The Sunaparanta
Goa Centre for the Arts, the Corona
Quilt Project and the Panjim Church will present the unveiling of the public
community project `Let Love Bloom’, at the steps of the church. The
installation comprises hand sewn quilts which will adorn the walls along the
steps.
This project marks the culmination of a Goa-wide community
campaign that began in June 2021, inviting people to share their stories of
love over this past year, in the form of a 15”X15” square cloth. It was
conceived as a way to connect individuals from different backgrounds and ages,
with the aim to archive the collective memories of this unprecedented time. The
organizers collected over 3000 expressions and watched this movement transform
into one of Goa’s most memorable and largest collaborative projects.
The installation of large scale quilts provides a space to think
about what the world and communities would be like.
Sunaparanta has always been a visionary leader and an ardent supporter
of socially engaged projects. Community outreach has been integral over the
last 12 years and has been fundamental to the development of its pedagogical
and cultural programmes. The official inauguration will take place on the front
steps of the iconic Panjim Church on December 19 2021.
The installation is
free and open to all, and is a project of the people. It will be on view till
January 21. Isheta D Salgaocar, Patron, Sunaparanta Goa Centre for the Arts
said “The installation at Panjim Church is a living testament of the potential
of art to promote social inclusion through participatory projects and community
initiatives. It is a reminder that everyone has the right to experience the
arts, develop their creativity, express their unique identity, and engage in
our shared humanity. One of the organisations participating remarked on the
feeling of coming together like a big family during these dreary times and how
we are all connected by the thread of love that is sewn in the form of a quilt.
This reflects the essence of our initiative and the invaluable role of public
art in building community”.
Fr. Reagan Fernandes
, Assistant to the Parish Priest, Immaculate Conception Church, Panjim said “
Known as the ‘Crown of Panaji’, the Panjim Church dates back to 1541. The
chapel that stood here was originally intended for sailors who would frequent
it as a mark of thanks for their safe home-coming. As part of our partnership
with Sunaparanta Goa Centre for the Arts and the Corona Quilt Project, we are
proud to present to the people of Goa, this ‘Praça de Flores’ (Flowers Square)
as a symbol of hope even in these dark times”.
Dia
Mehhta Bhupal, Contemporary Artist & Creative Director, Corona Quilt
Project said “The wall of flowers at Panjim Church provides an intersection
between past, present and future, between disciplines, and between ideas. It is
believed that flowers contain the meaning of love. The symbolic language of
flowers has been recognised for centuries, world over. The quilt captures the
dichotomy between light and darkness; upheaval and peace. It draws continuities
and solidarities between human and nature, artificial and natural, then and
now. The concepts chosen embody our current reality and consequences of the
pandemic. It’s truly humbling to have the opportunity to work on the individual
stories that connect and collectively empower communities.”
