Back from the Backwaters

Seven students and two artist-lecturers from the Raja Ravi Varma College of Fine Arts co-created a five-day, site-specific Beauty of Water workshop along with myself and our hosts Antony Caral and family of Cheriyam Thuruthu, a backwaters island near Varappuzha, twenty kilometers north of Ernakulam in Kerala, India. This 38-image slideshow shows highlights, and my downloadable journal provides a narrative of the workshop, which began on 12 October 2008. This photo was taken by Shijeesh K.

We returned on Friday, full of spirit and satisfaction. Students completed six major works, all in collaborative style. The theme was appreciation for water. The majority of the materials we used were locally obtained with an eye toward environmental sustainability. We ate fresh local fish every day, prepared by chef Jacob, shown with his son and daughter near the end of the slideshow.

The workshop culminated a learning series held earlier this year. Guest speakers on topics related to art and water visited the school in Mavelikara and provided presentations for about half of the school’s 160 students. Twenty-two students also spent one day making site-specific art at the protected freshwater Lake Sasthamkotta in July.

The slideshow progresses in a pattern. The first section presents the major art pieces students created with some shots of the making of the art pieces, in no particular order. Images emphasizing people are grouped toward the end of the slideshow. I took all of the photos except those in which I appear, which were taken by Shijeesh K., or someone borrowing his camera!

The downloadable journal I kept during the week illustrates activities with a handful of photos that are not in the slideshow, and narrates some experiences from each day. I received permission from everyone at the workshop to share this electronically.

We recorded much of the workshop on digital video. Students are now drafting a proposal to submit to me for an artistic documentary film they wish to create with the footage. Meanwhile my little camera captured short videos, a few of which appear in the blog entry below.

Participants and Supporters: Principal of Raja Ravi Varma College of Fine Arts in Mavelikara, Alappuzha district, Kerala, India, and internationally known artist, N.N. Rimzon, wholeheartedly supported the Beauty of Water learning series since its inception and gave enthusiastic encouragement for the workshop.

The following students co-created the workshop: Amal M., Aneesh V., Manjunath K.P., Pavel Suresh, Prajeesh P.P., Shijeesh K. and Shyne K. Artist-lecturers Shijo Jacob and A.P. Sunil facilitated the workshop with collaboration from artist Antony Caral and myself.

V. Sasikumar and lecturer Preeti Joseph supported the learning series and Preeti helped with workshop preparation. Antony and his family gave us our lovely art making location, including transportation to and from the island by boat, and the use of their homes during the workshop.

Beauty of Water Website

Three Beauty of Water – RRVarma Workshop Movies

The Beauty of Water workshop with fine arts college students in the Kerala backwaters was a delight! A handful of our experiences and some of the artworks were captured in the short videos shown below.

Still photos in the form of a slideshow will be available here shortly along with a photo-illustrated downloadable written narrative. The curriculum may also be published on the Greenmuseum website in the near future.

Beauty of Water Website

Completion of Lecture Component of Series at Fine Arts College

The Beauty of Water lectures at Raja Ravi Varma College of Fine Arts in Mavelikara has finished. Our final day earlier this month featured artist Rajan M. Krishnan, who shared stories of his development as an artist and images mainly from his recent show, Revisit, at OED. Readers may recall other entries posted here about Rajan and his art. Rajan is shown above between artist/lecturer A.P. Sunil, who helped with this series, and Renu Ramanath, author of Space Out, an excellent resource for keeping up with art happenings in Kerala.

In late August we had the fortune of hearing from C. Saratchandran, co-director (with P Baburaj) of the powerful film 1000 Days and a Dream which we screened during his visit. This excellent film documents the successful struggle in Plachimada against Coca Cola. Saratchandran is shown here encouraging student filmmaker Sudheesh, whose impressive film "Next," which comments on global climate change, we also screened.

Earlier in August we featured Dr. PS Harikumar of the Centre for Water Resources Management and Kunnamangalam, Kerala's water museum. Dr. Harikumar spoke to students about water in Kerala and around the planet. Students were initially puzzled as to the inclusion of a scientific angle within a fine arts college program. The collaborating leaders had agreed to do this as a way to provide multiple perspectives. Students began to put the larger picture together later in the series.

Latha Kurien Rajeev led the lecture series in July with an engaging lecture on conceptual art, eco-art, body-art, and other contemporary movements, including social sculpture and the contributions of Joseph Beuys. Latha introduced the works of Ned Kahn, whose water sculptures were of particular interest. Students participated in a drawing activity, sketching plans for a Kahn-inspired sculpture. You can see from the picture below Latha's engaging way with students!

Students are now on break for Kerala's Onam Holiday, with assignments of journal writing and preparing for a workshop we intend to hold at a water body in the backwaters area north of the school. At this intensive we will produce several collaborative pieces, some of which may be more permanent than those made spontaneously at our enjoyable, educational trip to Lake Sasthamkotta, featured in the entry below. The lower left corner of the photo here shows art history lecturer Preeti Joseph, in pink shall, next to artist/lecturer Shijo Jacob, both of whom helped lead the series.

Thanks to all these folks, as well as to college principal N.N.Rimzon, and V.Sasikumar, who took many of these photos and who supported the series behind the scenes in many ways.

Beauty of Water Website

Sasthamkotta with Raja Ravi Varma College of Fine Arts

Beauty of Water and Raja Ravi Varma College of Fine Arts have partnered in creating a unique series and workshop for senior students, focusing on artistic collaboration and nature in art, with emphasis on water. We launched on 11 July and the course continues, meeting most Fridays through the end of August, culminating in a week-long workshop at the end of September.

This week we spent a day at the internationally recognized wetlands site (via the Ramsar Convention), Sasthamkotta Lake in Kollam district of Kerala, exploring through a number of activities and discussions how to relate as artists and collaborators to this beautiful freshwater lake.

Here is a photo slideshow presenting highlights of our day. All photos are courtesy of V.Sasikumar -- thanks, Sasi!

Beauty of Water Website

Red Stone Blessing

I wanted to bring thoughtful gifts to friends and Beauty of Water collaborators in India before returning from the USA. But there is too much consumerism in my native culture and I don't like to play the acquisition game. For weeks I put off the task of finding the right gifts, vaguely thinking I could get stuff at my last stop, Crestone, Colorado, where I would be coming for a rare family reunion.

When I arrived in Crestone, I realized the town is pretty small. There were no outlets for surgical-strike type of gift-getting... Maybe a can of beans at the local grocery/hardware store. My cell phone didn't even get reception... And even here I just couldn't bring myself to focus on getting more things.

Mind you, I like the tradition of gift giving, and my friends in India had been on my mind a lot. I wished to honor them to the fullest extent. Nevertheless, when my last day in the USA came along, I opted for for a walk in the mountains over shopping. My hiking buddies, my father Dave and my uncle's wife Laura, are shown here.

On my way back down the trail, I thought about Beauty of Water a lot, and found myself internally wandering, looking at the stones in the path. Some stones seemed to call out to me, and I listened. I suddenly understood that they would make beautiful and far more meaningful gifts for cherished friends than the heavily packaged, overly marketed, absolutely unnecessary objects I was likely to find at airports in transit to Trivandrum.

As I began to pick up stones that especially caught my eye, I imagined that the remaining stones were saying bon voyage to those who would make the journey with me. In a sense they were becomming ambassadors from a wilderness on the other side of the planet, in a land once inhabited by Ute, Comanche, Navajo, and Pueblo tribes.

I came upon a bubbling stream and it also spoke. I washed the stones in that water, thanking the water and creating a ceremony of intention, joining waters from Colorado with water lovers in India. These fifteen stones are now ready to bring sacred connection to the other side of the planet. Here is the washing water on film.

Beauty of Water Website