The aesthetic dimension is one that intersects with every aspect of college life and curriculum. From the Theory of Knowledge to the butterfly garden, the relationship between beauty and truth demands to be taken seriously.
The view from the Art Centre is unparalleled on campus. Let your eye rest on the distant horizon, across the far-off dam, where the sweep of the Sahyadri Hills fades into the haze of an Indian sunset. Students regularly come here to work after school hours on their paintings, sculptures and designs. Someone might be staying on from paper-making in the afternoon (recycling the college’s waste paper), another stitching dress designs for a fashion show, and yet another editing a short film to present to class.
Every couple of weeks, there is a Sunday Spotlight performance where students offer pieces of music they’ve been practising, a poem they’ve written or a short monologue they’ve learned. It’s a step more formal than the ever-popular Wada concerts (which elicit performances from everyone), yet still a relaxed performing environment, which draws a supportive crowd.
Theatre has long been MUWCI’s medium of choice. It’s a chance to explore ideas and to express powerful emotions in an alternative forum. The month of February is dominated by Theatre Season, which typically involves half the campus inhabitants in performing, directing and designing plays: anything from the intense and risque (Provoked, about domestic violence, or Veils, a present-day crisis of race and gender) to absurd comedy (Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead) or a devised adaptation of an Israeli poet’s response to grinding and unjust war. Everyone here gets involved to watch, enjoy and appreciate the inspiration theatre brings.
Looking to expand the relevance of this beyond the MUWCI ‘bubble’, a student initiative to encourage English language drama with Akshara students has already resulted in a hugely enjoyable performance of Aladdin by children from the nearby villages of Mulshi. (The enthusiastic participants are looking forward to Peter Pan next). Artists are also regularly invited to the campus to perform and teach, giving a much needed cultural input and providing genuine entertainment
Last year’s soul-searching production Spring Awakening brought students and faculty together to perform an exciting contemporary experiment in musical theatre. Both successful and educational, it was the first large-scale production in our new centre for performing arts, SPACE.
SPACE opened its doors in 2008. Here, in a black-box theatre studio, the students practise ballet, bharatnatyam, street dance and salsa on a wide, semi-sprung wooden floor. They size themselves up in the wall-length mirrors, present movies on the big screen, experiment with theatre lighting and sound, practise music and rehearse ideas. There is also a recording studio, where young artists can contribute to a growing database of impressive student performances.
The idea of SPACE is to provide the facilities to support the college’s comprehensive offering in the Arts (IB Art, Music, Theatre and Film). It also creates a space for exploration of the human person and the values he/she represents through engagement with artistic challenges as well as the appreciation of insights derived from aesthetics throughout the community.
Benedict Clark
Head of Aesthetics
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