Disclaimer: The writer becomes an art enthusiast every two years!
The Muziris Biennale, an extravagant, global event happening at Fort Kochi is sensational. This contemporary art show brings high drama and sophistication to a meek town, but the event has so much more to offer. For an average Malayalee, art shows are not our thing, we would rather watch a Mohanlal movie. For such an audience, would I recommend something of this sort? Not really. But set in this shadow town, I can vouch for the experience, for it’s amalgamation of the cosmopolitan and the basic. The contrast between the art displayed, which would probably find it’s place in Art galleries or auctions to the hub of the common man, a city that boasts ancient Portugese and British colonies, unglamorous buildings with a vintage vibe yet so ready to fall apart.
Enter from the outskirts of Kochi, you know you are approaching the place, as the landscape of modern houses and skyhigh towers make way for humble homes, streets lined with huge droopy trees, a couple ancient relics, in rubble but with glorious wooden verandahs, the double storey offices with foot thick walls and curved accents done to perfection and still standing. The streets get narrower, every street leads to every other, you would be lost in a loop, even a pro.
On a shutdown Sunday, these streets beam a lost city, padlocked doors and grills of paint faded, sun burnt buildings may come off as sealed off for reconstruction. Come Monday morning, the same roads are stuffed with trucks unloading commodities, shops well oiled in business, an array of bikes jutting into narrow lanes and autorickshaws, (you can talk Kerala without them), blurting out of every corner and you have to horn your way through, hoping not to bump into anyone.
The view is incredible though; luxurious silk and precious gem stores neighbouring commodity merchants, the steady waft of spices accompany, exporters of sculptures, renovated English buildings now housing luxury diners, shining in glory of varnished wooden floors and brass doorknobs. In this scenery, you can’t miss the mundu clad folk intermingled with tourists, reddened by sun, taking a stroll in heavy backpacks.
The Biennale showcase starts at the historic Aspinwall house, which couldn’t have been a more fitting venue. Overlooking the Arabian sea and the beautiful Vembanad lake, a glorious picture, the building is hued in perfect white with pitch black windows and doors. A sight to behold, the spaces are reimagined to the artists’ taste. The winding stairs with carvings and filigree partition walls are a dream alongside the swaying letter flags by one of the artist.
As you make way from one room to another, new worlds open up. Behind the heavy velvet curtains is a dark room with a square bench, perch on it and take in a surreal and shocking tour of the experience of nuclear bomb detonation, as it hits and dispels life in the blink of a second. The solitary humongous tire suspended in an encasing drew blank on all onlookers till we read about it representing the devastating floods of Kerala, attributing widespread developmental projects and quarrying to the same. Powerful in its minimalism, that image will last.
If it gets too much, relax at the vast open grounds central to the building, the branching tree both a shade and a seat, the light breeze from the waters gentling cooling you down, and behold! a glass enclave at the centre, bustling with life. As you enter, it is an enclosed glass wall where you can draw on with water, lasting a few seconds before it mists away. Crowd interaction with the art is delightful, you can scribble, draw or just watch. From kids to adults, this is an indulging experience. For a moment you drift away from the emotionally charged art and loosen up. There are giggles smiles, selfies and adoration. Tiny tots with brushes in hand were at home and so are you, transported back to childhood and the graffiti age that cannot find its place in modern well manicured homes. This is just the story of a single venue, a couple shots to speak of its pulse, each venue is a different story on a different heritage.
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I thought to myself, why not churn up my own DIY. Being an ardent user of a very expensive face-wash to calm my acne prone skin, it was difficult to let go. But I got my hands on a simple face-wash, churned up in my own head going “why do we wash our face? To clean. How? A gentle scrubbing and a lotion base for texture”. Off to the kitchen and finds a small packet of besan(gram flour) and a bottle of honey. Fancy me gets old cosmetic bottles and transfers the contents. Wet the face, mix the two and work it on. 2 years of this and my skin feels amazing and my expenses went down drastically. So once, in the flow, everything changes, moisturizer replaced by Aloe Vera gel, shampoo goes on to baking soda, small quantity, used infrequently. You can judge all you want but a bit of baking soda is so less toxic that the clutter of jargon at the back of poo bottles. And I bought myself a jar of shea butter for a body moisturizer and its been the best. Not everything can be concocted at home but the little things, a little effort can be actually good for you. If you are still stubborn, here’s my rule of cosmetics, ‘Get the one with the shortest list of ingredients, much safer there.’
