Art Cart: connection through creativity

We move through the buzzing mass of people at the Visitors’ Centre toward the quieter corners. We have heard that the Art Cart emerges every Tuesday and Friday afternoon, and have seen pictures of it in The Hindu. We look behind Dreamers’ Café, and then behind the restaurant. We finally spot it, a colourful construction standing quietly on the stage. As we walk up, Krupa’s warm smile greets us, as she extends her hands and says, “Hi, would you like to draw something?”

Hesitant but curious, we circle the Art Cart and observe. Painted in colorful stripes, this small box is designed to be a mobile creativity set. Its walls come down to create tabletops. Small stools, which can be packed into the cart, come out, as well as boxes of colours and reams of paper. There is a note posted to explain the purpose: “Art Corner: An open space for self-expression through the visual arts!”

We notice that the Art Cart draws in the curious, of all ages and nationalities. Often someone wanders over, attracted perhaps by the bright colours, or by the people who are intently engaged in their drawing. Krupa then invites them to participate in drawing something. While children often jump right in, adults often reject the invitation. Krupa then tells them that there are no marks, that they won’t be graded or judged. On the day we visit, an adult couple rejects the invitation politely and then walks back ten minutes later.

The Art Cart was launched on December 19th and was made possible by the financial support of the Dutch Stichting De Zaaier. It is open to everyone, Aurovilians and visitors, and each time the Art Cart comes out, there is a different theme for the participants to explore. Today, the theme is ‘taste,’ part of an ongoing series to examine the senses. In the past, themes have included topics such as ‘flight’ or ‘anger’ or ‘unity’.

Krupa is the force behind the Art Cart, as well Sankalpa, which provides many other art and art therapy programmes [see Auroville Today #294 January 2014]. She talks about the importance of having spaces to encourage art and self-expression, but she has also observed another benefit to the Art Cart: it creates connections. When people sit at the Art Cart to draw, they are often sitting opposite to a stranger who is also engaged creatively. Conversation naturally flows from there. In this way, the Art Cart becomes a hub for people to come together.

She has deliberately situated it at the Visitors’ Centre, as it is a space in which visitors and Aurovilians co-exist. She points out that villagers, in particular, may feel more welcome at the Visitors’ Centre than in other spaces in Auroville. This works toward one of Krupa’s many passions: to create a bridge between Auroville and the villages.

Due to the mobility of the Art Cart, it travels to festivals and events in Auroville. Krupa also envisions replicating the Art Cart model, and travelling with into the surrounding villages.

Today, the longer we stay, the more people come and the more laughs are shared among us. While we were total strangers moments before, we are suddenly bonded over everyone’s interpretation of the day’s theme. As we walk away, the simple beauty of doing art with people we don’t know warms us. We can’t help but imagine what Auroville and the villages might look like with a few more Art Carts scattered through the area.