Abhinay, could you please tell us more about your project “I am Earth” and the origin of your exhibition concept ? 

I am Earth is an art installation to reflect our place on this planet. Witnessing the global unrest and climate crisis we’re currently living in, I’m often pulled and pushed to approach the issues through various disciplines I learnt over the time. The engineer in me would pull to solve every problem through technology for every problem we created. Development Practitioner in me has helped me to unlearn that approaching situations in silos don’t work at a lot of times. The poet and artist in me challenged if I can imagine the future I believe in with all the boxes I’m always put in. I’m always caught in the game of Us vs Them and bringing all the hats I wear together, I created this installation- I am Earth. Also, a couple of near and dear friends who always believed in me when I struggled to believe in myself also pushed me to go ahead to work on this idea. If you’re curious about where I got this idea in Geneva, it was during a nice long walk at the lake.

Did you find that your experience in an Interdisciplinary Programme at the Institute supported your journey prior and throughout this project?

Being graduated as Mechanical Engineer and working for 6 years professionally in IT industry, & Social sector while actively pursuing arts and creative writing, I wondered who’d welcome me encouraging me to learn the world through interdisciplinarity. When I discovered the MINT program and was admitted at the institute, I felt very happy. 

At the institute, I had a chance to study courses ranging from International Environment Problems, Carbonisation, Economics of Energy Transition to Arts and Design in Social sciences, Urban Visualities & a lot more courses that helped me gain a wholesome perspective on the issues I was keen to work on.  Of course, I had a lot of surprised looks when I share the range of interest and courses I pick at the beginning of each semester with people around me. In return, I’d be asked if I was able to crack the jobs & internships. ‘Abhinay always has an eye for indie kinda courses,’ a few peers would joke. At the same time, I always had peers in my courses, who are curious & empathised with me and encouraged me to look beyond a good reasonable transcript and job prospects. That criticism and curiosity has helped me to keep the ball rolling and keep creating.

Your exhibition will be exhibited in COP30 Brazil, USA, China, Japan and India in the swissnex partner locations in the upcoming months. How do you feel about the global reach of your work and how do you find reactions may differ or align in the many locations?
 

I’m excited to participate in this series of exhibitions and I’m curious how people would respond. I took my own time to realise the extent my art is reaching globally. It’s a very assuring experience to continue on my learnng path. I’m expecting a whole lot of range of different reactions in many locations. Wearing different hats at different times, as an artist, I’m learning to understand my role in the society where I create my art works to alter the perception of current narratives and question my own narratives to reflect deeply. 

Having lived in Geneva and its community, did you find that the experience of living amongst an international city and cohort framed your work in any way? 

Geneva and the community I move around with, has definitely influenced my work to a great extent. Moving between International Geneva and the old town, I got immersed in everything Geneva has to offer. The lake Geneva’s flow and the community I live with, got me flowing in my creative spirits. The diverse cohort offered me a wide range of curious, challenging eyes and different perspectives. Sharing ideas here and there, I loved the way conversations flowed, leaving me always with an interesting take aways.