CONSCIOUS CREATIVTY

Playhouse is honored to be joined by Madame Gandhi & friends for our debut NYC event: CONSCIOUS CREATIVITY on Wed 6/12 from 6-9:30p at HYFN studios.

As we clarify and deepen our intentions with each event, we are excited to host discussions surrounding consciously creating: merging art and activism, and bringing visibility to diasporic voices through art with award-winning artist and activist: Madame Gandhi, 3 designers proclaiming South Asian voices and liberation through fashion: Shahzad Ahsan, Sheel Yerneni, Alina Shaikh, and the co-founder/DJ’s behind this very collective: Tara Verma, Savita Sastry

Our panel will be followed with DJ sets by Madame Gandhi, SAV, + TARA as well as an evening of pop-up shops by Zorsay, Svarini, and Chamak Society

Schedule:

5:45: doors open

6:00-7:00: Conscious creators panel with Madame Gandhi, Shahzad Ahsan, Sheel Yerneni, Alina Shaikh, Savita Sastry, Tara Verma + Q&A session

7:15-8:15: Madame Gandhi DJ and percussion set 

8:20-9:20: SAV DJ Set

Our Headliner: Madame Gandhi

Madame Gandhi is an award-winning artist and activist known for her uplifting, percussive electronic music and positive message about gender liberation and personal power. She began producing music in 2015, after her story running the London Marathon free-bleeding to combat menstrual stigma went viral around the world. She is the former drummer for artists M.I.A and Thievery Corporation. She has been listed as a TED Fellow, Forbes 30 Under 30 in Music and BBC 100 Women. In June 2023, she was awarded the Songwriter's Hall of Fame Abe Olman Prize for excellence in songwriting and leadership. Madame Gandhi’s mission is to use her music and voice as a medium for a message about positivity, personal expression and human thriving.

Our Couturiers: Shahzad Ahsan (Zorsay), Sheel Yerneni (Svarini), Alina Shaikh (Chamak Society)

Shahzad Ahsan (Zorsay): Zorsay is a genderfluid joywear brand inspired by the South Asian diaspora, psychedelia, and the dance floor. The brand is informed by founder Shahzad Ahsan’s years of experience as a visual artist and storyteller. Working between Karachi and Brooklyn, the team sources South Asian fabrics and transforms them into handmade small batch statement pieces. Zorsay is a play on words from the Hindi/Urdu phrase, “zor se bolo” — "say it louder."

Sheel Yerneni (Svarini): Svarini is taken from old sanskrit meaning a “woman that lives according to her own rules” and was used against women in business, unmarried woman, queer women etc. I reclaimed the word for the brand with its original meaning- a free empowered woman. I love curating this vision I would have loved to see when I was a younger- clothes designed for every woman, but specifically designed to showcase that brown girl- to look and feel their best, dress according to their own tastes and rules, rather than fear of judgment or safety. I was raised around the idea the brown girls cannot be both sexy and respected at the same time. And I almost lost myself trying to fight this oppressive feeling- that showing my body makes me a target to whatever disrespect or invasion that comes my way. Svarini is a long time dream come true- driven to dismantle that victim blaming mentality.

Alina Shaikh (Chamak Society): “Show up. Really show up. The Urdu word "Chamak" (چمک) means sparkle or stand out, symbolizing the brand's mission to highlight the beauty created by the artisans of South Asia. Chamak Society, a Brooklyn-born, Made-in-Pakistan streetwear brand, was created by founder Alina Shaikh, a native New Yorker who blends her love of streetwear with her Pakistani heritage.

After recently graduating from FIT’s Global Fashion Management master’s program, where she studied at luxury fashion houses in Paris and Milan, Alina found that their artisanship paled in comparison to the work of tailors she seen in the markets of Pakistan.

Chamak Society textiles are sourced from local shopkeepers, reducing waste created by developing new fabrics and poured into supporting the economy. Each piece is a tribute to our roots.

She aims to redefine "Made in Pakistan" by showcasing the true talent of Pakistani artisans to the world. Our streetwear is more than fashion—it’s a movement of social impact to honor and empower communities.”

Our Panel Hosts: Savita Sastry & Tara Verma:

Tara is a media manager by day, while producing events, DJ sets (and upcoming music) by night. She is active in the female DJ community, representing Ladies 1st DJ Club Bay Area and working with LP Giobbi’s Femme House. With dynamic sets, Tara aims to spread the same uplifting and immersive energy she feels on the dance floor.

She has supported a range of headlining acts including Indo Warehouse, Dirtybird artists, and more. She prides herself in educating others to take their first steps into their DJ careers, and introducing party-goers to healing meditative and emotional release states via dance music. Her set will be nothing less than pure love for her art and community.

Savita is a nutrition doctoral student, DJ, and nascent producer interested in elucidating the components within nutrition and sound to mobilize personal and community healing. Committed to finding unity between her eastern heritage and western upbringing, her sets comprise a global collection of sonics ranging from trap and breakbeat to bollywood and carnatic. She aims to provide a space in which people of disparate backgrounds or life experiences can actualize liberation together by leaning into their own authenticity and movement.
Sav and Tara co-founded Playhouse collective in June 2023, with a mission to diversify the decks and the music community with a particular focus on South-Asian femme talent. Since its conception, Playhouse delivered direct support for BOMBAYS, KSHMR, Nala, Anabel Englund, MerBear, and Indo Warehouse and look forward to empowering and share the stories of nascent and established artists to take on bigger platforms.

Host or Publisher Playhouse