Yes! Kerala has many art forms and traditions, and art is one of them. Many communities have practised and preserved these art forms for generations without expecting anything in return. These art forms reflect the history, culture and people of the land.
The question for us was how to bring art forms like these into the mainstream. How can people come together with friends and engage with these art forms? How can we help them reach a wider audience and continue to thrive?
This is when we started Friends of Thudippu (FOT).
Since then, we have successfully hosted four editions at Thudippu Studio, Vennala. When we began planning the next edition, we wanted to try something different.
“What if we take Friends of Thudippu (FOT) closer to a place that is deeply connected to Kerala’s cultural and historical landscape Fort Kochi and Mattancherry?”
The whole team said yes! We started with a basic Google search and shortlisted a few spaces to see what might work. But Google was not our only source of information. We also reached out to friends and people around Kochi, and they suggested spaces and possibilities we had not come across ourselves.
One of the spaces we came across was Artiko Tales, Mattancherry. It took us a while to explore the space because they had moved to this new location only about a month earlier.
On the day we went to visit, we arrived a little early. Instead of going straight to the space, we walked through Jew Town. It was a beautiful, peaceful evening. The yellow lights were already on, and the streets were quieter. The character of that historic place felt different at that time of day.
We decided to stop for a tea.
Somehow, that chai time became an important part of the process. Sitting there and talking, we started thinking about what it would mean to bring the next Friends of Thudippu edition into this neighbourhood. It was not just about finding a venue anymore. The place itself started becoming part of the idea.
When we arrived at Artiko Tales, we saw an artist painting in a room full of artworks, paintings and small sculptures. Some were finished. Others were still in the process of being made.
She got up, smiled at us and said,
“Hi, I'm Sudharshana.”
She was the founder of Artiko Tales.
We started talking about the space and our idea for Friends of Thudippu. Then she told us that she already knew about Thudippu.
We did not expect that small connection to matter so much.
At that point, the space felt less like something we had found. It felt more like something that had somehow come back to us at the right time. We were happy, excited and a little emotional about it. We decided to go ahead with Artiko Tales. And yes, the right space fits the audience and suits the experience.
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