Thinking Out Of The "Box"- Installation Art

This one is really interesting. We have all heard of the Tibetan Prayer Wheels. They are literally wheels on a spindle. Traditionally made from metal, wood, leather, or coarse cotton, they form the base for depiction or encapsulation of prayers, mantras and symbols such as the Ashtamangala (too complicated to explain in this space). It is believed that the spinning of the prayers wheels has the same effect as orally reciting the prayers or the mantras.



Prayer Wheels In Samye --- Photo courtesy, Wikipedia

What some of you might or might not have heard of are the Mumbai Dabbawalas. The word translates literally into “one who carries a box”. A “dabba” is a cylindrical tin or aluminium container or box. It is used for carrying one’s lunch, and there are special delivery services that use men to send these pre-packed lunch boxes to their destinations. So a dabbawala loosely translates into a “lunch box delivery man”. This is a highly specialized service, and an integral part of the life and culture in Mumbai. Many people in Mumbai commute to workplaces far away from their home. This makes it inconvenient for them to carry a wholesome, elaborate lunch-meal to office. So many office workers order cooked meals sent by a caterer who delivers it to their workplace, in the dabba. These are recollected the same day, and the next day, a fresh dabba is sent over. To mark the dabbas, the dabbawalas use a distinguishing symbol or color on them. Many NGO’s use these dabbas to put spread social service messages across the city, simply by putting a removable sticker on them!



Dabba! - Photo courtesy, Wikipedia

So what am I getting at? Yes. The installation art at the Kala Ghoda Festival. As a tribute to this integral part of the bustling city, one of the installations was a depiction of the simple dabbas as … prayer wheels! It was truly inspired and breath-taking. I loved the use of vibrant colors on the dabbas, made to look like rotating prayer-wheels. I love the way art can seamlessly bring together a spiritual concept and a day-to-day survival idea. Brilliant!

Kala Ghoda Festival - Cat Tales

As I promised earlier, I am starting a series of the installation art pictures from the Kala Ghoda Festival. But first, a breather. This was perhaps the cutest site at the Festival. There was this exhibition stall with artwork made from scrap. Pretty interesting stuff. While I was browsing through their junkyard art, I spotted these two metal kittens. And right behind them, were two real ones. They was just too well-placed! I was not the only one to notice this sweet coincident. There were cameras flashing all around me. I took several pictures from different angles. The black one, especially, was a real dude. They were not scared of the cameras, and lounged comfortably as the world around them took their pictures.

I wanted to buy one of the cats: the metal one. But the prices were, as usual, prohibitive. Besides, after seeing the two lovely kittens sitting behind these two, buying just one somehow seemed unfair. I know that a lot of hard work must have been involved in the making of these pieces of art. But the entire idea of the festival was to make art more accessible. I know for sure that they did not sell as much as they’d have liked to. Maybe next year, the sellers will get the drift. Volumes of sales will make up for the margins. I hope they see the buyers’ point of view.