Creative uncommon spaces

It is an unimaginably vast, virgin land full of wild trees, boulders and water streams. Above all, it is completely out of the way for city dwellers, leaving one wondering why seven artists from different corners of the world would congregate here, of all places.

Well, they were here to work in a group for three weeks, and in the process create awareness on eco-conservation by inviting otherwise passive viewers to contribute to their art or even be a part of it in some way. But then, who was likely to travel to such a remote place to witness their ‘Land art', as they called it?

“Oh, you would be surprised at the number of people — from school-going kids to men in their 60s — from nearby villages who came to view the work and interact with us. Some came to assist us while others came for the sheer novelty of watching foreigners and us working on their land, creating works of art using locally available material,” says Shilpa Jogalekar, Mumbai-based artist and curator, and the main force behind this art residency programme held recently at Mahagoan, near Khopoli in Raigad district, about 100 km from Mumbai.

Their creations are in complete harmony with the surroundings. In fact, at first glance one might even miss spotting the works, which appear to be a part of the landscape.

We completely missed the eight ‘snails' looking up from the roadside, until our driver pointed them out to us. Artist Prashant Jogdand had arranged locally available boulders in a row with help from the villagers and an earthmover. While the boulders formed the snail's ‘shell', lime-coated pebbles and mud made up the tail, and bottle covers formed the eyes. The villagers had enjoyed making them.

Nearly all the participating artists agreed that they felt one with not only nature but also the locals participating in the creation process.

Says Ryszard Litwiniuk from Canada, “This project was my second in India. I used to travel a lot for my projects in many countries… and always I was just a visitor... kind of an invader or intruder to the space... But here I felt like I belonged to the environment as a person and as an artist... I was a part of the community.”

His installation, called Northern Passage, is a huge spiral wheel made of wooden planks sourced from Mumbai port and waste iron pipes. “My installation is inspired by the old Slavic legend about looking over the horizon and searching for a new way into an unknown land — a different world. The spiral element of my wheel is the archetypical symbol of the universe. It indicates that spiral and circle are movements that can be seen everywhere in nature, from whirlpools to the galaxy. For me this is the constant movement and incredible source of energy which could be devastating, destructive and also creative and poetic at the same time,” he says.

Tomasz Domanski from Poland, Urs Tewllmann from Switzerland, Myriam du Manoir from France, and Raman Adone from India were the other participating artists.

Myriam's cave — standing on the bank of the stream and built using empty beer bottles, stones, and a mud-cement mix — has all the appearance of a romantic dwelling. “I wanted to create an area where people can rest, lighted up by the light through the glass bottles, and quietly look at the landscape... I wanted to show that we can build with traditional and recycled materials, a healthy and inexpensive abode,” she says.

Tomasz created a stone arch supported by an invisible bamboo frame. Titled Rainbow Stone, it piqued the curiosity of the villagers, who wondered how it stood up without any central support.

Peace Path by Shilpa is a ramp-like structure leading to a viewing point that is made of stones, earth, sand and grass. “This is meant to invite people to meditate, look within, rest, listen to the sounds of nature, and view the landscape,” she says.

Adone, from Sholapur, who has a rented studio in Manali and visits the plains occasionally says, “Such art camps help us interact with foreign artists and learn what is happening in their world. It helps villagers know the other world besides realising that they can make their village look great by using everyday materials.”