The Delhi-NCR region is all set to get a major new cultural centre for the arts, a space that will encourage experimentation, research, education, residences, and performances of all kinds including visual, performing, and culinary arts.

A virtual launch of Confluence Ideathon 2021 x Serendipity Arts Foundation, an arts hackathon, launched to develop creative solutions to problems related to the setting up of a new cultural center for the arts was also organized recently.

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“This would be a center which is in its heart and soul Indian, but also a global center which provides a bridge between India and the world. The arts of this region, the South Asian region, and the rest of the world,” said Sunil Kant Munjal, Chairman, Hero Enterprises.

The project has partnered with a host of educational institutions, including the Royal College of Arts London, IIM Ahmedabad, IIT Roorkee, IIM Visakhapatnam, IIM Bodh Gaya, IIM Amritsar, IIT Roorkee, BML Munjal University and NIFT Kannur.

Speaking about the idea behind the ideathon, Munjal further said: “This is an initiative which recognises that no one of us has all the good ideas at any given time. The idea (behind Confluence Ideathon) was to bring as many people as possible into this mission…into this journey. To collate all the good ideas that can come together and figure out how you create a cultural centre which is accessible, open, effective, environmentally friendly, and energy efficient. It’s not really speaking to the arts, but it’s speaking truly to each one of us, and our responsibility to each other and to the planet.”

Application ideas will be reviewed through three rounds of successive deliberation by the jury throughout January and February 2021. The deliberations will lead into the Ideathon Week, which is slated for February 23 to March 4.

Successful ideas will have to explore the challenges of building a large, multi-purpose, urban cultural centre that addresses the needs of tomorrow. The focus is on finding answers to questions that impact different visitor experiences and resource-use and participants are invited to harness the potential of emerging technology.

Joining the initiative as a knowledge partner, Serendipity Arts Foundation & Festival’s Director, Smriti Rajgarhia said, “We are proud to be associated with an initiative of this nature that seeks to amplify the creative potential of the people and help the arts sector forge towards innovative solutions. Through this Ideathon, not only will we be able to create a sustainable cultural landmark in the National Capital Region, but we will also be able to share a cultural legacy for generations to come,” she said.