Heritage signage to make Bhubaneswar Art Trail path more visitor-friendly

Bhubaneswar: Preparations for the Bhubaneswar Art Trail (BAT) 2018 are in full swing, with heritage signage soon to be placed across various locations in Old Town area.

There is also a plan to include water ATMs, smart pre-fabricated stainless steel toilets for the international event, in which 24 well-known figures in contemporary art scenario are participating.

The event will be curated by two well-known artists of international repute, Jagannath Panda and Premjish Achari. It will be held from November 18 to December 18.

As per the sources, various other infrastructure related works like road and drainage repair, solid waste, construction and demolition (C&D) waste management, parking and street lighting have also been started.

City-based agencies like Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA), Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC), Bhubaneswar Urban Knowledge Centre (BUKC), Utsha Foundation and more than 100 volunteers drawn from various art institutions are joining hands to transform BAT-2018 into a memorable event.

It can be mentioned here that the Odisha Tourism Development Corporation (OTDC) would be the major agency to sponsor the event.

Coming to the most important transformation along the 1.3 km stretch of the BAT, the city administration has started installing 17 free standing directional signage, 2 free standing old lane/locality signage, 3 free standing directional/ lane finding directional signage, 3 wall-hung signage, and 2 wayfinding wall mounted signage, exclusively for the event.

The old heritage map near the entrance to the 7^th Century Parasurameswar temple has been revamped and a beautiful new map has been placed to help tourists find their location and other important monuments in the Old Town area.

Apart from the State Government agencies, Archaeological Survey of India, local organisations and institutions like Kedarnath Gabeshana Pratisthan, Siddheswar Math, Kedar Gouri Temple Trust and Club are also helping in the organisation of the mega event.

Nearly 30 private property owners are also a part of the event, which will be held from November 18 to December 18. The artists will start their residency from October 18 and the event will be open for public for a month.

Today, noted Odissi dancer and founder of Art Vision Ileana Citaristi became a member of the BAT team and there would be two performances by her team members at Art Vision in November.

Other infrastructural and landscaping beautification near Kedar-Gouri Plaza, dedicated parking at various places near the two ends of the BAT would also be finalised so that participants get a nice feel of the Old Town along with the art extravaganza during BAT-2018.