Press
“Infinite life”
a public art project for KMB OPEN
by
BharatMrida
An art initiative in support of social and environmental causes by artist duo, Mrida and Bharat Joshi
Away from the guarded interiors of the Kochi – Muziris Biennale, at the periphery, you will find “Infinite Life” – a KMB OPEN event by Mrida and Bharat featuring public installations of paintings and photographs to raise awareness about the need for environmental conservation and sustainability of the marine ecosystem by creating a unique space for interaction with the local community and visitors at Fort Kochi beach. The Delhi based artist duo also joined hands with and curated the works of Fort Kochi artist Machu and photographer Bejoy Mathew in support of the cause.
A work by Mrida titled ‘Astral Blue’ – a geometric representation of the cosmic ecostructure – morphes into the sea at the end of a jetty – evoking the senses to infinite life emerging from an infinite space, by embarking upon the Vedic and Tibetan traditions of ‘yantras’ and ‘mandalas’, that according to the artist are nothing less than the achievement of an understanding of the highest scientific principles by man. At the background stands a large industrial structure of modern engineering visible from another shore jutting into the enormous waves that splash behind her installation. Through this juxtaposition the artist attempts to make a comment on the massive ongoing environmental shifts, right from the origins of time towards an ever expanding infinity. Or is it a shift towards finality?
The landscape of the promenade by the sea and the local fishing nets form the backdrop of an installation of photographs by Bharat amidst redundant and discarded objects from a Kerela kitchen, made obsolete by contemporary materials and tools. The photographs capture contours from everyday life that is never ending, never ceasing – like the flow of water – showing the marine ecosystems from two different parts of the world. A series of photographs from a morning fish market and fishermen at the banks of the Hoogley river in Kolkata, to a placid evening along the Arno river in Florence and the raging coastline of Chinque Terre ( the Five Lands – a stretch of five islands protected by UNESCO as a world heritage site) – the works aim to raise awareness about the need for conservation of this environment. The fisherman series titled ‘Saviour’ on cross-like bamboo structures at the foreground of the fishing nets, is a thought provokingly placed photographic documentation of a fish seller who notices one of his fish has jumped out of the basket. He rises, picks up and tosses the fugitive fish back in with the others. The man thinks he is the saviour, when it is really the fish that saves and sustains him.
A simple yet powerful comment on the importance of that one single fish to the fisherman and the nuances of interdependence of man with his environment.
The project also involves a documentation by Mrida of community involvement and public interaction with the works and how art gets received and can contribute in this context and setup.
12/12/12 – 25/12/12
Venue 1: Fort Kochi beach and promenade behind Cochin Club
Everyday 10:00 am to 6:00 pm
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