Deeper-level awareness - Art for AIDS CRUSADE A STAFF REPORTER
Saturday, May 06, 2006
David Gere with Sudarshan Chakravorty of Sapphire Dance Company (extreme left)
and folk art curator Nandita Palchaudhury on Thursday. Picture by Pabitra Das
It is well past 10 pm, but David Gere is still deep in post-rehearsal discussions with the
Sapphire dance unit, at their rooftop rehearsal space in Salt Lake. Sure, he is Richard Gere’s
younger brother, but “that isn’t really important” in terms of the work, especially when working
for AIDS awareness.
A distinguished dance and music critic working for a while with Los Angeles Times, David Gere is a senior faculty member of the
University of California, Los Angeles and head of the Gere Foundation India Trust. His pet project, Make Art/Stop AIDS, launched
two years back, is heading for a gala display in Los Angeles this December, which will see artistes from Los Angeles, Brazil,
South Africa and India.
It was this project that had him harrying across India, watching puppet teams in Madurai and street theatre groups in Mumbai and
Chennai over the past 10 days, before checking on presentations by Sapphire and Nandita Palchaudhury’s teams of patuas and
Chandernagore lighting artistes.
But why use art for AIDS awareness? “Unlike pamphlets or telecast information, art alone can make you feel what needs to be
felt. Artists are the master communicators, the audience is quite receptive with eyes and hearts open wide. And as sex is related to
AIDS, one must reach at a deeper introspective level. Works like Positive Lives by Sapphire excites me, as they are open-ended
and allow discussion. Even the street plays are capable of attracting casual passers-by to watch and join in the interactive session
at the end of each show,” Gere explained.
Inspiration for this project came from the American AIDS epidemic of 1985-94. “That time, artistes responded with a lot of
powerful works, for instance dancer Bill T Jones … And now, I can see the same kind of response in pre-epidemic India.
Therefore, I decided to support groups or individuals working on such artistic projects on AIDS.”
Saturday, May 06, 2006
David Gere with Sudarshan Chakravorty of Sapphire Dance Company (extreme left)
and folk art curator Nandita Palchaudhury on Thursday. Picture by Pabitra Das
It is well past 10 pm, but David Gere is still deep in post-rehearsal discussions with the
Sapphire dance unit, at their rooftop rehearsal space in Salt Lake. Sure, he is Richard Gere’s
younger brother, but “that isn’t really important” in terms of the work, especially when working
for AIDS awareness.
A distinguished dance and music critic working for a while with Los Angeles Times, David Gere is a senior faculty member of the
University of California, Los Angeles and head of the Gere Foundation India Trust. His pet project, Make Art/Stop AIDS, launched
two years back, is heading for a gala display in Los Angeles this December, which will see artistes from Los Angeles, Brazil,
South Africa and India.
It was this project that had him harrying across India, watching puppet teams in Madurai and street theatre groups in Mumbai and
Chennai over the past 10 days, before checking on presentations by Sapphire and Nandita Palchaudhury’s teams of patuas and
Chandernagore lighting artistes.
But why use art for AIDS awareness? “Unlike pamphlets or telecast information, art alone can make you feel what needs to be
felt. Artists are the master communicators, the audience is quite receptive with eyes and hearts open wide. And as sex is related to
AIDS, one must reach at a deeper introspective level. Works like Positive Lives by Sapphire excites me, as they are open-ended
and allow discussion. Even the street plays are capable of attracting casual passers-by to watch and join in the interactive session
at the end of each show,” Gere explained.
Inspiration for this project came from the American AIDS epidemic of 1985-94. “That time, artistes responded with a lot of
powerful works, for instance dancer Bill T Jones … And now, I can see the same kind of response in pre-epidemic India.
Therefore, I decided to support groups or individuals working on such artistic projects on AIDS.”
Gere-d for a cause
Salil Jayakar
Sunday, April 30, 2006
Richard Gere's younger brother David is running an anti-AIDS campaign.
He's an associate professor at the Department of World Arts and Cultures,University
of California, Los Angeles, but David Gere is no stranger to India.
"I first came to India 25 years ago straight out of college on a scholarship and spent
two years in Madurai. I came to love Tamil Nadu and India in general," he says.
"You have to be able to go the next step and genuinely interac with people.
And I love the strong, vibrant street life of Mumbai; It's not unlike Los Angeles."
In 2004, Gere spent seven months in Bangalore on a Fulbright scholarship to identify artists across the country who use various
media — from dance, puppetry, street theatre to paintings — to spread AIDS awareness. "I met 60 artists and did a workshop
called 'Make Art, Stop AIDS'. I'm in the country now to see the progress they've made over the last few years," he explains.
Interestingly, the largest concentration of artists using their art to talk about AIDS is in Kolkatta.
According to Gere, the biggest challenge for India in its fight against the AIDS epidemic is to protect its children. "If you want to
control a sexually transmitted disease, you have to talk about sex. If children have the information about sex and with it AIDS,
they'll survive the epidemic," he asserts. "Though it is a culturally uncomfortable topic, sexual education in schools is important," he
emphasises.
Gere agrees that 'celebrity' helps attract attention to a cause and cites his brother's work, "Richard believes that if you are a
celebrity, use it do good work. But that's only one aspect. Once you get the attention, there has to be person-to-person interaction,
a thoughtful response and decision-making."
Salil Jayakar
Sunday, April 30, 2006
Richard Gere's younger brother David is running an anti-AIDS campaign.
He's an associate professor at the Department of World Arts and Cultures,University
of California, Los Angeles, but David Gere is no stranger to India.
"I first came to India 25 years ago straight out of college on a scholarship and spent
two years in Madurai. I came to love Tamil Nadu and India in general," he says.
"You have to be able to go the next step and genuinely interac with people.
And I love the strong, vibrant street life of Mumbai; It's not unlike Los Angeles."
In 2004, Gere spent seven months in Bangalore on a Fulbright scholarship to identify artists across the country who use various
media — from dance, puppetry, street theatre to paintings — to spread AIDS awareness. "I met 60 artists and did a workshop
called 'Make Art, Stop AIDS'. I'm in the country now to see the progress they've made over the last few years," he explains.
Interestingly, the largest concentration of artists using their art to talk about AIDS is in Kolkatta.
According to Gere, the biggest challenge for India in its fight against the AIDS epidemic is to protect its children. "If you want to
control a sexually transmitted disease, you have to talk about sex. If children have the information about sex and with it AIDS,
they'll survive the epidemic," he asserts. "Though it is a culturally uncomfortable topic, sexual education in schools is important," he
emphasises.
Gere agrees that 'celebrity' helps attract attention to a cause and cites his brother's work, "Richard believes that if you are a
celebrity, use it do good work. But that's only one aspect. Once you get the attention, there has to be person-to-person interaction,
a thoughtful response and decision-making."
