The theme of the AdornAxis exhibition for NYCJW 22 is Here & Now. For the show, they wanted the participants to choose an idea, mood or impression of the times that we live in. It could also be an issue we are passionate about or a cause for which we want to create awareness. I was excited to read the brief as I believe in creating jewellery that encapsulates the story of the times. Read more about AdornAxis gallery and this exhibition here.
I considered various themes, before settling on the effect of war. While the Ukraine war prompted this thought, I wanted to explore the impact of war from various perspectives.
Impact of War
Watching TV news was an everyday family ritual growing up. I vividly remember news items from the early 90s about scams, war, and destruction. In hindsight, I know that these are not stories that a 6-7-year-old should have been exposed to, for they left a deep mark on my psyche. One of the images that made quite an impression was that of a group of Sri Lankan Tamil refugees coming into India. At that point, I could not understand why they were carrying colourful cloth bundles or why they looked frightened. Little did I realise that they had fled with whatever little belongings they could gather at a moment’s notice.
It would be correct to say that I grew up in the age of war. There was the Iran-Iraq war, the Kuwait war, the Kargil war, and multiple wars in Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Sudan and Syria. While it was easy to sneer at beauty pageant contestants talking about world peace, it was not easy to ignore the severe effects of war. Furthermore, books such as a Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini (2007) and Aanchal Malhotra’s Remnants of Separation (2017), movies such as Airlift (2016), the animated short film Tanko Bole Chhe (2010), various docu-dramas and news items that I watched over the years made me look at the multi-layered issue of refugees of war.
War jewellery for AdornAxis exhibition
War jewellery is my attempt to visualise issues of nationhood, identity, material memories, and displacement in a wearable form as a piece of contemporary art jewellery. The lack of facilities at refugee campus, the exploitation of displaced people and most importantly, their alien status are issues that I want to call attention to.
War, I despise
The War jewellery is my reaction to the destruction brought about by war. Through “War, I despise”, I want to portray the displacement of millions of people. They flee with their belonging bundled up to the border, hoping for compassion and basic amenities. For a displaced person, this is not easy to find. They end up in lands unknown to them as war refugees hoping to start over. As they cross the wired gate across the border, their (individual) identity is erased, and they collectively become “refugees” living in desolate tent city.
Each fabric bead represents a person or a family and their belongings. The necklace indicates the long lines they stand in or walk to the border. As they walk, the dull/dark colours show how weary and perilous the journey is. The dokra beads indicate the last mile, filled with trouble and hope. Then comes the barbed wire fence and border control. Eventually, they move to the other side, the so-called safer side, forming new communities and social groups in the process. At last, come the blueish-white tents. This maybe the end of the journey, a better future or it may create more problems for the displaced people.
Why no smile?
While winning a geo-political war is a positive outcome, I believe it cannot be a happy one. I visualize “Why no smile” as the cost of war – the death and maiming of people on both sides of the battle. It emphasizes that even after winning a war, you cannot smile, however much the nation’s rulers want you to, for the victory is drenched in bloodshed.
In this adjustable necklace, the fabric beads represent people on either side. I used fabric sin red and maroon to make a statement about war, bloodshed and souls lost. The knotted cords represent the displacement of people. I have intentionally used a grammatically incorrect phrase “Why no smile” to bring out the absurdity of the sentiment.
How did I make the pieces?
Like I told one of my students, very, very slowly with a lot of effort. But jokes aside, it took me a long time to develop the structure of the pieces.I needed them to be soft and flexible at the same time, be sturdy. The cloth bundles are a crucial part of both necklaces and are related to the theme. I cut fabric circles, filled them with polyfill and individually sewed them up. I strung them with cotton cords, augmented with beads and/or brass coils as needed. It took me more than a month to complete “War, I despise.”
A person who is displaced leaves so much behind – home, friends, wealth, career, community, their memories of the place and probably their entire identity. The words of Lyricist Vairamuthu, in the song Vidai kodu endan Naade (Kannathil Mutthamittaal, 2002) haunt me. “Will they ever come back to the forest of palm trees or see the familiar birds nests?”
The issues of displaced people and the aftermath of war are complex topics. I do not pretend to understand them or represent them in their entirety. However, through the medium of art jewellery, I am merely initiating a conversation about them.
Find the virtual show online at the Here & Now exhibition page from November 16th, 2022.
I hope that you find it interesting.
Cheers
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