Remote Prayogillu

Remote Prayogillu is a temporary place set up in different locations around the world, utilizing museums, galleries, community centers, historical buildings, public places, or abandoned places to connect virtually with the physical Prayogillu in Vellulla, Telangana, India.The vision for the future of PrayogIllu is a network of remote, representational, movable spaces in different locations around the world offering a window-like experience into and out of the actual PrayogIllu in India. This network will facilitate exchanges between disparate local cultures to build a culturally diverse and socially engaged, world-wide PrayogIllu community. These are the ways this project builds a strong global community. Therefore, Prayogillu offers various kinds of dialogues and conversations, in-person and virtually to build a vast community of social engagement and cultural context.

PrayogIllu is my ancestral house in Vellulla village, Telanagna state, India and it is artistically conceptualized as a site-specific, interdisciplinary, and alternate place for experimentation in rural-global connection, as well as community building. It aims to blur and reconfigure both social engagement in the rural world, and rural and global cultures. PrayogIllu is a combination of two words: ‘Prayog’ is a Hindi word that means ‘experiment’, and ‘Illu’ is a Telegu word that means ‘house’. PrayogIllu is an interdisciplinary place that fosters engagement with students and villagers in a rural area with various programs like community library, virtual lectures, video screening, digital literacy, experiential learning, foreign languages (German & English), yoga, dance, group games, arts, artist in residency, artists and community, women empowerment programs and lectures, sports, and competitions.

There is a triangular cultural dialogue or Multi between the actual space of Prayogillu and other temporary spaces: Remote PrayogIllu and Guest Speaker. The Remote PrayogIllu has similar furniture as Prayogillu and includes tables, benches, chairs, bookshelves, TV, etc. Viewers who are in the temporary space get the immersive experience of the representational space. Viewers get an opportunity to engage with the temporary Prayogillu by reading books and observing the actual Prayogillu room through an internet-connected television. 

There are two types of Remote PrayogIllus. Firstly, Remote PrayogIllu: initiated in any historical places, museums, galleries, public schools, community centers, or abandoned places to transform the place into Prayogllu to connect the local community with the community in Vellulla. This way historical and abandoned places will again flourish and social engagement and community building will happen. Remote PrayogIllu will connect with the actual PrayogIllu in India for rural and global culture sharing and connection. Secondly, a movable house will be installed in museums, galleries, or public spaces. Remote PrayogIllu will invite experts from the local community to this temporary house to conduct virtual lectures that will connect remotely with the actual PrayogIllu in India, as well as remote PrayogIllus across the globe simultaneously.

Remote Prayogillu-1

First remote PrayogIllu was initiated at Sadguru Kabir Gyanashram, Vadodara city, Gujarat, India for three days from January 4th to 6th, 2022. Remote ParyogIllu in Vadodara connected for three days virtually with PrayogIllu in Vellulla Village, Telangana, India. There were three virtual lectures conducted by experts from different locations in India. Students of Prayogillu (Vellulla) and Remote Prayogillu (Vadodara) actively participated during the virtual sessions. Vadodara’s local community also engaged during virtual sessions. This initiation was a rural and urban community connection to exchange cultural knowledge. And it is a first traingular cultural dialogue between Guest Speaker, Prayogillu, and Remote Prayogillu.

For more information visit website: https://www.prayogillu.org/about-3-3

Remote Prayogillu-2

2nd Remote Prayogillu temporarily for three days initiated at Back Space Gallery, Art Lofts, University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA. Remote Prayogillu connected to actual Prayogillu in india from Feb 15-17, 2022 through Internet connected TV for live workshops and community breakfast. This Remote Prayogillu was supported by the University of Wisconsin–Madison Division of the Arts “Graduate Student Creative Arts Award.”There were two live workshops by local (Madison) artists Derick Wycherly, Caitlin Mary Margarette, and one Community Breakfast between Madison (USA) and Vellulla (India) from Feb 15 – 17, 2022. Derick introduced Monotype printing to the rural community at Prayogillu. Catlin made them do animals through the pinch pot technique with clay. Ten people joined from Madison at Remote Prayogillu to share breakfast virtually with Vellulla, India. While having Tea and Poha, both communities virtually exchanged cultural dialogues such as lifestyle, climate, festivals, languages, etc., Remote Prayogillu’s main objective is to make a cultural dialogue between global and rural communities as well as share knowledge back and forth to build a robust global community. 

For more information visit website: https://www.prayogillu.org/2nd-remote-prayogillu