Tuesday, February 12, 2008

An art photography installation show in India

Sipping a glass of fresh coconut water on the porch of India song house, Joao tells me what he thinks of my photography, which ones he likes more, and how we can make a show happen.
It’s late afternoon and the mosquitoes have arrived. The females come to suck our blood as we protect ourselves with Himalayan brand repellent; the Indian Dr. Hauschka.
Joao and Patricia are from Portugal, living in India. They created India Song house as an art space and restaurant. An old house, Indian style, with lots of land around it, feels almost like a Goan house.
“I would like to hang the photos like laundry, a thin transparent wire and some clips”, I tell Joao. “ We can hang sheets out here to project on” he tells me after I tell him about the projections. Then we decide to have a large long fabric that will have the poem about the body elements painted on.
Cecile took me to the market to a tiny store, more like a tent that sells amazing used saris for a dollar or two. As we are choosing plain white or black Parisian chic, the little Hindu man brought us little cups of sweet chai. We pack the three saris, hop on the 100cc black and orange Honda I have here and head out on the dirt bumpy road.
Back on the porch, Patricia helps crating lines on the fabric by folding and ironing it, and Janine, an artist of her own right, talks about the font, as she and Cecile will be the ones creating this beautiful piece with Persian blue paint on a white sari..

A few weeks of organizing the prints, going to the printer back and forth, buying rope, climbing the trees to tie the ropes and stretch the white bed sheets, creating the play list with Patricia, and fine tuning little details.
Waiting for Sharat to declare when the moon day is going to be, so we can announce the opening the eve before. On moon days (full and new moon) there is no practice, so the night before the yogis can stay late and party. (As practice is usually very early in the morning.
Patricia made a wonderful dinner for 25 guests that Wednesday eve, that included fantastic vegan lasagna and fresh pineapple juice. At 7:00pm the crowd started pouring in. at 7:15 just after the projections have managed to go through one round of photos, the power went away and darkness showed its form. Not an unusual occasion in Mysore, yet less pretty when more and more guests arrived. Keeping good spirits with almost no alcohol, power returned an hour later, and with it many more smiley guests.
The event turned to be somewhat of a NY gallery opening with great, relaxed energies, and a fun combo of indoor prints and outdoor projections. With people hanging out barefoot discussing art yoga and dance.

The moon day arrived with great pleasure, and after washing some laundry in my bucket I head over to the swimming pool to have some doing nothing.

Most of the work at the show is on my website: www.doronhanoch.com
Update of the site is in progress.
Thank you all that made this happen and all that came by to share their energies, and thank you all who have been part of me, working with me on these projects and help them come to life.

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