[Reader-list] Platform 2 - documenta xi

[Monica Narula]

The Documenta XI Platform 2 - EXPERIMENTS WITH TRUTH: TRANSITIONAL 
JUSTICE AND THE PROCESSES OF TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION - has been 
humming in Delhi since Tuesday when the events began. Here they are 
doing a series of talks as well as a series of video screenings. The 
latter - quite a large selection of films - happens in a large 
gallery and happens simultaneously i believe. Basically, if you want 
to see a film, you can come into it at any point and leave at any 
other, and hope not to get distracted by the others flowing all 
around you.

The more interesting, and i think for some readers of the list, more 
pertinent event - is the series of talks that are happening in an 
auditorium. (Here i must clarify that both the gallery and the 
auditorium are part of something called the India Habitat Centre 
which is a pleasantly designed cultural & office complex, but not the 
easiest space to enter if you do not have enough capital, cultural or 
otherwise).

The speakers of the talks come from both India and abroad, and i will 
make a posting soon of the people who spoke and what they spoke 
about. Right now i am just informing everyone that its going on, and 
that it is one of the less attended cultural events i have seen. 
Except for some artists and academics, there is not much of the 
general public in view. All this to say that while Documenta 
(whatever its number) may be a big 'idea' in Europe, here - except 
for the few i mentioned - it is not something that many know or care 
about.

This is not to say that the themes being addressed during the event 
are not relevant or that the speakers are not sufficiently engaging - 
in fact some difficult problems of interpretation - historical, or 
representational - are being addressed by some of the speakers.
-- 
Monica Narula
Sarai:The New Media Initiative
29 Rajpur Road, Delhi 110 054
www.sarai.net