Sun, sand and art in Goa: List of events you can't miss at Serendipity Arts Festival 2017

Backed by industrialist Sunil Munjal, SAF's larger and more ambitious than last year, says Smriti Rajgarhia, director of Serendipity Arts Trust. Thus there are nearly double the number of projects than last year, 75, more than half of which have been commissioned just for the festival, executed in collaboration with a host of arts institutions, which will be put up in 10 venues scattered along 1.2 kilometres of the promenade hugging the Mandovi river. All in all, SAF promises for local Goanese, the hoardes of tourists who throng its beaches this time of the year, and many who fly in especially for the festival, an abundance of culture - public art and grafitti, photography, sculpture, installation, painting and craft, music and dance, 'immersive theatre', workshops, food tastings, etc.

VISUAL ART:

The state of Goa, before corruption and controversy put a stop to it, accounted for half out iron ore exports. The ore, mined from the Western Ghats and laden on enormous barges plying the Mandovi river before being shipped out, were Goa's passport to riches. It's also been the state's path to environmental disaster.

One such barge, a huge 65-metre long vessel, will be the scenic, if unusual site of a series of art performances. It'll also, in itself, be an art installation by Vishal K Dar, a Delhi-based contemporary artist and architect whose practice involves 'transforming spaces'. Dar transforms the barge's hold, a cavernous hope nine-metre wide, 36-metre long and 12-metre feet into a giant changing theatre for the performances. Inspired by the Greek myth of 'Argo', the ship whose parts are replaced as it travels so that by the time it reaches its destination it has none of its old parts, Dar creates different landscapes using light rays, water, each lasting around two days.

Also:

* Young Subcontinent, a show curated by Riyas Komu of young artists from across India.

* Now you See It: The Invisible River of Konkani Surrealism is a show of 30 Goan artists, starting with Laxman Pai in the 1950s to those working today.

FOOD:

Care for a 'taste' of Delhi's infamous smog? Or, perhaps, the musty combination of sea and dust that's unique to Delhi? How about Varanasi's mix of open drains, holy fire and cow poop? Experience all of this and more at a series of workshops titled 'Planetary Sculpture Picnic' conducted by the Center for Genomic Gastoromy, a global 'artist-led think tank' that works in the areas of food, biotechnology, biodiversity, technology, etc. The idea behind the 'picnic' is that in the 'anthropocene' epoch we live in today, where the Earth's geology and ecosystems have been permanently affected by human activity, what we consume is tainted by the traces of such activity – heavy-metal pollutants, chemicals in the air, water, etc. given this, the curators of the Centre for Genomic Gastronomy will offer will be a four-course meal of futuristic dishes embodying concepts and flavours that not just minimise human impact on the planet, but actually heals it.

The Centre is doing another interesting project, a pop-up Brinjal Cart celebrating the diversity of the vegetable that is indigenous to India, with as many as 32-33 variants found across the length and breadth of the country.

There's also a unique 'bean to bar' chocolate tasting by Pondicherry based Mason & Co. and a workshop on the different cheeses unique to India – from the Kalari cheese of Kashmir, to the Churpi cheese of the Spiti valley, the Bandel cheese of Bengal.

CRAFT:

'Jaali' is the name and theme of Manjari Nirula's show and she shows how the mesh motif occurs across sanjhi; stone work; marble inlay; Kashmiri and Chikankari embroidery; the Bidri jaali and Bastar basketry.

DANCE:

'Sandhi' is a dance and music jugalbandi featuring musicians and dancers of equal repute. This year will have some unusual pairings – Gauri Diwaker (Kathak) and Bhuvanesh Komakali (Hindustani classical), Aranyani Bhargawa (Bharatnatyam) and Sikkil Gurucharan (Carnatic music), for instance.

* Daksha Seth Dance Company's 'Sari – The Unstitched' promises to be a grand production.

THEATRE:

Surabhi Theatre (Sri Venkateswara Natyamandali) is a unique Hyderabad-based company formed entirely of one family. The company, which has seldom been seen outside its home city, specialises in mythologicals, and its productions use puppetry, magic, music, craft.

PHOTOGRAPHY:

Don't miss out London-based lensman Anup Shah's close-ups of the animals of Masai Maara at Children's Park. Blown up to seven-feet wide prints, and clicked with a wide angle lens with a remote trigger, they present a fresh perspective on wildlife photography

* 'The Music Stopped But We Were Still Dancing' – old images of Goa's legendary jazz musicians from the 1930s to the 1970s

* 'The Bombay Talkies and the Wirsching Archive – German cinematographer Josef Wirsching was a founder of Bombay Talkies, the legendary movie studio, along with Himanshu Rai and Franz Osten. This archive, documenting the early story of films in India, has not been seen much in India.