Dipesh Pandya
Focusing on personal questions around cultural identity, participatory art, social practice and activism, Dipesh Pandya developed multiple projects throughout the year using sound, text, image and performance. Collaborative projects with other Associates included Strong Currents under the mentorship of Marguerite Humeau and two short films Piya (Beloved) and Raju Raja, featured as part of Contemporary Exorcism, a performative audio visual event at Whitstable Biennale 2018.
Research and exploration around these questions led to invitations to participate in a collaborative project as part of the Crate Conversations – Pass It On series of events, producing five new pieces of work including the film Hands Up If You’re Brown. Dipesh was also invited to participate in Now and Then at 101 Social Club as part of Margate Festival 2018 where he made new work in the form of an installation and film A Circle with a Dot, looking at cultural representation and gentrification.
His time during a mini residency at LIMBO was used to test and question ideas, doubts and fears around participatory art and attitudes towards representations of race and cultural identity within the arts. The culmination of this process resulted in a selection of sound and text based installations that overflowed from the project space at LIMBO into the courtyard and nearby shops on the High Street. White Noise 1 & 2, and Shop Talk X, Y and Z were produced as part of “What you doing outside in the sun? You should be inside, you’ll turn dark like me…”
Towards the final term, Dipesh helped to organise Sound Advice, a series of workshops on sound composition with composer and OSE staff member Louis Palfrey while working with fellow Associates Antonia Luxem and Sarah Karen to produce the Thoughts on Space series of events as part of the public program at OSE. Invited artists included Lee Patterson, Barby Asante, Matt Lewis and Yemi Awosile. Interest in creating a Person of Colour (PoC) only space in Margate developed into a PoC only workshop lead by artist Imani Robinson from the Sorryyoufeeluncomfortable collective. Other interests in music and DJ’ing lead to being actively involved in a monthly OSE Radio show with other Associates on Radio Margate.
What is the radius of a song?
Where does memory travel?
How much does it cost?
Who participates?
Who curates?
What is art?
The end of year show allowed Dipesh to push his thinking around participatory art and representation by creating multiple works experienced, displayed and performed mainly outside of OSE. There goes the Neighbourhood, an experiential ‘drive by listening tour’ through the neighbourhood directly around OSE and Hood Musics, a mixtape of music representing the many sociocultural groups living and working in close proximity to OSE. Streets is Watching, an installation of dash cam footage taken during the ‘drive by tours’ was displayed on two mini iPads inside OSE. Let The Record Show, a performance of Outspoken Word + Subliminal Bass was presented everyday during the show in the Car Wash at the corner of Athelstan and Northdown Road. Excerpts in the form of text based posters and interactions were disseminated in various locations in the area. Compiled using material collated through street discussions, The Hood Musics mixtape can be listened to online at:
Dipesh will continue to be based in Margate, participating in residencies locally, nationally and globally. Collaborating with fellow OSE associates and alumni whilst developing personal projects with Indian and south asian artists.