Preparations for the Bhubaneswar Art Trail (BAT) are in full swing, with heritage signage soon to be placed across various locations in Old Town area.
There is also a plan to include water ATMs, smart pre-fabricated stainless steel toilets for the international event, in which 24 well-known figures in contemporary art scenario are participating. The event will be curated by two well-known artists of international repute, Jagannath Panda and Premjish Achari.
As per the sources, various other infrastructure related works like road and drainage repair, solid waste, construction and demolition (C and D) waste management, parking and street lighting have also been started.
City-based agencies like Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA), Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC), Bhubaneswar Urban Knowledge Centre (BUKC), Utsha Foundation and more than 100 volunteers drawn from various art institutions are joining hands.
Coming to the most important transformation along the 1.3 km stretch of the BAT, the city administration has started installing 17 free standing directional signage, two free standing old lane/locality signage, three free standing directional/ lane finding directional signage, three wall-hung signage, and two way finding wall mounted signage, exclusively for the event.
The old heritage map near the entrance to the 7th Century Parasurameswar temple has been revamped and a beautiful new map has been placed to help tourists find their location and other important monuments in the Old Town area.
Nearly 30 private property owners are also a part of the event, which will be held from November 18 to December 18. The artists will start their residency from October 18 and the event will be open for public for a month.