Arriving at Morni Hills Art Residency : November 18th - December 30th 2017

Arriving into the Shivalik Ranges of the Himalayas with Harpreet Singh, the director of the Morni Hills Art Residency is breath taking. Stunning views from all sides, we as curator and artists in residence take many days to settle into such a beautiful setting, taken care of by a team of local and volunteer workers for the residency as construction of the main studio and things around the residency continue around us. We are guided into the village by Sarwan, one of the volunteers who is a former MFA student of Harpreet's in Chandigahr and given often historical or contemporary explanations of things in Hindu or Indian custom by him and Harpreet which is fascinating for the residents. The food prepared for us is vegetarian and delicious and we gather around night bonfires and share artist talks and discussions on topics of interests to the artists which the local team are welcome to join. We create morning dance and yoga classes on the rooftop of the residency and enjoy animal life (2 puppies recently bought), dogs and monkeys integrated into this setting. It is a beautiful beginning to be integrated into a slower pace of life, which is gently chaotic and beckons a lot of interaction, constantly with music or singing happening from the temple below or the cooks.