Heritage of Durga Puja and Clay Image Making in Wales

Description

We aim to trace the history of the Durga Puja Festival in South Wales. We will look back at the Puja's roots in Wales in the early 1970s and its development thereafter. In order to do this, we will record oral histories from those involved in bringing this festival from India at its inception. We will also record the history and the artistic and creative aspects of clay image making in Wales and, create a digital archive of this story for the future. During the project, a set of life size clay images will be made in the Butetown History and Arts Centre, Mermaid Quay, Cardiff. Traditional clay artists from India will interact with the students of the Cardiff School of Art & Design demonstrating their artistic skills and techniques through workshops, lectures and provide a chance to observe this venerable art form directly. Students from our partner schools will be able to see this process and learn from interactive and user driven sessions as part of their Religious Education & Art classes. This will help develop customised and curriculum focussed learning content. Various cultural events and discussion forums be held at this venue during the actual image making and also in our partners' venues in Cardiff before and after it. We will make a film of the project and develop audio visual records for archiving. Throughout the event, members of the community will be welcome to walk in, enjoy and learn from this living exhibition. We hope to make interactive digital content available to facilitate and enhance their experience.