Thursday, November 29, 2007

5

"The various globes and forms symbolise Ganesha and the entire pantheon of the Hindu Gods."
Expanding on this concept ,the installation re contextualises visually the individual elements of the object.


Separating these elements and connecting them each as a separate entity to worship and reflection, changes the visually ornamental value of the object opening it up to the viewer.


4

Using shadow puppetry to exemplify the festaivla and its grandeur along with location sound to situate it in a visual and aural context.. Almost replicating the festival scenario with numerous nettipattams hanging from the cieling implicating a realist viewing of the object in its context.


Using mirrors to elaborate on the "repetition" characteristic of the oject amd its individual grandeur diminishing in the magnificence of the festival


Tuesday, November 20, 2007

3

keywords :

grandeur plurality reflective repetition light

part of an array rhythm in sound and space

ritual aspects symbolise


ATOMISATION

MIRRORING

DECONSTRUCTION

SYMBOL

important aspects:

The back being inaccessible to view
The process of creation
Its final participation

VISUAL:

surface formation /elephant skin

mirrors creating repetition as in the festival

light changing on the object through a skylight

projections of GOD-ANIMAL-MAN


SOUND:

sound narrative of the process of making of netipattam,
with photographs of the same behind the object itself.. opening itself up to directioning the audience based on their own connections

using site/festival specific music to act as a context and rhythm
maybe separating the parts of the netipattam and creating a sound based visual display of its individual parts.

2

NETTIPATTAM:

NETTI = forehead..

Ornamental headdress for elephants during festivals in Kerala specially at the Thrissur Pooram festival at Thrissur.

‘Nettipattams’ are fashioned out of gold-covered brass and ornamental cloth.

Around three and a half kilograms of copper/brass and three sovereigns (24 gm) of gold go into the making of a nettipattam. It takes around 20 days to craft this ornament.

An elephant of 9 to 10 ft in height would require an ornament of 60 to 66 inch in length with at least 11 crescent .

About 5,500 gold-plated copper balls are stitched on thick cloth to create a `nettippattam'.


Nettipattam is primarily made in Thiruvankulam village of Ernakulam District and the adjoining areas of Thrissur. One of the famous families in Trichur district of Kerala called Venkitadri family have made ornaments for three generations, especially for the famous Thrissur pooram or festival.
They decorate 150 elephants with ornaments for temple festivals.


The ‘nettipattam’ symbolises Lord Ganapathi in full splendour. The biggest half-sphere on the caparison represents Ganapathi, while the smaller ones and the crescents are symbolic of the entire pantheon of Hindu gods.

One Hindu legend has it that Brahma designed the first ‘nettippattam’ for Airavatham, the mythological white elephant.

http://www.webonautics.com/ethnicindia/festivals/pooram2.html

http://www.designhabit.com/museums.html

1

OBJECT : NETTIPATTAM







MUSEOLOGY

"A cabinet of curiosity"

"a zoo is a caricature"

"a wax figure is a travesty"

"anima = soul .... to animate"

"fact turns to deduction then inference"

"museum is a cemetary?"

"more than a single object creates rhythm"

"atomisation can be your solution"