This project started when I went on a trip to Kerala on the 1st of July 2019.
During my last week at Kochi, my friend invited me to Kannur, a city in the north of Kerala, known for its vibrant culture and rich heritage. He also recommended visiting a Temple, which I thought was impossible because of the socially and religiously created barriers in Indian society.
After five hours of the train journey, I arrived at Kannur.
We paid a visit to the temple the next day, 12 miles away from the place we stayed in. The environment was so welcoming.
I was surprised to see dogs roaming around and inside the temple as it is not a usual sight.
No-one stopped me from entering the temple. No-one stared at me for wearing a western outfit. There were no restrictions.
A place where everyone is equal. A place to celebrate oneness. A place that goes against the social barriers created by caste and religion. It was very intriguing.
As I entered the temple, I saw two men dressed up as the 'Hunter Gods- Muthappan and Vellattam' in a very vibrant outfit, with big headgear decorated with yellow and red flowers performing to live music.
The music played was never in a steady rhythm. It was perfect chaos. As a metaphor of togetherness, regardless of any differences, the message of being one.
Following the rituals, everyone sat together to have the offerings, dogs being served first.
On my way back to my hometown, I was haunted by questions. " Why did I appreciate that experience so much? Am I not aware of the boundaries around me or Am I living in denial? Why does it feel like I am back into a prison of immoral thoughts of society ?"
It was the sense of equality. It was Redemption! The redemption of oneness that made the whole experience memorable. It was not long after I got the answers to the questions I decided to visualise this journey to redemption.
This project acts as the opening of my main project titled "Redemption", a celebration of oneness , emphasize on the concept of Parassinikadavu Temple.
Attending the crits made me consider different ways to describe the caste-based discrimination, as it is an under-discussed topic. It was then I researched on handmade photobooks and journals and came across works of Juanan Requena.
Requena's work evokes a sense of memory and belonging. His handmade books and photographs taken in Film work well together to create an individual perception of his works. The designs he opts for his books enrich the flow of thoughts and creativity.
I made two handmade photo book prototypes, one in Accordion fold design to develop a sense of continuity within thoughts.
And another one in traditional book design to give the audience a break from the chain of thoughts, by exploring the theme of oneness.
I chose images shot in Yashica 35mm and medium format, I wrote down questions that came to my mind when I viewed the images for the first time.
Putting the photos and text together paved the way to create a sense of an endless maze of questions.
I used the coffee technique to develop a sense of antiqueness to the pages of the journal to represent the oldness of the immoral caste structure.
The text was added using a typewriter, as a metaphor of overlaying thoughts of newer generation on to the socially existing barriers that hinder us from being one.
I chose to add the opening text at the end to let the reader float them self in the questions and images, to ponder more about the concept of oneness.
I also tried acetone print transfer for the photo books, hoping it would enrich the connection between the images and the stained paper. As the image transfer wasn't as satisfactory as I expected, I didn't use it in the first two prototypes. However, I liked the obscure image outcomes, which I am planning to give it more tries to see if the final result could be any better.
As I am experimenting with techniques and ideas at this point, I used mixed media
in response to Kate leibrands works and
surreal digital manipulations
to highlight the unique factors
that make the concept of Muthappan stands out as a sign of oneness.
Inspiration for this was from Jishnu Krishnan's digital manipulations. Krishnan's work creates a substitute for the reality around us. He incorporates ideas from daily life to myths, which makes his work stand out from the rest
I found Krishnan's work very engaging due to multiple elements such as the use of colour palette and the limitless imagination of the 'normal' day to day things.
At the moment, I am experimenting with book designs, printing techniques and digital manipulations. I am aiming to envisage this further to introduce the idea of Parassinikadavu Muthappan and caste-based discrimination to the viewer, as I believe art can disturb and make people think at the same time.
Having had the opportunity to attend bookmaking workshops last year helped me to develop the skills I needed to make handmade books without many errors this time. For the free-range show, I am planning to create an installation by incorporating moving image and sculptures
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