Layered Cities

How Technology and Art Can Mediate Space

Abstract

Dhanya Pilo is a pioneer in the realms of technology and spatial engagement through the arts. Before most people knew what or how to understand codes and layers or the ways in which virtual worlds interact with real ones, she was engaging with the city's walls as a community project, later making films—breaking all of the boundaries that ordinarily confine female artists. In terms of a public art practice specific to south asia, her experience and legacy of work remain unique for the ways in which she engages audiences and communities. Whether using infrastructure like walls, to paint on or screen her films, or film-making across languages, or creating site specific immersive experiences that combine music and visuals. In this interview, she reflects on her trajectory, changing interests and on being an Indian artist.