Andy Warhol lives on

Andy Warhol’s The Factory (New York studio between 1962 -68)— a hip meeting place for his muses,  free-thinking artistes and ground-breaking parties has inspired painters, musicians, film- makers and visual artistes in the decades that followed.

This Thursday, The Factory will be recreated at Zenzi Mills where musicians, VJs, DJs and artists will come together to recreate the magic of the legendary Factory.

The Exploding Plastic Inevitable (EPI)— a series of multimedia events organised by Warhol between 1966 and 1967 — featuring musical performances by The Velvet Underground and Nico, screenings of Warhol’s films, and dancing and performances by regulars of Warhol’s Factory like Mary Woronov and Gerard Malanga will be recreated by local artistes. The event is a tribute to Warhol, an iconic print-maker and filmmaker.

The band Mavyns, who have been influenced by Warhol and the Velvet Underground, will perform the band’s tracks like Blue Eyes, Venus in Furs, Rock N Roll and several others.

Singer Suman Shridhar will join the band to do some Nico renditions, DJ Nu Dill will also chip in with his stuff while visual jockey Dooj will recreate Warhol’s work and other pop art on the inside walls of the club.

Velvet Underground had a cult following. Bands across the world swear by their sound and The Mavyns too have been influenced by them. “Their sound has influenced many bands that came in the ’70s and the ’80s,” says Pradeep of The Mavyns.

“In terms of an underground scene, we really fall short here in India. But this is one event which is an attempt to bring that spirit together.” He agrees that it has a niche following. “Even if there are 500 people who love this kind of stuff, it’s OK, but we need to create that atmosphere,” he says.

Other artistes like the Supersonics and Imad Shah will join in. There will also be a camera in the corner of the club where anyone can just go and give a screen test. “You can just go in front of the camera and do whatever the hell you want to. The images will be mixed by the VJ and will be put out on the walls through a projector. Warhol experimented a lot with the visual medium and that’s what we are trying to do at this tribute,” says Pradeep.