The Alice Boner Institute, located in the millennium-old city of Varanasi, stands as a repository for the artistic traditions of India. It houses an art library as well as a rich art and manuscripts collection. As an institution, it nurtures academic and artistic research through its residencies and exchanges programs, short courses and publications.
The residency targets individuals whose research or creative work engages with the culture of India or Varanasi. They can be writers, social science researchers or cultural practitioners such as dancers, musicians, and visual artists. To be selected, it is important to demonstrate the need for them to immerse themselves in a city like Varanasi. During the course of their stay, they will be introduced to other institutional networks such as schools, universities, cultural spaces, local artists, scholars, and activists. Connections will be facilitated by the Alice Boner Institute.
Residents are expected to make one public presentation or workshop of their work or connected to the project they wish to execute during the residency, preferably at the Alice Boner Institute. The resident should be willing to engage with the cultural heritage of the city and the region, which should be an integral part of their project.
The Alice Boner Institute is located on Assi Ghat, on the banks of the river Ganga, at the southern end of the city of Varanasi (formerly Benares), the most sacred city for Hindus, home to the Kashi Vishwanath temple.
A traditional heritage house comprising several rooms organized around an inner courtyard, the Institute was once the home of Swiss artist and scholar Padma Bhushan Dr. Alice Boner who lived in India from 1935 to her death in 1978.
The building is tastefully decorated with Indian artefacts and comprises a patio and administrative office on the ground floor, bedrooms, a living room and an in-house kitchen on the first floor and a library and studio space on the second floor. The third floor has a large terrace where readings and gatherings are regularly organized by the Institute. The atmosphere is quiet and serene, yet just a few steps away from all the daily activities and rituals performed on the ghats. There may or may not be another resident at the time of the residency.