Building the Biennale

AD explores the 2016 Kochi-Muziris Biennale through the eyes of the artists bringing new perspectives to the fair with their work, and the man helping them realize their artistic vision.

- Rajashree Balaram

A shaft of light knifes in through the roof of one of the warehouses of Aspinwall House at Fort Kochi. At the time of writing—a few weeks before the Kochi-Muziris Biennale will take over the city— the place smells of cobwebs, moss, dust motes and time. It is the kind of cavernous room where even hushed whispers tend to expand into echoes. The floor too needs measured negotiation; one careless step could bring you in undesirable contact with fresh cow dung or a stagnant puddle of water. It is obvious that nature has free run of the place when it’s not in use.

PLANNING AHEAD

Shyam Patel—the head of production for the biennale— thoughtfully sizes up the scale of maintenance required as we move from one warehouse to another, weaving our way around large sheds and an unoccupied old residential bungalow in the 14,164-square-metre property. Built in 1867, the Aspinwall House was once rich with the sounds and smells of a flourishing trade in pepper, timber, lemon grass, ginger, coconut oil, coffee and coir. Today, it is one of the main venues for the biennale— and all you hear through the day is the Arabian Sea lapping at the perimeter wall.