It all began when I returned to Chateau La Napoule in the south of France (www.lnaf.org) after a gap of 20 years. I was returning as an artist fellow for their fall residency of 2022.
The Studio
It wasn’t long before I stepped into my appointed studio- a tower surrounded by water on 3 sides, that the vast blue cast its spell over me. From then on I was in a hypnotic trance, dancing to the sound of her waves. Looking back, I still wonder at the works that were created in that space given the limited resources and time at hand. I know for a fact that if ‘I’ had played a part, they would never have been created. This was work that was beyond.. let’s say- my awareness!
The tower studio was an overwhelmingly large space, with tall vault ceiling and medieval windows overlooking the Mediterranean sea. With waves constantly crashing at its feet, I truly felt I was in the water all the time. What could one possibly create here that would do justice to this space? Something BIG I thought! But contrary to the space and my intention, the works that emerged focused on microscopic imagery. Little did I know then that the scale of the space would draw the focus of the viewer to my miniature creations and its subtle detailing.
Most mornings as soon as I woke up, I’d forage the sea shores to find interesting treasures to bring back to the studio. Bits of sea sponge, broken coral and shells, alongside man made trash that washed up on the beaches found its way into my work. I felt if the sea didn’t hold distinction, who was I to choose or reject. That was it! The title of the series of works for the month that followed- ‘Where distinction never gazed’. Originally a quote from spiritual master Adyashanti talking about the equanimity of the self, brought me to understand the sea in the same manner. All encompassing, never judging.
Species
My own practice over the last couple of years had intuitively drifted towards imagery alluding to cells and the use of pressed plants in my work. I felt it was time to actually see what the connection was to the cellular world and this got me to get in touch with a marine biologist from the south of France. Flo Lacrosse introduced me to various endangered plant and coral species along the Mediterranean coast such as Isidella Elongata, Corallium Rubrum, Posidonia Oceanica, Coralline algae among many others. On further observation of its microscopic cell structures, I was amazed to see the similarities to what I had been visualizing through my work sitting miles away in landlocked Pune (India). I spent the next few weeks imitating these microscopic structures in my work using mixed media, found objects and pretty much anything I could get my hands on, as I wasn’t carrying traditional mediums of paint or inks etc. They say necessity is the mother of invention, and so it was! It got me to innovate colour substitutes and non- traditional means to display the work. My mixed media works sat pretty between sandwiched perspex like ‘macroscopic’ slides and the 3D found object assemblages made its way under glass cloches, that were abandoned from a previous event at the chateau. The works were shaping up to appear clinical, precious.. something to take notice of, now that they were displayed behind shiny glass.
‘Where distinction never gazed’
However, I wished to push the practice further, into another medium that might also use the scale of my studio for its purpose. I began to take videos of the sea and the coastline and superimpose them with images of my mixed media artworks. The juxtaposition of the two were compelling! These had to make its way out of my editing software into a physical space. The idea to project the video imagery on to multi layered translucent screens suspended at the center of my studio helped create the much needed installation for that space. When projected the light from animated imagery would bounce multiple layers and form an illusion as if suspended in mid- air. As the image reached the latter layers, they would softly disappear reflecting on the fast disappearance of the magical world beneath the sea.
I wanted to bring the attention of the viewer not only to the awe of the sea but also the threat that it was facing from manmade interference. I felt if I could close the gap and get the viewer to see the beauty that lay not only externally but also within these endangered species, to expose its core and see for ourselves that we are all the same, a composite of tiny cells that make us a whole- then I’d feel I had contributed my little part to this story.
At the close of them month, I left Chateau La Napoule and the Mediterranean with a heavy heart. Something felt incomplete. I spent the next months back home in India with that lost unsettled feeling, knowing I had to go back to put to rest what I had started.
The journey continues in my next blog- The way of the sea~ Reacquainted.