OT Interview: How Serendipity Arts Foundation Is Shaping India's Creative Future

The idea for Serendipity Arts Foundation came from a deep-rooted belief in the transformative power of the arts. I wanted to create a platform that celebrates artistic expression and nurtures it across disciplines and regions. The foundation was born out of the desire to foster cultural dialogue, create accessibility in the arts, and provide a platform for artists to innovate and collaborate. Over the years, our vision has evolved to encompass larger issues such as sustainability, accessibility, multidisciplinarity and inclusivity, and will be evident in our upcoming edition.

Curating a multidisciplinary event like Serendipity requires a delicate balance between preserving the integrity of each art form and creating meaningful intersections. We work with a diverse group of curators, each an expert in their respective field, to ensure the best representation of the disciplines involved. The challenge lies in integrating these art forms into a cohesive festival experience. Through projects like "Multiplay," where participation blurs the lines between the artist and audience, or the "AI Lab," where technology merges with traditional artistic practices, we find innovative ways to interconnect disciplines.

The AI Lab reflects how technology is becoming an integral part of artistic expression. AI and machine learning are influencing every aspect of life, and the arts are no exception. The AI Lab at this year's festival explores how artists can use AI as a tool for creative experimentation and innovation​. By introducing AI-driven projects, we aim to encourage artists and audiences alike to engage with these new possibilities that escape neat categorisation.

For us, sustainability goes beyond environmental practices—it's also about cultural sustainability. In the Craft section, the "Abundance in Scarcity" project showcases how artisans in Ladakh use limited resources to foster innovation and sustainability. The Culinary Arts section will feature workshops like "Waste to Value," which explores the idea of waste in food through innovative and unlikely uses. We hope these initiatives inspire conversations and actions around sustainable living in art, food, and everyday life.

Success for us is the depth of engagement with local and international communities. We consider the festival a success when we see meaningful collaborations between artists and participants and when these connections continue beyond the festival. We just wrapped up our largest community engagement project before the festival—Serendipity Out and About—a one-of-a-kind community engagement initiative that aimed to connect with the local Goan community beyond Panjim. By bringing commissioned and curated performances, workshops, and children's plays to venues such as old Goan homes, community centres, government schools, homes for the elderly, and orphanages, the aim was to foster intimate experiences and relationships beyond the festival and impart arts education to the wider public.

We have seen several remarkable success stories through our grant programs. One example is our Serendipity Arts Residency, which provides emerging artists the space, mentorship, and resources to develop their practice​. The residency has supported many artists who have gone on to gain recognition both in India and internationally, like Dilip Chilanka. We also collaborated with the Royal College of Art (RCA) to establish a Senior Artist Residency programme. This marked the first time in 120 years that RCA opened its studios to a South Asian artist when Sukanya Ghosh was selected as the 2024 artist-in-residence for a three-month immersive experience at RCA's London campuses.

Balancing innovation with tradition involves existing in the gaps and bridging them. We do this by bringing in programming that allows for social, political and cultural conversations that otherwise would not have a platform. Our Visual Arts curator, Veerangana Solanki's projects like "Synaesthetic Notations" in the previous year and "A Haptic Score" this year especially push the envelope with her explorations that make sound and touch cross paths with the visual, stretching and redefining the medium and methods of artistic production. Over the years, we have also supported many performance art projects. We are excited to showcase Preethi Athreya's curation of "The Labour and Leisure Chronicles," which will occur in venues across Panjim.

With the Serendipity Arts Festival, we have always looked at cultural place-making, identifying cities where exchanges thrive, the community is vibrant, and the public culture is robust. Goa and the city of Panjim have graciously hosted our largest outreach event of the year for nine editions so far.

Our venues are right around the street corner in Fontainhas, celebrating the rich culture, history, and affinity for arts that is a big part of the ethos of Goa. Every year, we set out to transform historic local spaces where audiences from all walks of life can experience the wonder of the arts in new and exciting contexts. This year, we're restoring the historic Directorate of Accounts building, which dates back to the 1500s, transforming its grand colonnade and secret tunnels into a vibrant hub for visual art and craft exhibitions at SAF 2024.

Our festival thrives in the bustling heart of Panjim. We have a unique MOU with the Government of Goa. The festival changed the vein of Panjim and highlighted its cultural capital, for which we were awarded the Leading Cultural Destination Award in 2021.

Travellers can immerse themselves in the festival's Culinary Arts section by participating in various workshops that will take place in the Food Lab for hands-on experiences. These projects, curated by Edible Issues, showcase innovative recipes and offer a deeper understanding of how food systems can be reimagined for a sustainable future. Visitors can participate in events like "Feast of the Wild Greens," "Mock Wild Picnic," and "Food x Play," sample unique creations, and even contribute their own stories and recipes to the discussion.

Cultural festivals like Serendipity Arts have the potential to reshape global travel trends by offering travellers more than just sightseeing. These events provide enriching, immersive experiences that combine art, culture, and local engagement. As cultural tourism continues to grow, festivals like ours will play a key role in promoting sustainable travel, revival of regional artistic traditions, fostering cultural exchange, and creating long-lasting connections between travellers and the destinations they visit. We believe such events will become central to how people explore and engage with new cultures in the coming years.