{"id":99308,"date":"2024-12-17T18:16:33","date_gmt":"2024-12-17T12:46:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.goakhabar.com\/?p=99308"},"modified":"2024-12-17T18:16:33","modified_gmt":"2024-12-17T12:46:33","slug":"blind-date-with-friends-a-visionary-step-towards-inclusivity-at-saf-2024","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.goakhabar.com\/?p=99308","title":{"rendered":"Blind date with friends : A visionary step towards inclusivity at SAF 2024"},"content":{"rendered":"<p dir=\"ltr\"><strong>Goa Khabar : A unique experiential programme at the ongoing Serendipity Arts Festival (SAF) 2024 has given a different twist to the concept of \u2018blind dating\u2019.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Among the highlights of the festival\u2019s 9th edition is the innovative \u2018Blind Date with Friends,\u2019 an experiential programme designed to foster deeper connections and mutual understanding. Participants are paired with visually impaired individuals for a journey through the festival\u2019s exhibits, sharing conversations, meals and art experiences. \u201cThe process itself is the art,\u201d explains Salil Chaturvedi, the programme\u2019s curator, emphasising how such encounters break barriers and celebrate the richness of diverse perspectives.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Goa-based Salil Chaturvedi, an acclaimed writer, poet and disability campaigner, has virtually redefined the intersection of art and accessibility at the Serendipity Arts Festival 2024. Known for his poignant works in poetry and fiction, as well as groundbreaking advocacy, Salil has steered SAF 2024\u2019s accessibility-focused initiatives, creating inclusive spaces where creativity and community meet.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">This year\u2019s accessibility interventions aimed to set a benchmark for inclusive art spaces, which included tactile exhibits and ramps to outdoor rest areas and wheelchair-friendly installations. A professional access audit guided these changes, ensuring thoughtful infrastructure upgrades across heritage venues. Additionally, initiatives like a deaf poetry jam and tactile art workshops brought artists with disabilities to the forefront, challenging traditional notions of visibility in art.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Salil\u2019s collaboration with differently-abled artists has been transformative. \u201cFor the first time, we prioritised their presence not just as participants but as curators and creators,\u201d he shared. Projects like \u2018Nature\u2019s Symphony: A Bird Watching Adventure\u2019, where visually impaired individuals explore nature, and others where they create art from beach waste and the tactile design programme, \u2018Touched\u2019, crafted with input from blind schools, highlighted how sensory and emotional experiences can redefine art.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Through these efforts, Salil envisions a future where inclusivity is the norm, rather than the exception. \u201cThe mindset shift is key,\u201d he stressed, advocating for leadership roles for people with disabilities in cultural institutions. By blending empathy, technology and innovative programming, his vision offered a roadmap for inclusive art, fostering a space where everyone can contribute and experience its transformative power.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Goa Khabar : A unique experiential programme at the ongoing Serendipity Arts Festival (SAF) 2024 has given a different twist to the concept of \u2018blind dating\u2019.\u00a0 Among the highlights of the festival\u2019s 9th edition is the innovative \u2018Blind Date with Friends,\u2019 an experiential programme designed to foster deeper connections and mutual understanding. Participants are paired [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25169,"featured_media":99310,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[155,6],"tags":[3794],"class_list":["post-99308","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-155","category-6","tag-featured"],"read":true,"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goakhabar.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99308","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goakhabar.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goakhabar.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goakhabar.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/25169"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goakhabar.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=99308"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.goakhabar.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99308\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":99311,"href":"https:\/\/www.goakhabar.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99308\/revisions\/99311"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goakhabar.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/99310"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.goakhabar.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=99308"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goakhabar.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=99308"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.goakhabar.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=99308"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}