Goethe Pop Up Festival
Book Bakery

From 29 November through 2 December 2021, at the Seminar Library of the Institute of Fine Arts, University of Chittagong, students, lecturers, and everyone interested and passing by was able to explore 12 different kinds of books and baked goods.

By Shohrab Jahan

Book Bakery collaborated across Chittagong, Dhaka, and India. The artists de- and reconstructed the book concept and shed light on protagonists involved in the production process, as well as the history and interpretation of materials. The experience was intellectual and haptic. A plethora of future themes was approached and engagement mediated on the subject/matter.

‘Rainbow Pizza’ by  Tilottama Bhowmick represented the food for gender reformation with a conceptual base and fluid topping. The consumer was able to digest what post-humxn food means and where the discrepancy between supplement and organic taste intertwine.
  Shikkha (education) is a compilation of essays by Rabindranath Tagore, written in Shadhu Vasha (old Bangla). An audiobook in Cholito Vasha (new Bangla) unfolded Tagore and inspires as ‘Shikkha Samosa’. Samosa is a popular (government) high school food given to students.
   

"[...] we have been learning to appreciate what work stands behind a book." - Samsul Alam Helal

Samsul Alam Helal dealt with ‘Disappearing Roots’ - landscapes that are baked into a new form and eaten by strangers. The Kaptai dam was built in 1962. It produces 5% of the electricity consumed in Bangladesh. Its creation displaced 100,000 people (70% Chakma) and submerged homes, including the palace of the Chakma king which remains buried underneath a lake frequented by tourists. Ten million people per year are displaced by development projects globally. Collectively with the hill tracts communities, the remaining traces of life will be captured, accentuating gentrification and the trauma found in submerged symbols of cultural autonomy.

During the opening dialogue, Professor Dhali Al Mamoon emphasized that critical thinking is key for academic development, which shall include the understanding of our cultures as well as the colonial cultures and western influences. The art works of Book Bakery connect history, the digital, and knowledge in an accessible way. Our critical thinking development is nurtured by learning - and unlearning what we have been taught thus far.
 
Pranab Mitra Chowdhury, Director of the Institute of Fine Arts, added that it is good to experience physical happenings after a long phase of absence. Both professors appreciated the involvement of their lecturers, artists from Chittagong and Dhaka, as well as their students in this collaborative project.
 
“We need to understand the publishing 'process' and the 'physical' again”, states Shohrab Jahan, Book Bakery’s curator who is also a founding member of Jog Art Space, and teaches at the Institute of Fine Arts at the University of Chittagong. Besides, Shohrab sculpts with various media and spends time with his family.