Zeitgeist - with Rachelle Atalla and Madhu Raghavendra

Come along to a lunchtime event with Stirling’s Gavin Wallace Fellow, Rachelle Atalla, and Charles Wallace Fellow, Madhu Raghavendra. 

We begin by following Madhu outdoors for a short performance in front of the Pursuit of Knowledge Memorial, fondly known as 'Blue Boy', sculpted by Iain McColl. Madhu's work is inspired by the Indian cultural practice of rangoli or kollam which is usually a nature-inspired design on the floor made at the threshold of a house, temple, or a place of worship as an auspicious sign of welcome and good omen. 

We then return to the Crush Hall with Rachelle and Madhu for a reading of their work. Rachelle will read from her forthcoming novel, The Salt Flats (Hodder & Stoughton, August 2024). The book follows a group of tourists on a pilgrimage to The Salt Centre, a mysterious retreat within the Bolivian salt flats. United by a shared quest for spiritual enlightenment, the group takes part in a series of salt ceremonies, where hallucinogenic episodes force each of them to confront their own versions of reality. Madhu will read from his poetry collections Make Me Some Love To Eat, Stick No Bills and Being Non-Essential (published by Red River, New Delhi) and work-in-progress. 

This event is part of the Stirling Art Collection’s 2024 theme, Inspired! Madhu and Rachelle will talk about the work that has inspired them, and their interests in the environment, ceremony and making sense of the age we live in. 

This is an in-person event. The first part of the event will be held outdoors, weather permitting, and the ground surrounding the Blue Boy is an uneven grassed area. The Blue Boy can be viewed from the paved areas by the Pathfoot front car park. The indoor part of the event is seated. For any questions about accessibility, please contact gemma.robinson@stir.ac.uk. 

Co-organised by the Art Collection, Postcolonial Research Group and the Division of Literature and Languages. This event is also part of celebrating 30 years of the Charles Wallace Fellowship at Stirling.