A performer standing in a pool of stage light in Harkat’s black box

Self-organised artist residencies · Mumbai

Do your own
Harkat.

A working residency for artists and researchers of all forms.

Two paths ↓

Harkat Studios is an alternative performance black box, an artist-run photochemical film lab and a community space in Versova, Mumbai.

For more than a decade, we have made plays, films, multidisciplinary performances and festivals with Indian and international artists. We sit in the calm of a northern seaside neighbourhood, in the middle of the city’s commercial and fringe creative worlds.

The residency is not a fixed programme. You determine its structure, creative intentions and workflow. We offer a temporary working environment, local knowledge, an audience, and the possibility of real exchange with artists, thinkers and makers in Mumbai.

An artist hand-processing photographic material under red darkroom light

A / Film · Visual Arts · Research

Dark Room
Residency

Work independently with photochemical image-making: From hand processing and printing to projection, to new meaning making with found footage or creating expanded cinema work in our blackbox.

What we offer

  • Artist lab and darkroom
  • Splicers, cameras, DIY scanner, lightboard and more
  • Chemistry for black-and-white and colour film
  • Found-footage archive and screening theatre
  • Access to ongoing workshops
  • Public screening or work-in-progress showcase
Apply for the Dark Room Residency ↗
The empty Harkat black box studio with a single chair on stage

B / Performance · Movement · Sound · Visual Arts · Exhibition Making · Research

Performance
Residency

Use the black box and its technical infrastructure to create, rehearse, experiment, collaborate and present a new or developing work.

What we offer

  • 1,000 sq ft acoustically treated black box
  • Stage lights, lighting console and grid
  • 24-channel sound mixer, mics and speakers
  • Props, screens, projector and greenroom
  • Introductions to local artists and collaborators
  • Public performance or work-in-progress showcase
Apply for the Performance Residency ↗
Duration1 week—3 months
Fee€1,500 / month
Artists at one time2 maximum
ApplicationsOpen year-round
AccommodationShared apartment with sea view
Studio and workspace amenitiesWi-Fi, A/C, a printer, kitchenette and washroom

We accept 1 performance-making and 1 dark room resident at a time.

A karigar inspecting photochemical film by hand
Workspace

Make, rehearse, process.

Black box, film lab, darkroom, office workspace and a terrace. You are free to use any of these spaces for making, researching, ideating, meeting, readings, conversations or simply breathing.

Community

Meet the city through its makers.

For research, a jam, technical exchange or co-creation, we help connect residents with relevant local artists, practitioners and thought leaders.

Audience

Leave with work, not just time passed.

Harkat has active audiences for performances, workshops, screenings and exhibitions. Where appropriate, the residency culminates in a public showcase.

Upskilling

Our workshops are free for you!

Residents may join our year-round workshops for free. Depending on the project, we can organise tailored sessions in photochemical and handmade image-making.

A live expanded-cinema projection inside Harkat
Artists in conversation inside the Harkat lab
Artist-run means knowledge is shared.
Rows of hand-processed colour film strips
Audience watching a performance at Harkat
Your process can meet a real audience.

For early- and mid-career artists

You should have made work before.

We have staff on site to introduce equipment and answer questions, but residents are expected to conduct their practice independently. This is especially for artists who work between forms, want to expand their practice, and are genuinely interested in exchange with local artists.

Who can apply?+

Artists and researchers with an existing practice who can work independently. You should arrive with a clear intention, but the work may change while you are here.

What is included?+

Workspace, accommodation, standard in-house technical facilities, access to Harkat’s community, practical orientation, and a public showcase where appropriate.

What is not included?+

Travel, food, local transport, and production materials beyond the darkroom or lab facilities we ordinarily keep in-house.

Is Harkat wheelchair accessible?+

The black box is wheelchair accessible. Other working areas and the accommodation are not fully accessible. Tell us what you need in the application and we will be transparent about what is possible.

How are residents selected?+

We look at space availability, your previous work, the nature of your proposal, and whether Harkat is the right working environment for your vision. If it fits: hello!

Can I get to know more about Harkat?+

Our work is spread across a few subdomains. The darkroom and 16mm work is all here. The space and curatorial projects are here and our main website which links to our commercial work is here. You can also get a good idea by going to our Instagram.

Which languages are spoken?+

English, Hindi, German and Marathi.

Start your application ↗
Apply now ↗