Weaving a tunnel of light at Jaipur airport
Art finds its way to material places like modern
airports and metro stations whenever there is artistic space left to be
filled in. The recently built airport terminal at Jaipur too received an
artistic embellishment of this kind when an installation, ‘Taana-
Baanaa’ by eminent painter and muralist Surendrapal Joshi.
“Whenever
I passed by the area in the new terminal I felt a void. I thought a
work of art other than the crude drawings on the walls should be there
to greet visitors,” said Mr. Joshi talking about the work. He attributed
the inspiration for the 270 x 190 x 190 cm stainless steel and Garware
film structure to Kabir’s couplet, “Kahee ke thana, Kahee ka bana, Kaun
taar sei beeni chaadariya”.
‘Taana-Baanaa’ was first
exhibited in London this May at a solo show by the artist under the
sponsorship of Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR). Presently
his work is installed at the Municipal Corporation building in Cardiff,
UK, at Indian Oil Corporation’s headquarters in Delhi’s Yusuf Sarai, at
the Leela’s hotels in Goa and Chennai, besides a work on display in the
Contemporary Museum, Abidjan, capital of Ivory Coast. Near home, not far
from the Jaipur airport, Mr. Joshi’s mural portrayal of Last Supper
adorns the altar of St. Anselm Church.
“Film is a
unique medium for this kind of work,” Mr. Joshi said talking about the
material used in the70 kg installation, supported by steel frames, which
hangs from a 50 feet high ceiling. “There are 40 sheets of film hanging
as curtains giving the impression of windows because of interlacing.
Film is a transparent medium and it gives the effect of both light and
water,” Mr. Joshi noted.
The artist had to search
hard to get his material—the film which is no more in use-- from the
markets in Delhi and Mumbai. The installation looks complete with
reflected light but the artist noted that it could be lit from inside as
well to make it look like a tunnel of light with myriads of windows
opening and closing.
Keywords: Jaipur airport, Taana- Baanaa, weaving tunnel, Surendrapal Joshi mural works
Courtesy-The Hindu
Courtesy-The Hindu
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