Sculpture: Weaving the Nest of Our Story
Weaving the Nest of Our Story, found materials such as wire, coconut husks, denim scraps, reeds, and rope, 2019
These nests represent the Indian craft of weaving and an art form that birds do instinctively. They represent nurturing, security, a home. As we must weave our lives together through support, care, and inclusiveness, we have an opportunity to learn from these nests. We must observe the resourcefulness of the birds, and use found materials, whether inside of us or outside in the world, to create a quality of life for each other.
These 'nests' seemed to appear to me also as 'shrines', with infinite fractals and complicated curves that nevertheless soothe and energize.
This work was created as part of My Circus, My Monkeys at The Farm, Jaipur, India
The antithesis of the original idiom 'Not my circus, not my monkeys', which basically means 'not my problem', 'My Circus, My Monkeys' is the gathering of like-minded individuals, taking responsibility and working towards change, under the big tent.
We have an enormous responsibility towards the 'Cultural heritage' of our country [India] which doesn't consist of money or property but of culture, values and traditions. This implies a shared bond, a belonging to a community. It represents our history and our identity, our bond to the past, the present and the future. We want to bring together these artistic traditions, not limiting ourselves to material objects but including the imperative immaterial elements: traditions, oral history, performing arts, traditional craftsmanship, knowledge and skills transmitted from generation to generation within a community.
To do this under the canopy of the Circus: a world which is logical and unreal at the same time and a community that works together to make magic!