Film UbuWeb

Raqs Media Collective Strikes at Time (2011) The Blood of Stars (2017) Raqs Media Collective Strikes at Time (2011); The Blood of Stars (2017) Raqs Media Collective comprises independent media-practitioners Jeebesh Bagchi, Monica Narula, and Shuddhabrata Sengupta. The group has been described as artists, curators, researchers, editors, and catalysts. During their residency in 2010, Raqs explored the Museum’s engagement with time. They wandered frequently in the galleries, where they came across two Chinese Han Dynasty mat-weights in the shape of bears. These objects served to weigh down floor mats on which, many centuries ago, debaters would sit and argue philosophical points or play games. Another work that captured their attention was a seventeenth century screen, Three Vinegar Tasters. As the artists’ work often unpacks questions of identity, location, myths, and histories, it was not a surprise that these objects resonated with them.