sampad launches residency at The Barber Institute

Thursday 10th February 2011

Dancing About Sculpture
Wednesday 16 February, 1.10 pm
Lady Barber Gallery

Admission FREE

The worlds of dance and fine art are coming together at the Barber Institute of Fine Arts, in the first of a series of performances and discussions in partnership with sampad, the dynamic development agency for south Asian arts.

sampad’s residency at the University of Birmingham-based gallery will be launched on Wednesday 16 February at 1.10 pm with Dancing About Sculpture, a unique and free performance by artist Devika Rao. Devika will respond to key pieces of work from the Barber’s collection of European sculpture, which encompasses everything from classical marbles to bronzes by Degas and Rodin.

Spanning more than 2,000 years, the spotlight has now been turned on the Barber’s often-overlooked sculpture collection in the exhibition Carved, Cast and Modelled: Sculpture from the Barber Collection (11 February – 2 May). Starring 16th- and 17th-century Italian bronzes, a very rare 14th-century French ivory casket and Roubiliac’s magnificent terracotta bust of the great poet Alexander Pope, the show features new research into several key works. Dancing About Sculpture is one of several events accompanying this special exhibition, which will also provide the backdrop for a poetry evening and a study day.

In Dancing About Sculpture, Devika will react to sculpture from Carved, Cast and Modelled, creating a Bharatanatyam-style classical south Asian dance, that will reveal the stories behind a selection of Barber bronzes. Bharatanatyam originates from Tamil Nadu in south India and was originally inspired by the sculptures and carvings of the ancient temple of Chidambaram. The performance will be followed by a discussion.

Devika Rao said: ‘Four artists from sampad, with the artistic direction of Piali Ray, will be in residency between February and June 2011. My opening performance, through sequences of movement and poses, will complement the sculptural works of art contained within the exhibition Carved, Cast and Modelled. The residency will be able to make creative connections between ancient Indian myths, legendary epics and stories and the mythical characters of the Barber collection.’

sampad will next produce an interactive dance, spoken word and visual art piece to be performed at the Barber’s free Community Open Day on Sunday 19 June.