Category: Installations & Interventions

I strive for consistent growth within self and realize that there are pressing questions to which I seek answers. I need to determine and resolve thoughts and feelings that arise from nihilism, struggle and turmoil. By being conscious internally I can reflect my thoughts on positive action externally. This state I have been exploring is a phenomenon, which has no definite form, but I can call this some sort of inner sculpting or a process of realizing my capacity as an agent of change. The work is an emerged collage of images, various influences and spontaneous little sparks of illumination within self that shape into a torch like illuminated form. Like ancient cave paintings with a language of their own, glowing in the dark spaces of my mind. These are images that embody buried beliefs, relationships between the power of transformation in nature and human as a life form. Some are personal reflections of ‘mutations’ within self and questions centered around my motifs in this life, about the power of my agency, making connections between justice, secret wisdom and new knowledge.

This participative intervention intends to trigger a phenomenological approach to self-consciousness. I am not just interested in philosophical questions about the undeniable knowledge of phenomenological understandings but I am also experimenting with ways of working through practical phenomenology.

This process of self-discovery through stillness is a necessary way of conditioning myself for how I wish to work in the world. It helps me to get in touch with what goes on within me, observing my thoughts, actions and also the actions of others and how their energy interrelates with mine. It keeps me more focused in the present moment.

“Things outlast us, they know more about us than we know about them: they carry the experience they have had with us inside them and are—in fact—the book of our history opened before us.” – W.G Sebal

Phenomenology of ‘Animism’, is known as the emotional need to find meanings in inanimate objects. When we encounter the past through objects, it urges us to rediscover our ancestors & their habitat. We felt a strong urge to get back our agency, our power of knowing what might have been and why it seemed important for us to make these connections.

An amalgamation of objects can be witnessed in museums, which are mostly in enclosed spaces. However, unlike a typically guarded museum, this participatory intervention offers an exploration into an open space for people to feel and experience each object. My experience in large museums like Pitt rivers and Ashmolean is that the visitor is overwhelmed by all the research details of hundreds of objects, staring at them from enclosed glass boxes. Although they aesthetically present historical and scientific facts, an explorer cannot feel and draw experiences.

The work is an open concept of museum, a carefully curated space on the finely mowed lawn with ten objects. Each object carries a question so as to kindle the audience’s perception and their explorative approach thus offering them a phenomenological experience of meaningful discovery and dialogue.

This participative intervention is an attempt to offer deep insights about the field of cultural interaction between various archetypes, how they are all related and their significance in this world.

Collaborating Artists: Nivedita Saha and Lulwa Alfarie

How is belonging expressed? What does it mean to belong? What about the sense of not belonging? Discover belongings lost and found in this exhibition of photographs, paintings, interactive installations and real-life stories.

*W.I.N Collective – FAB 2015, Bath, United Kingdom

The Walking Story

The story is about speaking trees, whispering wind; meditative silence, singing birds, hidden messages and seamless patterns in nature lived through walks. It is a self-explorative journey of cognitive insights and inspiration. Daily long distance reflective walking and finding a point of view through a viewfinder, opens up portals into deeper clarity and altered state of consciousness, away from the enigma of the mundane spectacles of unchanging life. It is the empirical emergence of flow, a sensate physical want that uncovers a deeper understanding of well-being and connectedness.

My walks are documented through a series of visual narratives that encourage ways of ‘seeing while sensing’ accompanied with a written commentary on immediate encounters. It is the re-entering into spaces with new eyes in a redolent atmosphere that encourages tuning in and a sense of inter-being (Thich Nhat Hanh ). I fathom that a lot of what I otherwise presume ordinary suddenly becomes extra-ordinary through this frame and it is this view of the world that is more enlivening. The perception of being a miniscule part of this infinite biosphere as a human is gratifying. I feel thankful towards everything that encompasses and engages me every moment like an elixir, which is immortal compared to us temporal mortal beings. Trees never end, but we do and somehow they know how to renew themselves through their seeds. This parabolic truth allows me to ‘be’, live in the moment, slows me down, embrace imperfections and gain clarity amidst an enchanting yet busy landscape. This acceptance of ‘Wabi-Sabi’ allows my thoughts to emerge gradually based on personal innate phenomenological experiences.

What’s your story?

Is there a story?
My reflections during this work made me wonder about the story of this universe and how from the age of Adam and Eve the relationship between the human being and nature is of concern. Human beings have always perceived nature in their own image. The understanding of who we are as a species and our relationship with this biosphere seems lost. We humans have the power to think and our essential power lies in our capacity to organize a life around our culture. Our habits of livelihood, our practices, and even culture have a worldview. We are constantly evolving and creating stories. The worldview that we are a superior species is perceived as a dominant archetype and puts us above all else. This view allows us to look at the rest of the planet and all other beings in it as resources that are to be used for our own benefit.

The world today is not only facing ecological crisis but also story crisis. Our central story consists of economic growth and technological success. To keep continuing this idea we choose to turn blind towards the mass destruction we are causing at a planet level. This never-ending cycle at some point will reach its limits. Nature has already raised an alarm, warning the entire world to slow down the movement of this economic juggernaut, which tries to mold everything into a valuable resource. By disconnecting ourselves from nature, we have created a landscape of isolation. We have created a sense of separateness that can be observed in our dressing, eating and living habits. This evolved lifestyle is actually overrated and keeps us far from going back to nature. The world in which we were born and the one we live in now has changed, for good or bad, this cannot be said. This story of evolution is every human beings story. The earth is our only home. This life-giving force is suffering, and our story is of numbness.

The question of sustainability
“One of the most important things about permaculture is that it is founded on a series of principles that can be applied to any circumstance—agriculture, urban design, or the art of living. The core of the principles is the working relationships and connections between all things.”
― Juliana Birnbaum Fox

My research had led me to the concept of ‘Permaculture’, a unique framework that offers sustainable ways of living. I understand that this is a system inspired by innovative ideas of natural ecosystems fulfilling human needs existing in today’s world. It lays down a framework to create an ecologically compatible and effectual habitat by carefully examining how humans use the rich resources such as water, food, energy and other materials. I feel this philosophy can help establish the lost connection between human life and nature’s wisdom. This will help develop a sense of Eco-conscious awareness in our minds and allow us to use this consciousness in our daily lives to imagine and design an ecologically sustainable lifestyle for us.

Reflecting forward
I have a few concluding insights about this vast question of the Anthropocene. I understand that we humans cannot distinguish at this point from what might be the right or wrong thing to do. However we can at least observe the results of our current relationship with nature and notice the consequences it has had in terms of the ecological footprint.

A human being is considered an avatar of consciousness. When we get in touch with our conscious self, we begin to respect all life forms that surround us. A realization of, ‘Who we are?’ ‘What is the purpose of our existence?’ And all the ideas towards the fulfillment of that purpose begin to surface. Through my creative process, I tried to shed some light on some conscious questions and stimulating thoughts that came up in me. I realize that I have the capacity to act responsibly and conserve nature. I can reach out to like-minded groups and make small contributions towards bringing harmony with a sense of interdependence between people and explore new approaches towards a conscious living and breathing universe.