Excerpts — A collaborative
by Mandarjazil Collective
“There is no such thing as a new idea. It is impossible. We simply take a lot of old ideas and put them into a sort of mental kaleidoscope. We give them a turn and they make new and curious combinations. We keep on turning and making new combinations indefinitely; but they are the same old pieces of colored glass that have been in use through all the ages.”
— Mark Twain, Mark Twain’s Own Autobiography
‘Excerpts’ brings together 22 fine artists, architects, graphic designers and textile designers, as they create collaborative works inspired by existing pieces of writing. The ideas being communicated here may not be novel; but as the artists from varying disciplines pair up, they compliment, challenge and reassess their own modes of expression.
The writers become invisible collaborators, with their ideas acting as a bridge between the artists. In the process, the pairs create works that are new, but perhaps entirely familiar at the same time.
Flashing By Your Eyes
a performance piece and video installation, by Amafah Muneezah Mubashir and Shaheen Jaffrani
“Each day we wake slightly altered, and the person we were yesterday is dead. So why, one could say, be afraid of death, when death comes all the time?”
A research-based fine artist and a yoga instructor amalgamate their practices to create an experience – one where they want people to contemplate inwards, take a deep breath, and pause as they become aware of themselves, their state of mind and their bodies. While we are busy waiting for the next moment, the present one escapes us. In anticipation of our next milestone and our next great memory, we forget the ones we have already created. Based on the idea of ‘life flashing by one's eyes’ when one is near death, the hope is to establish a deliberate pause for the audience in the interactive space, where the viewer can reflect on the present and glimpse through the past.
This performance entails the viewer to lie down on the yoga mat in 'Shavasana' while looking at the visuals on the ceiling to pause, reflect on the present, and glimpse through the past. Shavasana gets its name from the recumbent posture of a dead body. It is a position of rest and is usually practiced towards the end of a yoga session that typically begins with activity and ends in rest; space or pause when deep healing can take place.
The artists with Ms. Noorjehan Bilgrami #KoelGallery #Excerpts #Mandarjazail
