At the start of the pandemic, I received a WhatsApp message from fellow pianist Sharik Hasan asking me to join group called Piano Hang. I did so enthusiastically. It included over a hundred piano artistes, many well-known but a few whom I hadn’t come across before. Soon the group was buzzing with ideas, tips and hang sessions, where other pianists would listen in and encourage one another. We became a collective overnight and buddies too. We began mentoring each other. It was bliss.
In my previous columns, I wrote about the marginalisation of the digitally handicapped among the vast art and artisan communities in India. A recent blog post from my dear friends Ambi and Bindu Subramaniam, along with the experience of Sharik’s initiative, led me to examine whether everything about the pandemic was bad for the arts and art education.
Collaborations have been on the rise, including global. My early effort, the #JantaCurfewOnlineFestival in March 2020 saw as many as 188 artistes from around 21 countries come together. Two weeks ago, sitar exponent Purbayan Chatterjee and Grammy award winning composer Ricky Kej collaborated on an album that has delighted listeners across boundaries. All of these may have been far more expensive and intractable in the old normal.
Digital collaborations
These ideas in themselves are not new. The YouTube digital orchestra, which brought together instrumentalists from different countries to collaborate digitally, is more than a decade old, as are platforms and applications that promote digital partnership. But they have proliferated and become popular during the pandemic, also finding audiences in some unlikely demographics. The average age of some student cohorts is 60-plus, while average online listeners too are older.
Canvas, launched by lyricist Madhan Karky, artist K.K. Raghava and entrepreneur Vignesh Ramasamy, is a platform for artistes from different genres to meet and monetise content. The Non-Fungible Token (a digital art asset that can be traded or monetised online) has come of age with Tamil musician Kaber Vasuki selling an early demo recording of his song ‘Vasanam’ for over ₹1 crore.
An informal survey I conducted among 120 musician-friends to write this piece showed that over 80 have made the shift to virtual teaching and performances. While there were some complaints, the majority have harnessed online platforms and EdTech support to stay “in the game”. Learning is on the rise, upskilling and collaboration too.
In spaces such as Instagram, Spaces, and ClubHouse, senior artistes are mentoring young creatives, which promises a more cohesive arts community. Crisis brings people together. It also acts as a catalyst for movement — creativity as a response. It has happened historically, during the world wars, when new languages, methods of communication, new art came about.
This also means that those who find it hard to adapt will be left behind. For those who can, this is perhaps the best time to reach out. Step out of your comfort zone and diversify your field of experience.
Anil Srinivasan is a well-known pianist and
an associate professor at Krea University.