The Dewarists

Our season premiere raises its curtains in the snow-capped mountains of Manali, where our collaborators - Eric Pare, a light painter and visual artist from Montreal, Canada Prashant Mistry, a multi-instrumentalist and founder of Engine-Earz Experiment and Monica Dogra, the vocalist from indie rock duo Shaa'ir + Func. The collaboration explores the theme of duality. While Monica and Prashant explore the various musical possibilities, Eric and his Light-painting creative assistant, Marie-Line Migneault work on incorporating light patterns with the music to create a multi-sensory experience that pushes the envelope of how these mediums have sought confluence in the past.

Renowned installation artist Shilpa Gupta joins indie-pop legend, Lucky Ali, on our sophomore collaboration this new season. Together, they explore their experiences of urban life in Mumbai and the sentiments it evokes. Shilpa Gupta's ability to convey intangible thoughts visually and Lucky Ali's way of connecting with the deepest human emotions allow for a common meeting ground and inspiration in "Khirama".

Intrigued by the story behind the creation of the urban jungle that is Mumbai our collaborators - hand shadowgrapher, Amar Sen and audio-visual collective B.L.O.T. decided to showcase the creation of the island city from its colonial past to the city of today. The collaboration - "Aaina" uses the darkness in Amar Sen's work with shadows and B.L.O.T.'s light projections to tell the story visually while Suryakant Sawhney from Peter Car Recording Co. provided vocals to compliment the visuals. The music video tells the story through the eyes of a young girl evolving alongside the city. She goes through two parallel experiences, a slow walk through the city where she encounters moments that typify life in Mumbai, while on the other hand she searches for a sense of belonging. The 'Aaina' (mirror) plays an important role in describing her state of mind during her evolution and search for meaning. Her lover is an elusive character who is personified by the city, the collaboration concludes with the girl and the city becoming one.

The fertile, grassy slopes of Manali play host to our co-creators on our fourth collaboration of this season. They are: Lagori, a highly energetic folk fusion band from Bengaluru, and Actor's Cult, a theatre group from Mumbai. Inspired by a street game of the same name, Lagori is interested in reviving interest in folk music through their combination of Indian classical melodies with inflections of rock. Joined by Actors' Cult, whose energy is as infectious as it is inspiring, the theme of their collaboration resonates throughout Manali -- the goddess, Hadimba. The outcome of their collaboration is the high octane song that in part inspires awe and in equal part, fervor.

Our fifth collaboration this year features Jayachandran Palazhy, founder of the Attakkalari Centre For Movement Arts and his dance troupe. They are joined by Delhi based hind-rock band Euphoria. Set by the tranquil shores of Pondicherry, the collaboration fuses contemporary movement arts with the effortless energy of Euphoria.

Our sixth episode on The Dewarists this year looks back upon the collaborations where music and art met to create a multi-sensory experience. Monica Dogra, takes us through the diverse locales where each artist worked to create art, that inspires those around it. We go through the minds of our collaborators and understand the sacrifice and love for their art and how living true to it keeps them going.

Our season finale features a pastiche of form, genre, media and style through a collaboration between India's folk rock collective, The Raghu Dixit Project; a contemporary dance troupe, Nritarutya; mask maker, Sridhar Murthy; and graffiti artist and animator, Harun Robert. Shot in the agglomeration that Bengaluru has come to be known by, our artists rework the visual, verbal and visceral, as they come together to create a spectacle that promises a fitting end to Season Three of The Dewarists, where music meets art.