Two Gardens and a Kalamkari
a lecture by
Omana Eappen
Independent scholar, Bangalore
6.30 pm, Wednesday 28 October 2015
@ 1Shanthiroad Studio/Gallery,Shanthi Nagar, Bangalore 560027
About the Talk
This presentation, studying the representations of the Deccani garden in 16th and 17 th century kalamkari textiles from South India looks at the importance of imagination and of rasa, emotional essence, in engaging with the past. Also about associations which are important in our culture like ornamentation, alamkara. How plants – animals – men – gods are a continuum, one often representing the other, one being treated like the other, just like representations of the past, present and future, are another continuum without sharp dividing lines. Omana Eappen looks at multiple ways of looking at the past – accommodating plurality in a country that is extremely diverse, which could be through combinations and multivalence. She looks at how intertwined textiles and gardens were, how the iconography of an image developed, markers of identity, and the many layers, political, economic, social, scientific - that are all woven together in our dealing with the past.
About the Speaker
Omana Eappen is the Managing Trustee of the Nauras Trust, Bengaluru – working on a project with the Archaeological Survey of India and the National Culture Fund to revitalise the 17th century Adil Shahi Gardens of the Ibrahim Rauza and the Gol Gumbaz (the tombs of Ibrahim Adil Shah II and his son Mohammad Adil Shah respectively) in Bijapur (now Vijayapura), Karnataka and on its related publication. Looking for evidence of gardens in textiles led to an in depth study of a rare group of 16th/17thcentury kalamkaris from South India. She is writing a monograph on these textiles for Jnana Pravaha, Varanasi. She is interested in relating these projects to our times in multiple ways to connect across the plural segments of our society.
*RE-LOOK - Lectures on Indian Art: This series of lectures presents exciting new research being done in the areas of art history, art practice and visual anthropology in India, each for the first time in Bengaluru. Distinguished art historians and scholars will be invited to give illustrated papers on their recent work and interests. The lectures take place at the popular artist space 1.Shanthiroad, situated in the heart of the city. The lectures are conceived and programmed by Pushpamala N, supported by Somberikatte, and hosted and administered by 1Shanthiroad.
*Somberikatte: Somberikatte is a Kannada word meaning idler’s platform- usually the platform around a large tree where people gather to gossip and exchange news. It is a fictional institution, sometimes a forum, sometimes a film production company or the name of a photo studio, created by the artist Pushpamala N.
*1 Shanthiroad: The Studio/Gallery at 1.Shanthi Road, Bangalore, is an independent artist run space for art residencies, slide lectures, small conferences, exhibitions, performances, screenings and informal gatherings. Centrally located with an award winning design, it was founded by Suresh Jayaram and is administered by a not-for-profit trust VAC – Visual Art Collective. www.1shanthiroad.
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