Pardip Kapil

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Pardip’s practice is part installation, part happening and all entirely unpredictable. He creates spontaneous, site specific, temporary structures and scenes which frequently evolve with Pardip himself always central to the work. He combines installation and impromptu performance with his eccentric hand made costumes and props, found objects, music and projections to create multilayered experiences and moments. Essential to his practice is the public who are invited to engage with and often become part of the work. He explores the recurrent themes of celebrations, Christmas, Discos and FunFairs; reworking his ideas into many varied layouts whilst responding to the environment he’s working in. He documents his work through film and photography, recording the people and himself in his spaces often reworking the footage and images back into the next happening. Pardip’s energetic, often surreal practice is infectious and pure creativity.

The Making of POP UP PARDIP

Since 2004 Pardip Kapil has developed his own unique practice of creating spontaneous moments and installations within the ActionSpace Voltaire studio. But it was specifically through ActionSpace’s site-specific public events for WAF, the Wandsworth Arts Fringe, where Pardip’s live art practice truly emerged and flourished. During ActionSpace’s ‘Part of It’ series between 2010 – 2012 at the Southside Shopping Centre and Tooting Market Pardip first explored the potential of constructing site-specific installations with found and assembled objects in a public setting. Then during ActionSpace’s ‘Watch This Space’ programme of events and participatory workshops between 2014- 2017, again at the Southside Shopping Centre, Pardip firmly placed himself within his work as performer, DJ and art director. He began inviting others to participate with his high-energy live art happenings, engaging visitors in both the construction of his installations then the spontaneous performance within. Pardip’s public events for WAF led to the creation of his alter ego POP UP PARDIP, Pardip’s live art persona.

For his first event Pop Up Pardip led a spectacular Pop-up weekend of spontaneous creative happenings in Barham Park for Fun Palaces and ACAVA Open Studios in Barham Park, Brent 2016. Pardip’s impromptu performance combined directing, collaborating with visitors and DJing, inviting a literally anything goes creative approach. POP Up PARDIP then popped up at multiple events, Hidden Heathbrook for WAF 2017, Fun Palaces in Willesden green Library 2017 and Brewing in Battersea 2018. POP UP PARDIP took over the Tate Exchange floor at the Tate Modern in 2018 for a major solo, live art event. Pardip created his fantasy space featuring key elements of his practice, Christmas in June, where participants could meet Pop Up Father Christmas, the Shop to acquire found objects, Placard and Outfit Making, the Box Disco led by Pardip the master DJ and Nest beds so visitors could have a good lie down after all the dancing, cat walking and general impromptu, high energy moments. Pop Up Pardip returned to Tate Exchange in 2019 for Tube Lines alongside ActionSpace artists Nnena Kalu, Linda Bell and Mark Lawrence. Together the 4 artists created a multi layered, constantly evolving live art installation over 2 days combining sculpture, sound, movement and crucially Pop Up Pardip’s disco.

Pop Up Pardip is joyous, always unexpected and he will return…Watch this Space!

Exhibitions

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