One may wonder whether a theme is a crucial part of a cultural fest at all. At first glance, it might seem that a fest can function independently of its theme. But the fact remains that a theme is what provides a basic structure to the fest, it is the skeleton around which the entire fest is constructed. It also differentiates one edition from all the others, as any particular edition is remembered by its theme for all of posterity.
Oasis, now in its 49th year, has had several shifts in the types of themes, with clear patterns of complexity emerging and dying out. While some years have straightforward one-word themes, some went with quite obscure and vague phrases. For example, going from the simplistic “Magic” and “Fantasy” in the early 90s; to “Apotheosis” and “Nix Periphera” in the early 2000s.
Continuing the running gag (the running theme..?) of daily theme-based pieces, the Oasis English Press has interviewed several BITSians and outstation participants to gain insight into the general consensus interpretation of this year’s theme – “Neon-Noir”.
While many outstation participants (at least the ones who agreed to an interview) marveled at the campus decorations and only answered in the context of the ‘cool neon aesthetic’, the cinephiles among the crowd pointed out how Pilani—being removed from the “reality” of civilisation—would be the perfect setting for a noir movie. Most BITSians—with most sights and sounds of Oasis being all too familiar—emphasized the confluence of the two words, remarking that neon-noir represents the inherent contradictions that manage to co-exist in the contemporary world, one with abject hunger and abundance, the homeless and the billionaires, and various religions existing at the same time. It also represents the dualist philosophy—where there is darkness, there is light too.
One particularly ecstatic BITSian remarked that many events in Oasis are theme-independent, like most kernel events and prof shows. Hence, the most significant effect of the theme is on the campus decoration, and deciding on a chief guest for the inauguration ceremony. According to him, the phrase Neon-noir does not hold much significance, and it is not a legitimate genre of cinema. He stated that ‘Neon’ was clearly present to aid decoration, and ‘Noir’ possibly present to add a cinematic angle, which then justified having Mr. Madhur Bhandarkar as a chief guest, a director who has worked on several gritty, morally ambiguous films. He mentioned that the joining of the two words didn’t make sense as noir refers to black and neon is associated with bright colours.
Another BITSian, coming right off the heels of a grueling work session (as was evident from his red eyes) refuted the claim about neon-noir not being a genre, pointing out noir films like Blade Runner and Drive, which utilise the neon aesthetic, and artists like Cliff Martinez and Julian Winding, who are ‘exploring and experimenting with the neon vibe mixed with noir undertones’.
Top one-liner explanations of the theme
Neon-Noir? ‘That’s like, my favourite movie dude.’
Just as noir cinema endings are dependent on what the viewer takes away from the movie, a BITSian’s career is dependent on what they take away from their four years in Pilani.
The theme is Neon-Noir because neon lights save electricity and climate change is an important issue that needs to be highlighted.