The Friday List: From NCPA's Jam Session to Atlas Obscura's trivia night, your weekly calendar of virtual events
Every Friday, we'll bring you a curated list of online experiences — performances, talks, tours, screenings — to mark on your weekly calendar.
As our lives have moved online in the face of the coronavirus outbreak and resultant lockdowns, leisure too has become a (mostly) virtual experience. Even as we begin to ease out of the most stringent of restrictions, the landscape of our engagements — considering the necessity of social distancing — will continue to be moderated through screens.
Every Friday, we'll bring you a curated list of online experiences — performances, talks, tours, screenings — to mark on your weekly calendar. On this week's #FridayList: some jazz, a trivia night (or early morning?), and a look at the future of textiles.
— Masterclasses and panel discussions
Sustainability NOW: Architecture + Urbanism: As part of its ongoing Sustainability NOW series, AVID Learning will be hosting a panel discussion on World Environment Day 2020 around sustainable architecture and urban design and what it means to explore sustainable architectural approaches now and in the future. The event will feature a discussion between eco-architect Trupti Doshi, author, journalist and curator Apurva Bose Dutta, urbanologist Matias Echanove and architect Dean D'Cruz.
When: 5 June (6 pm to 7 pm)
Find more on how to register for the event here.
Sustainability NOW: The Future of Textiles with Bandana Tewari: In collaboration with the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (CSMVS), AVID Learning will also be hosting its first online masterclass conducted by journalist and sustainability activist, Bandana Tewari. The online class will focus on understanding the importance of sustainability in fashion and textiles, the shifts in consumer patterns and tracking current trends using case studies.
When: 6 June (5 pm to 6 pm)
Find more on how to register for the event here.
Representational image. Facebook/ Symphony Orchestra of India
— Concerts, symphonies and plays
Aadi Anant: From Here to Eternity: Featuring a rerun of a 2016 concert by tabla maestro Zakir Hussain, the National Centre for Performing Arts (NCPA), Mumbai will bring to the audiences the performance, Aadi Anant: From Here to Eternity on its YouTube channel. Part of the NCPA@home series, the virtual concert will showcase Hussain in a recital accompanied by Anantha R Krishnan, Navin Sharma and Sabir Khan.
When: 5 June (6 pm)
Symphony Orchestra of India: So also, on 6 June, audiences can tune in to NCPA's YouTube channel at 6 pm to enjoy the Opera Gala, Celebrating the Days of Moscow in Mumbai, a performance by the Symphony Orchestra of India.
When: 6 June (6 pm)
As part of its NCPA@home series, the performing arts centre will also release the dance concert Hasati which explores humour and its different shades in poetry through Bharatnatyam. A recital by Priyadarsini Govind, this was first performed at the 2019 edition of the Mudra dance festival organised by the NCPA.
When: 7 June (6 pm)
Jam Session: 25 musicians, 1 stage: NCPA, Mumbai has also made available for viewing until 10 June a 2019 event that was staged as part of its International Jazz Festival. A jam session with 25 musicians including Miguel Rodriguez on the piano, Tom Ridderbeekx on the trumpet and Deborah Carter on vocals, among other artists, the concert is a coming together of talented artists producing invigorating music that can be enjoyed from the comfort of home. Tune in to NCPA's YouTube channel to access the performance.
When: Till 10 June
All performances of the NCPA@home series can be accessed on NCPA, Mumbai's YouTube channel.
Haiku in a Bun: Firstpost, through its FirstAct series has collaborated with theatre and improv artists to showcase plays and readings that happen over Zoom calls. This week's act, Haiku in a Bun is brought about by Theatre Jil Jil Ramamani and explores what it means to grieve in the time of a pandemic.
When: 5 June (8.30 pm)
Where: Firstpost's Facebook, Twitter and Instagram
Royal Opera House, Mumbai: The Royal Opera House, Mumbai which has been releasing pieces on its virtual platforms from live events staged previously, will showcase Rays of Hope, featuring musician and composer Soumik Dutta. The event will be a pre-recorded 30-minute programme shown as part of the Royal Opera House's digital initiative which stages two shows each week, on Wednesday and Saturday.
When: 6 June (6 pm)
The Opera House will also release excerpts from a tribute concert to the opera singer, Celia Lobo in an event featuring acclaimed artist Deirdre Lobo.
When: 10 June
Read on Firstpost — Celia Lobo's music still soars: The life and times of India's 'only living opera diva'
— Games
Trivia Night: Presented by Atlas Obscura, teams of five can compete virtually in this event in a battle of wits, fact-finding and educated guesswork. Participants from across the globe can join in the two-hour-long contest and winners can look forward to all sorts of exciting prizes.
When: 5 June (4.30 am)
To know more and register for the contest, click here.
— Talks/Lectures
Dino 101: As part of its Wonder From Home initiative, Atlas Obscura has also organised Dino 101, an hour-long session, part of an ongoing paleontology series. This week, the discussion will focus on how fossils are formed, how dinosaurs became fossils, the different types of fossils and how they can be excavated and a host of other interesting topics. The session will be conducted by Dustin Growick, the host of the YouTube channel, The Dinosaur Show.
When: 5 June
To know more and register, click here.
Christie's x Atlas Obscura: Decoding a Symbolist Painter: Laura Mathis, Christie's specialist of 19th century European Art is set to talk about the painter Karl Wilhelm Diefenbach and decode the symbolism in his work, Sphinx by the Sea, which will be up for auction until 17 June. The hour-long online class organised by Atlas Obscura in collaboration with Christie's will be held virtually on their Zoom room.
When: 8 June (7 pm)
To know more and register, click here.
Unusual Sounds: Mark Korven and The Apprehension Engine: Atlas Obscura will also showcase a talk by renowned composer and musician Mark Korven around his invention, The Apprehension Engine, an instrument especially designed to create unnerving sounds for horror movie soundtracks. The event will also feature a live performance from Korven's home studio as part of the Wonder From Home initiative.
When: 11 June
To know more and register, click here.
— Streaming this week:
Netflix will be releasing Choked: Paisa Bolta Hai, a thriller which follows the story of a bank cashier who, drowning in bills to pay, finds a secret source of unlimited cash in her own home. Directed by Anurag Kashyap, the film promises to be a suspenseful drama, set against the backdrop of the 2016 demonetisation.
When: 5 June
Fans can also revisit what is perhaps one of the best entries in the Mission Impossible franchise, the Tom Cruise and Rebecca Ferguson-starrer, the 2018 film, Mission: Impossible – Fallout which will be streaming on Netflix this week. The sixth in the series, the film finds intelligence agent Ethan Hunt travelling across the globe, from Europe to Kashmir to rescue plutonium cores from terrorists, squeezing some amazing action sequences in between.
When: 10 June
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