of working on design for the print, publicity, books, pamphlets, posters and web/electronic productions made at the Sarai Media Lab. The position also carries with it an expectation that the person will be required to test and try out new software. Knowledge of web design, image processing and publishing software as well as of Java Script and Flash Action Script is desirable. We are looking for someone who welcomes the challenge of independence of thought and autonomy in decision making in a work culture that also places a premium on collective functioning & team effort. The applicant should be in the age range 22-30, with a minimum of one year's experience as a graphic or web designer in a media or publishing related organizaton or with commensurate free-lance experience. These limits may be relaxed in the case of exceptional candidates. Remuneration will be commensurate to the responsibilities envisaged for the position. Apply immediately, with CV to 2. Associate Content Editor (Cybermohalla Project) The position of the Associate Content Editor (Cybermohalla Project) carries with it the responsibility of working on and with the content generated by the Cybermohalla Project. The Ankur/Sarai Cybermohalla Project is an experimental collaborative initiative for the creation of nodes of popular digital culture in Delhi between Ankur, a Delhi based NGO and Sarai, the New Media & Urban Culture Programme of the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies, Delhi. The project works with young people living in slum settlements and working class neighourhoods. It brings together the energies of community based social intervention, creativity with texts, sound & images and innovative uses of computers and digital technology, while remaining alert to the imperatives of social and cultural specificity and autonomy. For more details about the Cybermohalla Project, see - http://www.sarai.net/cybermohalla/cybermohalla.htm We are looking for an MSW graduate, or a person with substantial experience of field research, or work with groups and communities in disadvantaged urban settings. The candidate should have an active interest in exploring a range of media forms within a social context, and in the intersection of technology, critical pedagogy and society. Excellent knowledge of Hindi and English is essential as is skill and experience with translation and documentation. We are looking for someone who welcomes the challenge of independence of thought and autonomy in decision making in a work culture that also places a premium on collective functioning & team effort. Apply immediately, with CV to -------------------------------------------------- PRESENTATION @ SARAI Wednesday, October 27, 2004, 6 pm Universal Beach: Poetry Reading By Vivek Narayanan Vivek Narayanan grew up in Zambia. As a poet he has studied under Derek Walcott, Charles Tomlinson and Rosanna Warren; his poems have appeared in many international journals, including Harvard Review, Fulcrum and Rattapallax, and in the anthology, Reasons For Belonging: Fourteen Contemporary Indian Poets (Penguin, 2002). In his work, Narayanan explores a range of themes that includes radical politics, science fiction and Tamil films. He experiments with both "free verse" and a variety of strict forms, often metrical, and with diverse modes of poetic performance. He also writes fiction and his stories have recently appeared or are forthcoming in The Harper Collins Book of New Indian Fiction (2005) and Best New American Voices (Harcourt, 2004). Narayanan was the 2002 British Council-Charles Wallace Writer-In-Residence at the University of Kent at Canterbury. He is currently working as a Content Editor at Sarai. ------------------------------------------------------------ FILM @ SARAI FOCUS ON THE DOCUMENTARY All screenings are held in the Seminar Room, 29 Rajpur Road, Delhi 110054. Friday, October 1, 2004, 4:30 pm Surplus: Terrorized Into Being Consumers (2003), 52 minutes Directed by Eric Gandini Introduced by Pradip Saha, Managing Editor, Down To Earth 'Surplus' is a video essay on contemporary political economy of the globe. Gandini successfully employs television and music video aesthetics to narrate the culture of consumption. One may describe it as a 50 minute long music video on contemporary political economy too! Stunning editing and breathtaking cinematography turns the notion that 20% of the world is gobbling up 80% of its resources from pure statistics into an overwhelming emotional experience. Against a familiar backdrop of cynical world leaders, corporate captains and Microsoft fanatics, the film focuses on the controversial anti-globalisation guru, John Zerzan, whose call for property damage has inspired many to take to the streets. >From the explosive riot days in Genoa 2001 to $7000 sex dolls in the US, 'Surplus' explores the cold violence and destruction triggered by the cycle of consumption and production. An intense visual odyssey filmed for over three years in eight different countries. The film has won several awards in 2003 including the Best Short Documentary at IDFA, International Documentary Film Festival, Amsterdam, and Best Film at FICA, the International Festival of Environmental Film, held in Goias, Brazil. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Friday, October 15, 2004, 4:30 pm Fahrenheit 9/11, (2004), 122 minutes Directed by Michael Moore Academy Award-winning director Michael Moore examines the Bush administration's financial ties to Saudi Arabia and the bin Laden family in 'Fahrenheit 9/11', a well-researched, fast-paced, highly controversial and important documentary that won the Palme d'Or at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival. Using actual footage and declassified documents, Moore takes a detailed look into political events both before and after the attacks on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, beginning with the polarizing Supreme Court decision that ultimately gave the state of Florida and the 2000 election to George W. Bush. Moore reveals how the U.S. government helped the bin Laden family return to Saudi Arabia immediately after September 11, when all other flights were still grounded; and examines military recruiting techniques in such poor areas as his own hometown of Flint, Michigan. He even attempts to get congressmen to enlist their own sons and daughters into the military. The writer-director also visits with the troops, including a hospital where soldiers are having second thoughts about America's involvement in Iraq, and spends time with a family whose eldest son is fighting in Iraq. Repeat screening due to popular demand. -- Ranita Chatterjee The Sarai Programme Centre for the Study of Developing Societies 29 Rajpur Road, Delhi 110 054 Tel: (+91) 11 23960040 (+91) 11 23942199, ext 307 Fax: (+91) 11 23943450 www.sarai.net From dak at sarai.net Mon Oct 25 11:57:35 2004 From: dak at sarai.net (The Sarai Programme) Date: Mon, 25 Oct 2004 11:57:35 +0530 Subject: [Sarai Newsletter] Presentation @ Sarai Message-ID: <200410251157.35130.dak@sarai.net> Universal Beach Poetry Reading By Vivek Narayanan on Wednesday, October 27, 2004, 6:00 pm at the Seminar Room, 29 Rajpur Road, Delhi - 54. Vivek Narayanan grew up in Zambia. As a poet he has studied under Derek Walcott, Charles Tomlinson and Rosanna Warren; his poems have appeared in many international journals, including 'Harvard Review', 'Fulcrum' and 'Rattapallax', and in the anthology, 'Reasons For Belonging: Fourteen Contemporary Indian Poets' (Penguin, 2002). In his work, Narayanan explores a range of themes that includes radical politics, science fiction and Tamil films. He experiments with both "free verse" and a variety of strict forms, often metrical, and with diverse modes of poetic performance. He also writes fiction and his stories have recently appeared or are forthcoming in The Harper Collins Book of New Indian Fiction (2005) and Best New American Voices (Harcourt, 2004). Narayanan was the 2002 British Council Charles Wallace Writer-In-Residence at the University of Kent at Canterbury. He is currently working as a Content Editor at Sarai. -- Ranita Chatterjee The Sarai Programme Centre for the Study of Developing Societies 29 Rajpur Road, Delhi 110 054 Tel: (+91) 11 23960040 (+91) 11 23942199, ext 307 Fax: (+91) 11 23943450 www.sarai.net From dak at sarai.net Wed Oct 27 16:44:26 2004 From: dak at sarai.net (The Sarai Programme) Date: Wed, 27 Oct 2004 16:44:26 +0530 Subject: [Sarai Newsletter] FILM @ SARAI: OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2004 Message-ID: <200410271644.26901.dak@sarai.net> FILM @ SARAI: A Cinema of Anxiety: Sense Perception and Knowledge in the Modern City Curated by Ravi S. Vasudevan Friday, October 29, 2004, 4:30 pm THE TESTAMENT OF DR. MABUSE (1933), 122 minutes Directed by Fritz Lang, Germany Friday, November 5, 2004, 4:30 pm SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS (1957), 98 minutes Directed by Alexander Mackendrick, USA Friday, November 19, 2004, 4:30 pm HIGH AND LOW (1962), 143 minutes Directed by Akira Kurosawa, Japan Sarai returns to a curatorial focus on "A Cinema of Anxiety". In the current series, we look at how feelings of uncertainty and anxiety emerge from the way sensory perception and information are organized in the modern city. Do we know what it is that we see and hear? Does it conceal something or someone else? Are there spaces underlying visible spaces? Is someone else listening or looking at us as part of a design we aren't aware of? Here, we explore how sense perception is intimately, and sometimes duplicitously, related to the conditions of knowing the world. The city provides us with a particularly charged space for the drama of the senses and knowledge. Its networks in law enforcement, professional expertise and the criminal underground (in turn 'departmentalised' into a division of skills) provide the circuit through which information is converted into knowledge. Telegraph and telephones, fax machines and Internet, motorcars, buses and subway relay messages and messengers into a web of meaning. Cutting from space to space, criss-crossing narrative tracks, calibrating knowledge for the spectator through its manipulation of sound and image, the cinema overlaps with these circuits and technologies, condensing in its stories crucial dimensions of modern experience. Fritz Lang, the celebrated German filmmaker whose career straddled five decades of cinema in Germany, France and the USA, is a key figure in the exploration of these issues. His early work in Germany - the Dr. Mabuse trilogy, 'Metropolis' and 'M - The City Hunts for a Murderer', are amongst the great essays on the modern city. Both witness to the contemporary and, with 'Metropolis', a dystopian vision of the future, Lang unleashed an extraordinarily detailed sense of modern technologies of perception and communication. His famed opening sequence from 'Dr. Mabuse, the Great Gambler' (1922) constructs a rigorously edited theft involving a chase, train travel, telegraph transmission, all synchronised by the criminal mastermind Mabuse who sits in his sepulchral chambers. Lang's industrial magnate Freder who rules Metropolis from his lofty perch, foreshadows the technocrat Tyrell, whose Tyrell Corporation looms over the futurist Los Angeles of 'Blade Runner' (Ridley Scott, 1983). But Mabuse is more complicated, capturing in his persona a demonic power, but also, strangely, the power of anonymity. Thus he is a disguise artist who often plays the ordinary street character, but also moves in high society. Again, he is an expert in modern hypnosis, but also a practitioner of the mystical arts. There are suggestions here of an intricate scenario for the imagination of a transcendent evil in post-war Gemany, a society mired in inflation, unemployment and excess. The world of Mabuse is one of rigorous hierarchy and task delegation, in which subordinates tremble at the very voice of the diabolical master. We enter a different universe of power in 'Sweet Smell of Success', (Alexander Mackendrick, USA, 1957), where the malevolent newspaper columnist JJ Hunsecker (Burt Lancaster) commands fearful allegiance through a virulent pen that can wreck public lives and aspiring careers. Here again, voice and presence command attention, as Hunsecker lords over the incandescent New York of James Wong Howe's glittering camera work. Modern media forms are accessed here through the complicated ties of master and toady. The manipulative publicist Sidney Falco (Tony Curtis) will do anything for his master and to get a line in his column. He weaves his way through jazz bars and high society spots, scouring for scurrilous material. Words function to rip and cut, as a sensorium of stylized dialogue delivery and musical atmospherics capture the tenor of the night city, its brute hierarchies and amoral manoeuvres. Akira Kurosawa's work, on the other hand, is animated by a purposeful moral and social vision. It is this orientation which organizes the architecture, literal and metaphorical, of Tokyo in 'High and Low' (1962). We get a view on the city from the high-rise apartment of a well-to-do businessman (Toshiro Mifune). Business partners and police descend on his home to work out the logistics of dealing with a kidnapper. The likelihood of mistaken identity in a city of strangers provides a twist. Instead of the industrialist's son, it is the chauffeur's child who has been spirited away. The hero chooses the ethical route and will pay ransom for his employee's son, courting financial disaster in the process. From the statically conceived, carefully framed upper reaches of the city, we are plunged into a different sensory world, capturing high speed trains and the underbelly of the city as the police go in search of the criminal. Out of an Ed Mcbain crime novel, Kurosawa remains true to the genre of the police procedural, mapping zones of likely habitation, house searches, and the investigation of criminal networks. At the climax, however, the procedural pursuit of knowledge is supplanted. The morally calibrated protagonist encounters the imponderable psychology of the assailant, a figure whose alienation and resentment achieves an angry aria of denunciation that lifts us into a different level of perception about the city of darkness. The curation is supported by the EU-India Economic Cross Cultural Programme. Cheers, Ranita The Sarai Programme Centre for the Study of Developing Societies 29 Rajpur Road, Delhi 110 054 Tel: (+91) 11 23960040 (+91) 11 23942199, ext 307 Fax: (+91) 11 23943450 www.sarai.net Programme subject to last minute changes.