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Goethe Pop Up Festival
Book Bakery

Exhibition Opening, Seminar Library
Exhibition Opening, Seminar Library | © Zakir Hossain I Book Bakery

From 29 November through 2 December 2021, at the Seminar Library of the Institute of Fine Arts, University of Chittagong, students, lecturers, and everyone interested and passing by was able to explore 12 different kinds of books and baked goods.

By Shohrab Jahan

Book Bakery collaborated across Chittagong, Dhaka, and India. The artists de- and reconstructed the book concept and shed light on protagonists involved in the production process, as well as the history and interpretation of materials. The experience was intellectual and haptic. A plethora of future themes was approached and engagement mediated on the subject/matter.

Rainbow Pizza is an artist's book by Tilottama Bhowmick, first exhibited at the Seminar Library of the Institute of Fine Arts, University of Chittagong, Bangladesh (2021) Rainbow Pizza is an artist's book by Tilottama Bhowmick, first exhibited at the Seminar Library of the Institute of Fine Arts, University of Chittagong, Bangladesh (2021) | © Zakir Hossain
‘Rainbow Pizza’ by  Tilottama Bhowmick represented the food for gender reformation with a conceptual base and fluid topping. The consumer was able to digest what post-humxn food means and where the discrepancy between supplement and organic taste intertwine.
 
Shikkha Samosa, an audio book project by Book Bakery, Jukta Saha and Mustakim Billah Tanzim, and students from Chittagong University. Shikkha Samosa, an audio book project by Book Bakery, Jukta Saha and Mustakim Billah Tanzim, and students from Chittagong University. | © Zakir Hossain
Shikkha (education) is a compilation of essays by Rabindranath Tagore, written in Shadhu Vasha (old Bangla). An audiobook in Cholito Vasha (new Bangla) unfolded Tagore and inspires as ‘Shikkha Samosa’. Samosa is a popular (government) high school food given to students.
 
  • ‘A book and a low signal TV’, a book project by Zihan Karim, visual artist and pedagoge © Zakir Hossain
    ‘A book and a low signal TV’, a book project by Zihan Karim, visual artist and pedagoge
  •  ‘Rainbow Pizza’ is an artist book by Tilottama Bhowmick © Samira Syed
    ‘Rainbow Pizza’ is an artist book by Tilottama Bhowmick
  • ‘Ballo Shikkha’, an artist book by Razib Datta © Zakir Hossain
    ‘Ballo Shikkha’, an artist book by Razib Datta
  • ‘Bahana’, an artist book by Sharad Das © Zakir Hossain
    ‘Bahana’, an artist book by Sharad Das
  •  ‘Doodle Book’, an artist book by Yuvraj Zahed A. Chowdhury © Samira Syed
    ‘Doodle Book’, an artist book by Yuvraj Zahed A. Chowdhury
  •  ‘Ballo Shikkha’ by Razib Datta © Zakir Hossain
    ‘Ballo Shikkha’ by Razib Datta
  •  ‘Sohojpattho’ by Nujhat Tabassum © Zakir Hossain
    ‘Sohojpattho’ by Nujhat Tabassum
  •  Exhibition visitor interacting with ‘Rainbow Pizza’ © Zakir Hossain
    Exhibition visitor interacting with ‘Rainbow Pizza’
  •   Audience interacting with the books at the Seminar Library © Zakir Hossain
    Audience interacting with the books at the Seminar Library
  •  Book Bakery team preparing the opening, Seminar Library © Zakir Hossain
    Book Bakery team preparing the opening, Seminar Library
 

"[...] we have been learning to appreciate what work stands behind a book." - Samsul Alam Helal

Samsul Alam Helal dealt with ‘Disappearing Roots’ - landscapes that are baked into a new form and eaten by strangers. The Kaptai dam was built in 1962. It produces 5% of the electricity consumed in Bangladesh. Its creation displaced 100,000 people (70% Chakma) and submerged homes, including the palace of the Chakma king which remains buried underneath a lake frequented by tourists. Ten million people per year are displaced by development projects globally. Collectively with the hill tracts communities, the remaining traces of life will be captured, accentuating gentrification and the trauma found in submerged symbols of cultural autonomy.

During the opening dialogue, Professor Dhali Al Mamoon emphasized that critical thinking is key for academic development, which shall include the understanding of our cultures as well as the colonial cultures and western influences. The art works of Book Bakery connect history, the digital, and knowledge in an accessible way. Our critical thinking development is nurtured by learning - and unlearning what we have been taught thus far.
 
Pranab Mitra Chowdhury, Director of the Institute of Fine Arts, added that it is good to experience physical happenings after a long phase of absence. Both professors appreciated the involvement of their lecturers, artists from Chittagong and Dhaka, as well as their students in this collaborative project.
 
“We need to understand the publishing 'process' and the 'physical' again”, states Shohrab Jahan, Book Bakery’s curator who is also a founding member of Jog Art Space, and teaches at the Institute of Fine Arts at the University of Chittagong. Besides, Shohrab sculpts with various media and spends time with his family.
Short project documentary and interview with Goethe Pop Up curator Shohrab Jahan © Goopy Bagha Productions Limited I Goethe-Institut Bangladesh

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