Leading Bollywood personalities, South Indian actors and Indian Sportsmen also share their personal interpretations of the pandemic for the Corona Quilt Project
More than 12,000 Indians share their personal pandemic experiences, creatively interpreted on 8,000 square feet Corona Quilt to be unveiled in Mumbai
Corona Quilt Project will be unveiled on International Women’s Day March 8th at Jindal Mansion followed by 8 other locations across Mumbai city
JSW Group has joined hands with the curators of Corona Quilt Project Dia Mehhta Bhupal & Neha Modi to launch the unique art initiative in Mumbai on International Women’s Day March 8, 2021. The Corona Quilt Project comprises multiple, large-scale quilts made of upcycled material that weave individual experiences of the coronavirus pandemic of more than 12,000 Indians together creatively interpreted on a collective art canvas. The first Corona Quilt will be unveiled at Jindal Mansion in Mumbai followed by 8 other prominent locations across the city. Ms Tarini Jindal Handa at JSW Group has conceived the corona quilt project to be hosted at Jindal Mansion.
India’s leading Bollywood personalities including Twinkle Khanna, Rakul Preet Singh, Sonali Bendre & Neetu Kapoor, top South Indian movie stars Mahesh Babu, Rana Daggubati, Ram Charan and well-known Indian sportsmen Shreyas Iyer and Sania Mirza have joined the Corona Quilt Project by submitting their own personal interpretation of the pandemic on the 8,000 square feet art canvas of the Corona Quilt Project.
This community art Corona Quilt Project is based on the theme “Rise”. It presents diversity of experiences, celebrating the strength and the resilience of Indian citizens across various social stratas. It is a collection of 12,000 individual experiences woven together creatively as a collective expression of the coronavirus pandemic in the form of multiple large-scale creative quilts.
Founded by Dia Mehhta Bhupal and Neha Modi, the Corona Quilt Project is inspired by India’s quilting traditions that frame tales of family love and care. It is believed that quilts made by women with unflinching intensity and affection in their hearts protect the user’s sleep and nurtures his dreams. This project first began during the National Lockdown with the aim of giving people across India a chance to express and share their pandemic experiences. A cloth square was the template; each person had to create a design to imbue this square with the intensity of her or his own experiences.
Today, nearly a year later, the Corona Quilt Project has taken a tangible form with individual squares woven together in an inspired presentation by well-known artist Dia Mehhta Bhupal. Drawing from more than 12,000 digital and actual submissions that were sent to them, Dia and Neha worked to create a montage of these interpretations over nine long months.
In March 2021, the Corona Quilt Project will be unveiled across 9 locations in Mumbai starting with Jindal Mansion. The other locations where these Corona Quilts will be hosted include the BMC School in Worli, the Haji Ali Pumping Station, among others. Additionally, these Corona Quilts will be showcased as moving art installations on public vehicles along different routes in Mumbai. Together, all these Corona Quilts will cover more than 8,000 square feet of space in the city.
According to Mrs. Sangita Jindal, Chairperson of the JSW Foundation, “Art is life-affirming. It enhances us, expands our consciousness. The Corona Quilt Project is a reminder that while the darkest hour precedes the dawn, the sun rises to give us the opportunity to hope, to dream and to imagine a better tomorrow. The Corona Quilt to be hosted on the façade of the Jindal Mansion at Peddar Road is titled A Rising Sun – it promises to be a mosaic of more than 1,300 experiences. I am truly amazed and fascinated by the attention to detail that Dia, Neha and her team have shown while creating these quilts. It’s a unique experience and JSW takes pride in being an integral part of this artistic community project. The keyword for me, as I look at the quilts, is collaboration. It echoes the presiding sentiment of our city and envisages a great future for our country.”
According to Ms Tarini Jindal Handa of JSW Group, “The pandemic has forced the world to stay apart, and with this separation, we need each other now more than ever. Globally, people have found new ways of coming together. We wanted to represent the world, the voices of billions of people. The Corona Quilt Project is our symbol of resilience and hope. The capture of a million human emotions. The representation of the whole world as one. A reflection of the fact that together, we can do anything.”
According to Dia Mehhta Bhupal, Co-Founder of Corona Quilt Project, “The Corona Quilt presentations are heavily inspired by the inner innocence of children’s drawings. Our project theme, Rise, draws continuities and solidarities between the human and the natural, the artificial and the natural, then and now. The concepts embody our current reality and consequences of the pandemic. It’s truly humbling to have the opportunity to work on these individual stories that connect and collectively empower the community”.
Co-Founder Neha Modi explains, “This movement has connected people of different ages from different cities and countries – echoing the belief that we have all endured this crisis together, no matter our age, gender, occupation or nationality. The presentations are meant to help us move forward, heal and be reborn. All our locations connect high-traffic areas in Mumbai allowing us to bring this to the public and make this creative presentation highly visible to all.”
Commenting on her submission well-known Bollywood personality & Author Twinkle Khanna said, “A flower is what the earth uses for gift-wrapping joy. This initiative aims at connecting people through art during this period of despondency.”
According to Bollywood star Rakul Preet Singh said, “My participation in The Corona Quilt Project celebrates the strength & resiliency of the community in the midst of the pandemic. The darkest times produce the brightest stars!”
South Indian actress Samantha Prabhu while making her submission said, “We will look back at this time and be proud of one another that we never gave up.”
According to Indian Tennis star Sania Mirza, “The world right now needs a little bit more love, a little more kindness and a little more empathy.”
South Indian actor Mahesh Babu is “Glad to be a part of the Corona Quilt Project, a wonderful initiative that connects people through art. Always keep the hope alive. For those who hope nothing is impossible! It’s going to get better!”
Honouring the frontline workers, “Warriors Rise” quilt will be presented on the facade of the Haji Ali Pumping Station. The focus of this artistic montage is a pumping heart, a symbol of all that these health workers have done to keep India safe and healthy. It combines individual experiences submitted by doctors, nurses, the police force and members of the Bombay Municipality Community (BMC), who have been the city’s core strength and support during the pandemic.
“On the Rise” is the quilt presentation to be hosted on BMC School at Worli Seaface. It will wrap around the facade of this school building comprising over 5,000 individual experiences coming together. It draws a parallel from the butterfly as a symbol of transformation, evolution and resurrection. This creative quilt reflects on how this pandemic has been a time of monumental and purposeful metamorphosis, giving birth to new perspectives and visions.
The other Corona Quilts will be hosted across six prominent locations in Mumbai. Additionally, some of these Quilts will be mounted on public transport as moving art installations on different routes around Mumbai city. Together, all these Corona Quilts cover more than 8,000 square feet of space in the city.
