Fisherwomen meet artists and musicians at mill fest

Mathuradas Mills is where you should be this weekend for a sensory and visual arts feast called The Mill Culture Crawl. Artists, entrepreneurs and regular folk living in the area give place of pride to one of the few mills saved from the mall intrusion

Looks can be deceptive. If you've ever walked across the Mathuradas Mills Compound near Lower Parel station, you'll perhaps remember it as a narrow, overcrowded and unpleasant stretch. What lies beneath is a hip modern work area set refurbished in the old mill structure. There is an interesting mix of business and leisure
destinations (Blue Frog and Zenzi Bar), Idea Lake, a technology company, ZEBA- Krsna Mehta, a design retailer for home textiles, WLC College of Professional Studies, an art gallery, The Loft, Highlight Films and The Asian Age, a couple of advertising agencies, Publis and Mudra and design firm Red Lion.u00a0

Buy mill-inspired art
This graphic depicting the older residents of the mill compound, its fisherwomen, crows and slinky cats, will be on display at the mill-inspired design show-cum-sale at The Loft gallery

Retaining their presence within this modern invasion is the old world of a vegetable market, a butcher shop, a temple, garage, a darzi, printing press, the local bar, a mochi. "And the fish market with crows flying at dangerously low altitudes and sly black cats slinking across the street to steal fish from the noisy yet watchful fisherwomen," says Elsie Nanji from Red Lion. The co-existence of the old mill fixtures along with the new, urban structures within the compound led her team to capture in postcards the magic of the mill in its current avatar.
Art consultant Anupa Mehta and Srila Chatterjee, partner, Blue Frog, loved the results, and thus was born the idea of discovering the mill's rich nooks and crannies. Various artists living and working in Mathuradas Mills and the surrounding area, joined in along with the oldest resident there, a magnificent banyan tree.

Mill Culture Crawl participants Anupa Mehta from The Loft, Srila Chatterjee from Blue Frog and Highlight Films, and Elsie Nanji from Red Lion at The Loft where a mill-inspired design show will beu00a0on display Pic/ Datta Kumbhar

Called The Mill Culture Crawl, this is a three-day celebration of design, food, music and art that started yesterday. Themed Life around the Neighborhood, the self-guided tour will have a music show by live music night spot Blue Frog, film screenings by Highlight Films, dance performances and fashion shows by WLC College, a light and fabric installation by Krsna Mehta, a heritage exhibition by Red Lion and web workshops by IdeaLake.
Tipplers can rejoice till 9 pm with discounted drinks at Blue Frog and Zenzi.u00a0

On: December 5 and 6
At: Mathuradas Mills Compound, NM Joshi Marg, opposite Kamala Mills, entrance from Tulsi Pipe Road, Lower Parel.

Schedule

Daily events
>>Textile Installation by Krsna Mehta at Kenil's Studio
>>Photography exhibition by Mudra on the Mudra walls
>>Design exhibit by WLC design faculty
>>The Highlight Art Collection on display at Highlight
>>The Red Lion Design team's mill-inspired design show and sale at The Loft
>>Web workshops by Idealake
>>Krsna Mehta's Mill collection on show and sale at the Zeba-Krsna Mehta Studio
>>Art installations around the compound
>>The Banyan Tree celebration
>>Sculpture from scrap
>>Painting our tempos
>>The mill at work
>>Least likely to succeed: exhibition by Himanshu S at the Blue Frog studios
>>Street theatre in the lanes
>>Akankhsa Craft Cart on display and sale in the compound
>>Food Court with the food of the mill and the fish market, in the compound
>>Discounted drinks at Blue Frog and Zenzi till 9 pm

Enjoy discounted drinks
Two hot night spots housed within the compound, Zenzi Mills and Blue Frog are offering discounted drinks over the weekend, with a percussion fest and a Kroaknight lined up

Special events

December 5 Saturday
Film: 6.30pm Luck By Chance
Directed by Zoya Akhtar
On the streets behind the mandir (outside Kenil's)

Music: 7pm - 9.30pm Kroaknight
A special singer talent hunt
Hosted by Carlton Braganza of Opus
Special stage at the Blue Frog studio lobby

Children: 4pm Art workshop for 7 - 12 year olds
Designed by Akanksha
At the Zeba-Krsna Mehta Studio

Fashion show: 8pm Celebration
Presented by the students of the WLC Fashion faculty, with help from Vogue

Watch Luck By Chance
This is surely a novel way to watch the Hrithik Roshan starrer. The film will be screened in an open area behind the mandir

In the Blue Frog lane

December 6 Sunday
Film: 6.30pm Bhopal Express
Directed by Mahesh Mathai
On the streets behind the mandir (outside Kenil's)

Commemorating the 25th anniversary of the Bhopal disaster
Music: 7pm - 9.30pm Percussion Fest
Shastria Sonic featuring Faizal Hussain

Drum circle
Special stage at the Blue Frog studio lobby

Children: 4pmu00a0 Art workshop for 7 -12 year olds
Designed by Akanksha
At the Zeba-Krsna Mehta studio