Galle Literary Festival 2010

"The Festival is now just three weeks away! Our box offices are all open: on this site, at Barefoot in Colombo (706 Galle Road, 10-5 weekdays, 10-2 Saturdays) and at Lollapalooza in Galle (56 Lighthouse St, 10-12, 4-5 weekdays). There has been a great rush on tickets but don’t worry, there are plenty more to be had. Click on Programme above to choose from the 77 events of our long weekend.

After Mohammed Hanif explodes mangoes, hear Wendy Cope’s two cures for love. Listen to Gillian Slovo’s version of growing up in the South Africa of Apartheid or Sybil Wettasinghe’s account of a childhood near Galle. Investigate the history of the conspiracy theory with Antony Beevor and hear the life sentence that Ian Rankin meted out to Inspector Rebus. Go kite flying on the Ramparts or walk up the lighthouses of literature.

The Galle Literary Festival takes place in and around Galle Fort, the site of many landings on Sri Lanka’s southern coast. The Festival is both intimate and international, bringing together writers and audiences from around Sri Lanka and the world. You can walk through the Fort, from a literary conversation to an open air performance; or head from a long gourmet meal to the beach. The Festival includes four full days of events, a special Children’s Festival and this year an extra day dedicated to schoolchildren from Galle."

http://www.galleliteraryfestival.com/

The Indian Core

Galle Film Festival 2009

"From the 2nd of December to the 6th of December the costal town of Galle will play host to Sri Lanka’s inaugural international film festival. The festival will be a five day extravaganza during which time upto 40 Sri Lankan, South Asian and International Films will be screened. In addition there will also be a programme of workshops, in-depth panel discussions and post screening question and answer sessions. The main screening programme titled Cinema 1 will examine a variety of genera, including cutting edge Sri Lankan cinema, award winning work from international film makers, outstanding contributions by emerging filmmakers and several documentaries."

http://www.gallefilmfestival.com

Art Biennale arrives in Colombo

"The world of the Art Biennale is set to arrive in Sri Lanka too. Joining cities such as Dubai, Bangladesh, Singapore, New York, Sydney and of course Venice, Colombo will have its very own “Colombo Art Biennale” in September 2009. The show will encourage displays of contemporary art from artists in Sri Lanka. International artists have also shown interest and there are plans afoot to accommodate artists from the region and the EEC.

Colombo Art Biennale is the brainchild of Annoushka Hempel who has made Sri Lanka her home. Based in Galle and Colombo, Annoushka and her family have been in Sri Lanka for almost seven years. Contemporary art is something of a passion for Annoushka. Her previous background in public relations work for blue chip clients in the UK has seen an energetic drive to promote the Biennale concept to Sri Lanka.

The Biennale world has an international following from lovers of the arts. Annoushka Hempel has chosen her theme in this crucial year for Sri Lanka very appropriately. Its called “Imagining Peace: The Colombo Art Biennale 2009”.

The Biennale will be held at Park Street Mews, where five large warehouses will be converted into distinctive pavillions – each managed by a different strong curator showcasing a different artist collective."

http://www.thesundayleader.lk/20090621/lifestyle.HTM

Camera Shy - Photography Exhibition

CAB Imagining Peace

The Kandy Esala Perahera 2009

Kandy - 26th July to 05th Aug 2009

As the August moon waxes in the Buddhist month of Esala, a ten-day-long pageant takes over Kandy. Men fulfil vows to Hindu god Skanda by walking "in harness" with spikes in their backs, accompanied by a fabulous procession with dancers, tom-toms, whip-cracking acrobats in a frenzy and elephants kitted out in party gear. To top it off, all this has happened every year since about 300 AD.

The action is made even more mesmerising because it happens at night. The old cannon booms after dusk and the Perahera (paraders) take to the streets for ten nights, with the parades growing ever longer each night until the final night of pageantry, when the parade is at its finest.
The festival is a synthesis of Hindu and Buddhist beliefs and is dedicated not just to Skanda but also to Buddha. It is held to invoke the blessings of the gods for rain, fertility, successful crops and good health. Elephants feature heavily as they are symbols of abundance and fertility - the "clouds who walk the Earth", instrumental in attracting the vital rains for harvest time.

The most treasured item in the procession is a copy of a golden reliquary said to hold a tooth of the Buddha. Legend has it that the Buddha's tooth was brought to Sri Lanka in the third century AD, hidden in the tresses of a princess. Pilgrims flock to visit the golden temple, Sri Dalada Maligawa, situated beside a tree-lined lake, every day of the year to catch a glimpse of the golden casket which holds the venerated molar.

Vajira Gunawardena at The Gallery Cafe

Vajira Gunawardena paints with oil, acrylics and any medium in a predominately neo expressionist style and close to art brut, graffiti images. He has taken part in numerous exhibitions, international camps and commission works in the past ten years. Some of his works are now getting international exposure in USA, Australia, Holland and France and represented several private and public collections in Sri Lanka.

Vajira ivites us to his solo exhibition. 30th June till the 22nd July 2009 at Paradise Road, The Gallery Cafe, Colombo, Sri Lanka.

http://www.artreview.com/photo/album/show?id=1474022%3AAlbum%3A787151

Angus McDonald & Zoe MacDonell - Artist Retreat at KK

http://www.kahandakanda.com/

Vesak 2009

Vesak commemorates the birth, enlightenment and death of Buddha- which all happens one this same full-moon day in May most conveniently. The atmosphere is Halloween and a far-eastern Kite festival thrown together, since every child partakes in designing intricate paper lanterns which blaze in every street, shop and town. Road-side marquees supply meals and gaudy soft drinks to passers by, all hosted by local benefactors since it is meritorious to give food. The truly devout- sil-takers clad in white, wait at temples to obtain spiritual purity and observe the Buddhist precepts after a fast on Coriander and ginger tea.

Right on cue the violet-pink Vesak Orchid flowers profusely in low-country jungles during the month of May, long after the phantasmagoric white wedding-cake lanterns have been shredded by the breeze - a blazing reminder of the most colourful and exotic festival in the Buddhist calendar.

Poya days and Buddhist holidays are dry days so visitors need to stock up on alcoholic drinks to avoid disappointment in public bars and restaurants.

The dates for Vesak this year are 8th and 9th of May 2009.

Yoga Retreat at KK

Amangalla Salon: Ismeth Raheem

"Ismeth will share some of his extraordinary stories about Galle and the families that lived here, the visitors that passed through, followed by a walking tour the following morning.

Ismeth Raheem is an architect, artist and art historian of the colonial period in Sri Lanka. He has published articles for the British Council and the Maritime Museum in Amsterdam and the fascinating book “Images of British Ceylon, History of 19th century photography in Sri Lanka, and has one of the most extensive collections of images of Sri Lanka- maps, prints, photographs- many of which he will be sharing with us at the Salon.

As usual the salon will start at 7.00pm with house cocktails and canapes, with the talk starting at 7.30pm. We end with an open discussion with the audience, the salon is open to all visitors. Chef Cassandra will create a delicious dinner menu for those who care to join us after the salon.
After the success of last months tour of Anjelandran’s buildings with David Robson and the architect himself, we have arranged An early morning tour of the fort with Ismeth to point some of the extraordinary buildings that he has been talking about. There is no fee, but please confirm whether you will be joining us so we can arrange water and cold towels at strategic points! We will leave from Amangalla at 8.00am."

For more information contact: orichli@amanresorts.com

A free lecture by the celebrated British Historian William Dalrymple

The Galle Literary Festival comes to Colombo! Join us at our opening Colombo lecture at the Park Street Hotel on Sunday 15th March at 7.00pm. A free lecture by the celebrated British Historian William Dalrymple followed by a gourmet dinner with the writer.

The Galle Literary Festival will be holding a series of events in Colombo in 2009 to keep the spirit of the festival alive throughout the year. On the 15th March we will also be launching our Benefactors of the Festival and Friends of the Festival initiatives.

William Dalrymple will be talking about his books, his love of India, and the everyday life of a writer. Dalrymple is one of the leading travel writers and historians of today and is always guaranteed to enthrall, mesmerize and entertain an audience.

Entrance to the talk will be free, the gourmet dinner which follows will cost 5000rs inclusive of wines. Many thanks to the Park Street Hotel for sponsoring the event. Our Festival partner is the Sri Lanka Tourist Promotions Board.

For Dinner Bookings call 091 4380275 or e mail info@thesunhouse.com. A donation from the dinner will be made towards the development of English Activity Rooms for rural inland schools in the Southern Province.

http://www.williamdalrymple.uk.com/

Of Silk Purses and Sows' Ears - the Architecture of C. Anjalendran

Amangalla Salon
Saturday 7th MARCH 2008
Amangalla, Galle. PROFESSOR DAVID ROBSON WILL BE TALKING ON “"Of Silk Purses and Sows' Ears - the Architecture of C. anjalendran".

David Robson is a British architect who first came to Ceylon in 1969 to teach in the University of Colombo. Anjalendran, only seven years his junior, was one of his first students and they have remained friends ever since. Having spent much of the 1970s working on social housing in the UK, David fled as Thatcher swept into power and spent three years working on Prime Minister Premadasa's '100,000' houses programme. In 1983 he returned to the UK to an academic career in the University of Brighton, just as Anjalendran was opening his own office on his mother's verandah in Gregory's Road. In 1997 David was asked by Geoffrey Bawa to write a monograph on his work and has now completed three books about the great man. Anjalendran meanwhile has gone on to become one of Sri Lanka's most interesting post-Bawa architects.

The talk will be based around David’s new book 'Anjalendran, Architect of Sri Lanka' which will be published by Periplus in Singapore later in the year. Special emphasis will be given to the SOS Village in Galle and Mount Cinnamon, also known as Mirissa Hills, a private home and cinnamon museum overlooking Weligama Bay. Anjalendran will join us at the Salon as part of the audience and hopefully will answer a few questions at the end.

As usual the salon will start at 7.00pm with house cocktails and canapes, WITH the talk starting at 7.30pm. we end with an open discussion with the audience, the salon is open to all visitors, and there is no charge. Chef CASSANDRA will create a delicious dinner menu for those who care to join us after the salon.

For more information, kindly contact:
Olivia Richli
Amangalla
Manager
10, Church Street, Fort, Galle, Sri Lanka
Tel: +94 912233388 Fax: +94 912233355
email: orichli@amanresorts.com
web: http://www.amanresorts.com/

Exhibition of paintings at The Fort Printers

The Fort Printers is pleased to present a paintings exhibition by: Anoli Perea, Jagath Weerasinghe, Pala Pothupitiye, Pradeep Chandrasiri, Sarath Kumarasiri, Koralegedara Pushpakumara, Anura Krishantha, Bandu Manamperi, Thisath Thoradeniya

Opening Night: Saturday, 31st JanuaryFrom 6.00pm to 7.30pm
Drinks and Canapes
The Fort Printers39 Pedlar StreetGalle Fort

I'm finally back back into the art world.... Hooray...!! Such a joy!
and am launching this with my first exhibition that I have arranged which now on show at the Fort Printers in Galle Fort.

"9 Sri Lankan artists have put together a very cool collection of work now bedecking the walls of the Printers. Do check it out and of course they are for sale. We re having the opening evening with drinks and canapes this Saturday from 6.00-7.30. See attachment. I know there's lots on this Saturday but would be lovely if you could pop in"

Annoushka Hempel
annoushka.hempel@gmail.com