The People’s Envoy: How Helmut Schippert made Chennai his canvas

If you person lived successful the metropolis agelong enough, and person been engaged successful the arts, academia oregon nationalist life, the chances are that you person seen galore diplomats and taste ambassadors travel and go. You person astir apt besides had a accidental to interact with a fig of them. 

In the 3 decades I person lived successful Chennai, determination are a fig that person made a profound interaction connected the metropolis and its residents. One of those, and idiosyncratic who arguably deserves to beryllium astatine the precise apical extremity of that list, was undeniably Helmut Schippert.  

With his agelong wavy hair, his reflexive egalitarianism, and his involvement successful looking beyond the issues that inhabit the city’s socio-economic elite, Helmut was a burst of frischer wind. There was a childlike curiosity, an unjaded wide-eyed wonderment that helium brought to the array – successful his conversations, his cognition to beingness and to the galore projects helium conceived and executed. 

It is possibly not astonishing that the quality of his shocking and abrupt decease jolted truthful galore of america successful Chennai. As manager of the Goethe-Institut betwixt 2014 and 2020, helium touched galore lives – opening opportunities for artists, photographers, writers, musicians, environmentalists and others. During his clip here, Helmut ne'er gave the content that helium was present to correspond oregon showcase German civilization to the city. His enactment was predicated connected the thought that his Institut could marque a meaningful publication to the metropolis and its residents though statement (differing, erstwhile required) and socially engaged taste cooperation. 

Understanding Chennai and Tamil Nadu was thing of a passionateness during his stay. A speech with him astir a stream project, for example, could abruptly digress into a treatment astir authorities oregon Indian music. The value helium devoted to feeling ‘connected’ manifested adjacent earlier helium arrived successful Chennai. On proceeding of his posting, 1 of the galore things helium did was to effort and admit what indispensable person been a precise overseas creation signifier to his ears – Carnatic music. 

His transportation with civilian nine groups and movements were successful keeping with his determination to marque h2o 1 of the cardinal issues successful Indo-German taste exchange. This was done successful myriad ways. The Embrace our Rivers task saw much than a twelve artists enactment successful an accumulation successful 2018 to rise consciousness of Chennai’s polluted waterways. It was held astatine the Lalit Kala Akademi, but Helmut – who was a beardown believer successful nationalist creation – had primitively pitched for support to clasp it on the banks of the Cooum adjacent Island Grounds. If helium had his way, a barge would person displayed 1 large work. Unfortunately, the permissions required ne'er materialised. He was instrumental successful the collaborative City of 1000 Tanks project, which was directed, among different things, astatine rainwater collection, wastewater attraction and recharging aquifers. 

There were different cardinal initiatives, including a collaborative level for musicians nether the South Asian Music Residency and the thoroughfare creation festival Conquer the Concrete, which showcased the collaboration of 5 planetary artists with thoroughfare artists and cinema hoarding painters.  

But I similar to judge his flagship inaugural was the Chennai Photo Biennale (CPB), tally by the CPB Foundation, of which helium was a founding trustee. It was calved arsenic a effect of Helmut asking lensman Chennai Photo Biennale manager Varun Gupta, ‘What would you truly similar to do?’. When Varun replied, what helium would truly similar to bash is to curate a photography festival, Helmut responded with a ‘Let’s’. He recovered the wealth for it, and the Biennale, which has seen 4 editions, has go the main festival for photography successful the country. 

The Biennale has striven to prosecute radical from each societal and economical walks of life, which was precise overmuch successful keeping with Helmut’s vision. An illustration of his wanting to link beyond the elite is the accumulation connected Urban Water. Staged successful the Lighthouse MRTS station, it saw him walk hours talking to fisherfolk and explaining the intent of what helium was doing. 

That was during the archetypal variation of the Chennai Photo Biennale. Unfortunately, India’s rules relating to charitable trusts and overseas nationals meant that Helmut had to measurement down from the instauration that runs it. He continued to play a relation arsenic advisor and the Goethe Institut, present headed by Katharina Gorgen, remains its biggest and astir important protagonist of the biennale. 

I was invited to beryllium connected the committee of CPB Foundation aft Helmut stepped down. I americium afloat alert that it is intolerable to capable his shoes but if the Biennale, which is planned and executed by immoderate precise good young people, tin beryllium sustained and grown successful the years to come, it volition beryllium the biggest tribute to Helmut. It volition beryllium a mode of the metropolis giving backmost to him what helium gave to it.