Magnetic Fields Announces Additions To Its Programme for 2019 Edition

November 2019 - Globally recognised as one of the most beautiful festivals in the world for its blend of heritage arts mixed with contemporary culture, Magnetic Fields has quickly come to represent an India that is embracing of its past, and future-facing in its outlook. In addition to music, Magnetic Fields programs multiple content streams like storytelling in the form of Magnetic Words; shines a light on culinary traditions through Magnetic Feasts, and has curated a wellness and self-care schedule as part of Magnetic Sanctuary for those interested to take things easier over the weekend. The last few additions to the line-up include Marco Rodrigues, better known as Photonz. A central figure in Lisbon’s underground music scene as co-founder of the online radio station Rádio Quântica and a resident DJ at Mina, the city’s much-loved queer feminist party, Photonz will play BUDxYARD. Up-and-coming Indian acts like Delhi-based DJs, Coven Code member – also Wild City’s resident DJ – Shireen, Girls Night Out and D80 as well as Mumbai-based Potter will make their Magnetic Fields debut this week. Girls Night Out and Potter will play on the Ray-Ban Studios Desert Oasis and D80 will be seen on BUDx South Stage, while Shireen rounds up the line-up for BUDxYARD. Tickets for the December 13-15 festival are available here. Magnetic Words Storytelling is an intrinsic part of music festivals around the world, and Magnetic Fields was the first music festival in India to bring together tellers of tales from India and around the world. Magnetic Words programming, like last year, will run on Saturday and Sunday afternoons at The Peacock Club. The theme for Magnetic Words 2019 edition is the seven sins – pride, envy, wrath, gluttony, lust, sloth, and greed – and how we live with them, and even revel in them. Presenting their own version of how our vices have us in their hold, will be storytellers from fields as diverse as film, food, theatre, music, LGBTQ+ community and social sector. Ashmeet Kapoor is the founder of I Say Organic, a company working towards making organic products in India conveniently available and accessible with the belief that consumer demand will lead the shift towards ecological agriculture, making it more the norm than an exception. Ashmeet sees balance as the other side of gluttony. Kunal Chandra is a tattoo enthusiast, truffle hunter, bacon connoisseur and the first Indian community ambassador for Jameson Whiskey. Kunal’s talk – food in art through the ages - will tickle more than just your tastebuds. Rohan Venkataramakrishnan is an Associate Editor at Scroll.in, where he writes a weekly newsletter on Indian politics and policy called the Political Fix. For his talk at Magnetic Words, Rohan will tell us how greed underpins everything from global tech to Indian politics. Jashn-e-Qalam, a Mumbai-based collective of professional stage and screen actors that celebrate the brilliance of Hindustani literature, will make a special presentation at Magnetic Words. The collective will perform two stories – Rajasthani writer Vijaydan Detha’s Fitrati Chor and Kamleshwar’s Story – on the theme of greed and wrath respectively. Plays will be enacted by Vicky Ahuja and Shashwita Sharma respectively. Ria Sharma is the founder of NGO, Make Love Not Scars, and the organisation has successfully rehabilitated over 70 acid attack survivors in India, and helped create awareness about the issue in India since it was set up in 2014. At Magnetic Words 2019, Ria will turn the sin of lust on its head and speak on body positivity and the lessons learned through her work with acid attack victims. Urvi Vora is a contemporary dancer and researcher based in New Delhi with a specific interest in modern rituals, the performance of politics and performative effect.  She explores lust and desire through the creation of ‘Society against Kamasutra and Uncouth Men’ (S.K.U.M.) that tries to write a new feminist manifesto. S.K.U.M. Manifesto is a satirical, contemporary-dance-cum-stand-up-comedy-act, performed by the museum object, ‘Woman in Saree’ and her copy of the Kamasutra as its starting point. A freelance writer and editor and sustainability expert for actress Twinkle Khanna’s lifestyle website, Tweak, Neeti Mehra is the poster child for slow living. On Beejliving – her blog where she expounds on the benefits of slow living – she writes about a lifestyle steeped in traditional wisdom that’s retrofitted for a contemporary world. Neeti will talk about how a life of sloth is actually better for you. Shubhra Chaturvedi is an aromatherapist, author, a consciousness researcher and co-founder at Meraki Essentials. Her work and research have helped her understand the very close and important connection between the body, mind and soul, and why sometimes being lazy isn’t a sin. One of the most exciting outfits representing an alternative culture and hip-hop in India is Azadi Records, and at Magnetic Words this year, they showcase two voices from Kashmir. Two musicians from Kashmir – Ali and Ahmer – discuss the pressures of being a voice of resistance in Kashmir and how they overcame their own wrath and motivated themselves to be heard during the ongoing crackdown. Singer, writer, actress and musician Monica Dogra’s work is all about blurring lines, making space, opening minds, and lifting the vibe. The popular independent musician will tackle the green-eyed monster, envy seen from her perspective. Taksh is a poet, a self-titled eccentric, a wearer of wigs and a fashion enthusiast, and can be found on Instagram under the moniker KawaiiBloggerKun. For Magnetic Words, Taksh will be performing spoken word on a subject close to her heart, taking pride in embracing who you are. Magnetic Feasts A new concept introduced last year, Magnetic Feasts returns in 2019 with a new idea and location. Presented in partnership with ‘Gather & Eat by Anisa Nariman’, the second edition of Magnetic Feasts will come to life as a weekend brunch. The ‘Magnetic Feasts Brunch edition’ will run on Saturday and Sunday afternoon on the lovely Badal Mahal terrace, making for perfect al fresco dining. Featuring a bevvy of brunch favourites like Eggs Benedict, fluffy pancakes, handcrafted cocktails, music and other surprises – coffee by Blue Tokai and fresh juices by Juice Up – to make it the fun-est brunch in the desert. The brunch – also available as a vegan menu, in addition to the regular vegetarian and non-vegetarian options – will run from 1 pm to 4 pm each day, and will be priced at Rs 4,000 (plus taxes) per person. Arts installations by HH Arts Spaces HH Art Spaces is an artist-run residency space established in October 2014 in Goa by Romain Loustau, Madhavi Gore and Nikhil Chopra, and return to Magnetic Fields with more immersive experiences and installations. The first of three experiences at Magnetic Fields 2019 will be Helical Dream – an intense, visually thrilling, emotional and surprising durational event where the audience could come and let themselves immersed. Helical Dream is a collaborative performance by Portugal-based Violeta Lisboa, music performance project Lucifer’s Ensemble – also from Portugal, French artist Lara Beswick, Shivani Gupta, a photographer and Mohiniyattam dancer, and HH Arts Spaces founders Romain Loustau and visual artist Madhavi Gore. Attendees will also experience another installation called ‘Sea of Tranquility’. To be perceived as a haven of calm, the VR experience ‘Sea of Tranquility” will be like watching a starry night and shooting stars, created by cocktail of archive images and 3D creation from a retro-futuristic aestheticism and soundtracked to a mix of re-enactment of real conversations between the Apollo 11’s astronauts and the NASA Houston Centre as well as description of the shots seen within the VR headset.   Other aspects of the collaboration will include artist and illustrator Avian d’Souza and VR/AR specialist Pierre Friquet as well as an art cinema and a gallery space where attendees will be able to look at art created at HH Arts Spaces in Goa.