Delfina Foundation Residency 2019: Salik Ansari — Inlaks Shivdasani Foundation Blog

Salik Ansari was the 2019 Delfina Foundation Residency recipient. In this week’s post he shares his experiences of his time in London and how it broadened the scope of his practice.

I learned about the Delfina Foundation via their Instagram account. I always believed it would be a good experience, but when I got there I didn’t expect it to be as great as it was!

Delfina is one of the most active and lively art spaces I have worked in. It is fair to say that it’s a melting pot of creativity, where people from different countries, cultures, backgrounds and disciplines come together to interact and engage. It’s one of the most important spaces for international artistic exchange in London. The residency programmes are designed according to themes which are then tailored to the visiting artists’ individual practice. During the residency artists have a chance to meet different people formally/informally, visit with professionals in the field, attend events, exhibitions, talks, conduct research, and produce work.

I had the opportunity to participate in a research-oriented programme titled ‘Science Technology Society’. The programme sought to support contemporary interdisciplinary approaches that consider, intervene in, and speculate on the world in which we live and its possible futures. It provided a focused environment, aimed to foster collaborations between artists and other practitioners, incubate ideas and supports the development of new projects.

During the programme I started a project entitled Amphibians. Inspired by the amphibians ability to exist in more than one environment at the same time, my project explores the connection between two forms of reality, the real and digital. With the help of new technologies and methods I am developing a system that simulates a ‘digital twin’ of the participant’s body and uses live data to records their activities such as the heartbeat, walking, sleeping, breathing and more.

The continuous sharing of ideas with different people is an iterative process at the residency. Daily interactions with my fellow residents, the Delfina team and curated studio visits facilitated development of my concept. They enabled me to realise its scope, unravel the complex layers and meanings that can be derived from it, refined my thinking, the terminologies I used to describe the project, the research possibilities and therefore create a work for an international audience and discourse.

The three-month residency time has expanded the scope of my project, I am now able to process my work in material terms. For me, Delfina Foundation has played a major role not only in terms of my own professional growth but also in establishing international connections and meaningful relations. Being part of Delfina is knowing that you are a part of its larger family.

I’m grateful for this opportunity and thankful to the Inlaks India Foundation and Charles Wallace India trust for supporting my residency