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The Commons by Black & Beige is a cultural space in Bengaluru that embodies the kinds of neighbourhood hangouts that have slowly disappeared from our cities. Inspired by tapris, old music shops, photocopy stores and barber shops, it looks at how these everyday places gave people room to meet, exchange ideas and build subcultures. Located on the second floor of Ajji House by Subko, The Commons runs programmes around music, craft and community, including Hajam Culture, which revisits the social life of the neighbourhood barber shop, and Silaai Kaadai, a tailoring and screen-printing programme. The idea is to make space for people to come together and create, with culture growing out of the people who use the space.
One of its music initiatives is Numaish, a series bringing artists together to create music at The Commons. Episode 1 featured Prerna V and Aditya Rajaram, marking the team’s first music production at the space. Getting there took several attempts, with the team testing different ideas before finding what worked. They even took the artists to Bengaluru’s mango market as part of the process. The behind-the-scenes footage captures the nerves and excitement of trying something new, with the series giving artists room to experiment and build something together.
For Episode 2, Numaish brought together producer Sakré and musician Galat Admi for a performance of 'Rosy Roti', their six-track EP that looks at everyday struggles shaped by economic inequality, class privilege and caste, with the title playing on rozi roti, or the basic business of making a living. As Galat Admi told Homegrown, the spelling Rosy points to how life can look comfortable for some while people at the bottom continue to struggle. Sakré’s experimental production and Galat Admi’s astute writing meet across the EP, which takes on subjects ranging from fractured friendships and personal struggles to war and the pressure of earning a livelihood. For the performance, the artists brought in local vendors, including a panipuri seller, a flower seller and a barber on set drawing a connection to the everyday livelihoods that Rosy Roti speaks about.
The visual identity of Rosy Roti also connects with The Commons’ wider idea of making room for culture and creative exchange. With Prerna V and Aditya Rajaram opening the series and Sakré and Galat Admi taking it forward, Numaish gives artists a more independent place to test ideas, collaborate and make and perform music outside the usual platforms of the industry.
Follow Commons here and watch the episode below:
