Hi Bindu & Didier,
Bindu - It’s good to read about your interesting reflections on your grandfather’s paper cutting designs, and your own art practice today. Some things don’t change with Time; but in some cases, methods of creating/making do change with Time. Seems like you have inherited his skills and passion for the arts or creating things/objects. He would be proud of you - seeing that you are doing what he loved, but with more sophisticated means now, and also reaching out to a much wider audience in different Spaces?
About our NEW PLACE project – my take on this would be issues around Identity & Belonging for a person in the Diaspora. How one constructs ‘identities’, (even though these could be unstable or changing from time to time), and how one feels & negotiates a sense of ‘belonging’. How does one locate the ‘self’ between two worlds? Is there a sense of being in a state of constant flux when a person tries to navigate between the worlds of origin and the adoptive country? Are we (people in the Diaspora) constantly reproducing ourselves anew when as we move between the two very separate cultural spaces? Do we find that we are always in a New Place because of shifting and changing of positions – both mentally and physically? These are some of the questions and issues I would like to explore with this project; and I am interested to see how these would manifest in visual representations. I had indicated in my previous communication that, I would attempt to explore these ideas/issues through other people.
If we are to come up with concrete project proposals to present to the IAA team by the time indicated, should we start researching and developing our ideas? Have you both started? At the moment, my time is limited because of my teaching. I should make a start to find potential subjects/participants; it’s the only way I can come up with a proposal that would make sense.
Ok, I hope to read about your plans or next stage.
Greetings,
Florence
