A site specific installation and art performance part of 6th Episode of Uronta Residential Art exchange Program. Venue: Gourarong Jamidari bari, Sunamganj,
Syllet division, Bangladesh. 2017
Curated by Sadya Mizan, Bangladesh.
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| Pics 01 / left: Details of the site specific Installation and Right: Part of the Performance |
History of a land and ownership always changes
in time and we may nostalgic and sometimes rational. My meet to
this Art project towards history that “How a psychology took a shape when the
geographical contour deviations. Meanwhile conflict endures from there to here.
Space and context has played
important role in my work. The space carries minimum 200 years of
history, which slowly demolished physically as well as the narrative should
rebuild in the context. On the other hand, the context has historical connection to
my homeland that I want to re-establish through the political map in
different time, which is draw on news paper, and pasted on old wooden
door. I took an impression from wall of the old Jamidari Bari on
paper that pasted in another old door and in a same way; I pasted
some manipulative sketches of the recent owner of the houses. My aim is to juxtaposed different narrative pasted on outside of the door, which
carries the binary of inside out, the underneath conflict from the past
that has to re-encounter through this project. All the way through my
performance, I wish to involve, re-action, respond, and reinterpretation with
the history space and time.
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| Pics no 02 / Painted part on the door. |
In this part, I painted geographical map of the region on news paper where i painted the eastern region of India Subcontinent. There is a four-part and every part has another four-part divided by door structured itself, where one is only land and water, though we can recognize the land but not naming by the ownership and the second part is the growth of British Bengal, Assam and Burma. the third part is in 1947 "the partition" and the fourth is after the 1971, "liberation war" of Bangladesh. We can see the land and ownership is changes always time to time and the narratives, conflict fabricated in locals at the same context. Details of the painted part as billow :
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| Pics no 03 / Details of the painted surface. |
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| Pics no 04 / Details of the painted surface. |
Being an Assamese it is very difficult to work in Bangladesh region, because there is lots of migration issue over the 30 years. The conflict is politicizing everywhere. During the conversations with the locals I found many similarities with my homeland such as language, dialect, culture, food habits etc, where somehow the contour doesn't work in between. The locals often asking me what is my religion, I replied "by born I am Hindu" or if the person is Muslim, I said i am "in between Muslim". Here is the "Artist position" is very important where the locals giving importance in religion, and the other hand the idea of work demand this position to take through the process.
After the initials phase of emotional, psychological, physical and anatomical engagement with site i started took prints from the wall embodied tried to imprison the texture and the damaged wall that carries the history and time as well as the human marks on the wall showing the power, also reflecting the animalistic instinct.
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| Pics no 5 / display of the print |
details of these prints as billow:
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| Pics no 06 / Details |
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| Pics no 07 / Details |
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| Pics no 08 / Details |
In the middle there is another old door where one part was broken but still its lock with the other part. I pasted some manipulative sketches of recent house owner on this door.
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| Pics no 09 / Middle part of installation. |
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| Pics no 10 / display and the locals. |
From the day begun at the site, i tried to intervene through my body and communicate with the locals. I wish to involve, re-action, respond, and reinterpretation with the history space and time. Everyday I tried a develop an exercise of performative intervention with the installation and site.
On the last day, sitting in front of my Painting Installation, I covered myself with a transparent plastic and blowing almost 20 balloons inside that. Sometimes it was blast and created unwanted sound. Indeed, the inside space of the plastic I felt suffocation and i was sweating like anything.
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| Pics no 11 / Photographer: Shams Xaman |
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| Pics no 13 / Photographer: Shams Xaman |
All the way through, I fill up the map with mud which is one best part of the performance.
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| Pics no 20 / Photographer: MD Shahariare Khan Shihab |
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| Pics no 21 / Photographer: MD Shahariare Khan Shihab |
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| Pics no 22 / Photographer: Shams Xaman |
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| Pics no 23 / Photographer: MD Shahariare Khan Shihab |
Taking a small nap and I thought, I should ended the performance. I started walking towards the pond and have bath in the pond beside the Jamidari Bari. Indeed when I moved back I saw the locals waiting to look after me. Here is the question came that is they expecting something more or they involved into the essence / mood of the performance. When I came back to the site after changing my cloth, some of the locals just sitting, standing around me without asking anything. I felt uneasy I moved to other area, again they moved with me. I didn't understand that what they wants from me through silence and even I didn't ask anything, I don't want to break the silence or might be, my questions make uncomfortable them.
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| Pics no 24 / Photographer: Shams Xaman |
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| Pics no 25 / Photographer: Shams Xaman |
The next day of the open studio day of the residency I went to the site, the other artist's works destroyed, the paper, writings, poets, photographs etc torn apart by the locals but the part of my painting installation, the political map is still there without damage. this is the best feeling in the residency program.
Documentation by Shams Xaman and MD Shahariare Khan Shihab.
Anupam Saikia, Assam
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