Priya Bandodkar

Activating Indofuturism

Seeking inspiration from Postcolonial Futurisms, this research activates a largely unexplored futurism discipline for India: Indofuturism. It proposes Indofuturism as a means for Indian people and their descendants to respond to colonialism in India and its ramifications in post-colonial times. It imagines an Indofuture: an alternative future for India, wherein India was not colonised. It does this by actualising five Indofuturist artefacts built as interactive installations using virtual reality, 3D art, creative coding, physical computing, volumetric video, dance performance, and concluding with an Indofuturist Manifesto: a conceptual analysis and call to action for other creators and thinkers of Indian descent to delve into this emerging discipline.This activation intends to bring Indofuturism into conversations with existing Postcolonial Futurisms, and thereby give Indian people a place in visions of the future. This research hopes to inspire the Indian diaspora to explore and make Indofuturism their own, and foster a feeling of belongingness in the youth of Indian descent.