 at a workshop by artist John Baby (left) at the art room of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale in December.jpg.image.160.84.jpg)
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A poster of the Poetry InstallationKochi: After two editions of Kochi Muziris Biennale, which brought to the state a slice of contemporary international art scene, Kochi will have a fresh aesthetic experience this week.
A Poetry Installation that combines literature, sound, art and sculpture, considered to be the first-of-its-kind in the country, would begin here on Tuesday.
Dancer and activist Mallika Sarabhai will inaugurate the five-day exhibition at 4 pm at Durbar Hall Art Gallery here. M.A. Baby MLA will preside over the function, which will be attended by Kochi Corporation Deputy Mayor B. Bhadra, music director Bijibal and Lalithakala Akademy Secretary Vaikom M.K. Shibu.
The unique installation, conceived by director Vinod Krishna, is based on two poems – 'Desiya Mrigam' (National Animal) by Ajeesh Dasan and 'Sabda Mahasamudram' (The Buzzing Sea of Little Sounds) by S. Kalesh.
The three dimensional installations, combining sculpture, sounds, and poetry, are a loud statement about the times we are living in and mark strong protest against growing trends of fascism, according to Vinod who directed internationally-acclaimed film “Mayyankalam,” which was screened at Toronto Film Festival and the World Social Forum.
“Deseeya Mrigam” by Ajeesh Dasan is in the form of a soliloquy by a horse, which claims to be the national animal. The poem will be interpreted through the models of a 20-feet high horse, a broken pair of spectacles worn by Gandhi and some imperialist caps. A recorded version of the poem will be played as if the horse recites it.
In Kalesh's poem, the narrator decides to stop listening to all kinds of sounds in today's world and starts searching for minute voices. It talks about the political and identity crises we are undergoing. The poem will be visually reconstructed through a 15-feet high microphone with its mouthpiece in the form of a human head,” Vinod told Onmanorama.
Vinod came across the idea while he was working for a film against fascism. He said Mallika Sarabhai, who has been raising her voice against fascism for a longtime now, was so impressed with the idea that she agreed to come all the way to Kochi to open the show. The installations are highly interactive, Vinod said.
He added that the Limca Book of World Records has decided to include the show in its art section since it is a first-of-its-kind.
P. Raveendranath, a lawyer by profession, is the project designer.
The sound mixing for the installation has been done by Bollywood sound designer Ranganath Ravee who has worked for films such as “Dhoom-3” while art direction is by Gabriel George.
Ajeesh is the author of critically acclaimed poetry collection, “Cancer Ward” published by DC Books in 2009.
An alumni of Maharaja's College, Ernakulam, he is the winner of the prestigious poetry award constituted by Malayala Bhasha Padana Kendram. His poems have been translated into English and German. He hails from Kottayam and works with a leading publishing house.
Hailing from Kunnamthanam near Tiruvalla, Kalesh is a journalist by profession. His anthology of poems, "Hairpin Bend", was brought out by Fabian Books in 2010. He is the recipient of several awards, including Kairali-Atlas poetry award (2003,04), VT Kumaran Master award and Madhyam Velicham Award.
The exhibition, which would be open from 10 am to 7 pm, will conclude on June 27.
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