Conference to shed light on growing environmental degradation

A conference here will shed light on the growing environmental degradation and resource depletion, while exploring art's relation to nature. Now in its second edition, the conference, "Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam", is rooted in the philosophy of providing a "free and accessible" platform to investigate and seeks to promote a sustainable and inclusive society sought through United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals, organisers said in a statement.

The two-day conference beginning on Friday at the Kolkata Centre for Creativity (KCC) has been co-curated by art historian Kalyan Chakravarty and curator Shwetal A Patel. "The aim of the conference is to initiate a conversation about creative initiatives and to build a data bank for accommodating a diverse corpus of best opinions, practices and strategies in a consensual framework," Chakravarty said.

Some of the topics that will be explored over the course of the two days include, "Art, Culture & Activism in India ", "Reviving & Inventing Sustainable Approaches to Art and Architecture", and "Visual Art Today". Among the speakers will be leading photographers, artists, architects, and heritage conservationists like Ravi Agarwal, Parul Zaveri, Siddhant Shah, Tara Douglas, Vikas Dilawari, Gayatri Sinha, Aric Chen and Rashmi Sawhney.

"I am eagerly looking forward to the diverse list of eclectic speakers from the fields of culture, academics, media, architecture, history, art and creativity who will share their thoughts over two days to provide a platform for engaging discussions," said Richa Agarwal, Chairperson, KCC.