To see the world of Bombay Talkies from the lens of its cinematographer Josef Wirsching is one thing; to get a younger audience to interact with it is another. When the team at the Jehangir Nicholson Art Foundation (JNAF) was planning programmes for A Cinematic Imagination, an exhibition that showcases photographs of early cinema taken by Wirsching, they wanted to ensure that there was something exciting for children as well. Puja Vaish, the director of JNAF, says “The museum’s audience is quite a diverse demographic. For us, it’s important to engage our audiences in different ways and bring out different aspects of the exhibition beyond what’s on display”.

This Saturday, the organisation has curated a drama and performance workshop for children. For this, they collaborated with Sphere Arts Education, an initiative that builds learning pathways for learners to develop a social-emotional understanding of the world. When workshop leader Gargi Datar, an independent theatre professional, visited the gallery with the team, she took note of the images and other elements that could inspire children. “There is a lot of drama in the photographs; I wanted to draw from that. For example, if we take an image where an actor stands in a particular pose, it opens up the possibility to put the children in the actor’s shoes. It encourages the children to build their own narratives from there.” To this, Shruti Sridharan, founder of Sphere Arts Education, adds, “We’re looking to give the children a free rein to be drawn towards what attracts them.” Therefore, while there is a pre-decided structure for the workshop, she shares, it has been kept fluid.