BLOT! Releases Teaser Video For ‘Medicine Corner’
27 January 2015
Delhi based audio-visual duo BLOT!, have just released a short teaser video for their fascinating new undertaking ‘Medicine Corner’ – a year long arts project that provides a unique take on the cultures of medicine and healthcare in India.
The project has been commissioned by London based Wellcome Collection, the public cultural venue in London of one of the world’s biggest medical charities, The Wellcome Trust. Describing themselves online as “The free destination for the incurably curious”, The Wellcome Collection (check out their website here) will officially launch ‘Medicine Corner’ tomorrow, 28 January, in Chennai with a very special performance by BLOT!. Details available on their Facebook event.
India today may have become a hub for modern medical tourism, but ‘Medicine Corner’ aims to explore the long history and the cultures behind more traditional medical knowledge systems such as Ayurveda and Unani, since high quality healthcare still remains elusive for the bulk of our country’s population. Studies still suggest that even in the 21st century, there may only be there may only be one formally trained physician per 8,000 villagers in India and that informal practitioners like hakims, roadside dentists and bonesetters outnumber qualified doctors 23 to one.
The ongoing research project will explore the rich plurality of the cultures of medicine in India through a range of programmes which will culminate in an exhibition in Mumbai in January 2016, and a documentary screening in Delhi 2015 at the Unbox festival (where the project was previewed last year)
The minute long video for ‘Medicine Corner’ gives us a sneak peek into the world of “street doctors, quack and messiahs of India” through BLOT!’s colourful lens. "The world of Medicine Corner is one that’s fascinated us before, and we were excited to have the opportunity to explore it further! As is our practice, we aim to do this not through a didactic presentation of the issues in text and image but through what we are known in India for – live, audiovisual performances and artistic explorations that target a playful, yet provocative understanding and appreciation of the puzzling world around us,” Gaurav Malaker and Avinash Kumar (a.k.a. BLOT!)
Check out ‘Medicine Corner’s’ shiny new website for more information and follow BLOT! on Facebook for updates. Watch the teaser below:
Medicine Corner by BLOT! - SAMPLE ONLY from Thiruda on Vimeo.