Chapter Close
Vandana
2017
Performance
9:20 Minutes
Sir J. J. School of Arts, Mumbai
PS: (This live performance was a part of the complete installation including some material pieces, therefore, including the pictures of all the supportive pieces to convey the meaning of the work properly. Also, this performance was a part of a competition juried by the artists Mr. Subodh Gupta and Ms. Shilpa Gupta)
DESCRIPTION
I appear wearing white costume, made of the fabric used in medical
surgery, with a hammer in my hands, enter into the installation space
created for the purpose. I break the wall made of bricks and cement by
violently striking the wall with utmost force of my body and mind.
Sound Track
The audible but incomprehensible sound track, played along, is the reverse chanting of ritualistic Sanskrit mantras chanted in Hindu Marriages.
Installation
Alcohol dipped wedding costume, hanging on a stand, commonly
used to air dry clothes, reminds all the undeserved disrespect women go
through in Indian society every now and then and specially after
marriage. Alcohol also is a metaphor for illusion, mesmerization and
ignorance the whole world dwells in.
The Black Book
Screen printing on fabric, 21.5x15x6 cm
The book contains the inverted text of Vivah Paddhati & Mantras (procedure of Hindu marriage in Sanskrit), a metaphor for undoing and an account of the performance Chapter Close, dedicated to the spirit of women. The book opens with a postface and closes with a preface.
