New Delhi: Historic Trail of Khirki Village is likely to be back in focus

The historic significance of Khirki village will be back in focus on Wednesday, July 20, with a triple treat of art, poetry, and food at the Khoj Studios.

The highlight of the evening will be an architectural walk through Khirki village by artists, giving a glimpse of its historicity, which used to be the crown of the Tughlaq city of Jahanpanah in the 14th century.

The 'Decoding Khirki' walkthrough will be conducted by Polish artists Simone De Iacobis and Malgorzata Kuciewicz, collaborators, and fellows at Khoj studio.

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"Khirki is a sample of reality, a village among other villages, a fluid urban context. It contains an array of well-known, formal, informal and formalized solutions that are representative of Delhi as a whole. Once you get past the visual spectacle, it offers 'jugaad' and the aesthetics of urban decay, the district offers room for a thorough observation of pure architectural elements," said Kuciewicz.

"Jaali panels, space frame structures, chaajja roofs and 'shade step tectonics' are just some of the features we are going to explore in an hour-long tour over the low rise-high density structure of Khirki", added De Iacobis, a member of the Centrala design group.

The artists are part of the exchange programme between Khoj workshop and the A-I-R Laboratory, Centre for Contemporary Art, Ujazdowski Castle in Warsaw.

While the walkthrough will take place between 5 p.m. and 6 p.m., the evening will also host an exhibition by Iranian artist Hoora Soleimani and Indian-Iranian artist Soghra Khurasani, which will highlight issues of human and individual freedom.

"I'm working on three projects during my residency. First is about what I've been doing in Iran about absurd weights, I'm going to go through people's mental weights in a video-based approach. Second is a photography-based cultural and religious comparison of women's freedom in the two countries. The third one will be a drawing and interview-based study of labourers in Delhi", said Soleimani.

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For Khurasani, her work brings memories from Iran. "Young Iranians are not eager to remember their recent past. The country has gone through the revolution, war, and a religious takeover, because of which today's youth faces restrictions from their own government in many circumstances. I am working on some objects and memories I brought from Iran; by showing them in my own ideology I will try to decode present situations by reading the past", she said.

The third element of the evening, not but the least, will be a poetry reading session by upcoming poet Akhil Katyal. Brought together by Rustom's Cafe and Bakery, it will bring poetry and food together for the aficionados. (IANS)

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