POLLINATOR.IO
– AN INTER DISCIPLINARY LAB
POLLINATOR.IO
– AN INTER DISCIPLINARY LAB
10
Book Massage – Multiplay
Book Massage at Multiplay
Presented at Serendipity Arts Festival 2024, Goa
Curated by Thukral & Tagra
Text readings from critical feminist writers
A Pollinator.io Initiative
Pollinator is a platform by contemporary artist duo Thukral & Tagra, created to activate cross-disciplinary conversations through art, design, pedagogy, and public practice. Rooted in care, play, and social imagination, Pollinator brings together experimental formats that bridge communities and encourage reflective participation. From publishing and performance to gaming and embodied experiences, Pollinator projects reimagine how we connect—with ideas, with each other, and with ourselves.
Book Massage
The BOOK MASSAGE invites visitors to sit and choose a massage from the menu specially crafted for the audience to experience by listening and getting a massage. Here, audiences can listen to the voices of ten authors, whose knowledge is a form of grounding, invites introspection and provides comfort.
Participants are invited to listen to a carefully curated selection of texts—ranging from poetry and personal essays to political reflections—while receiving a gentle massage. This experimental format transforms reading into an embodied experience, encouraging slowness, presence, and emotional resonance. By pairing storytelling with physical care, Book Massage nurtures both the mind and body in equal measure. Created especially for live festivals and public settings, it offers a rare moment of pause, presence, and reconnection—one word, one gesture at a time.
The Experience
Multiplay was a multi-room immersive exhibition curated by Thukral & Tagra as part of Serendipity Arts Festival 2024 in Goa. Taking over the Old Goa Medical College complex, the exhibition featured participatory works exploring well-being, attention, and collective play.
At the heart of this experience was Book Massage — an intimate space that invited festivalgoers to slow down. Participants chose from a curated collection of texts and received a gentle 10–15 minute massage while listening to powerful stories and poems. This sensory installation merged touch and literature, offering an unexpected moment of embodied quiet in the midst of the festival.
The Experience
Massage Zones Offered
Head
Neck
Shoulder rub
Shoulder & arm
Upper back
Lower back
Head & hand
Hand
Shoulder & neck
Session Duration
Audio tracks: approx. 9–13 minutes each
Massage: approx. 10 minutes
Some pairings offered up to 25 minutes of combined experience
Book Massage was curated exclusively for Multiplay – SAF 24, in partnership with the featured authors. This installation reflects Pollinator’s ongoing interest in designing spaces of the public, where reading, listening, and care are shared gestures.
