Notes from Delhi - Week 1

The first Arts & Ecology residency began in November at KHOJ Artists' Association in New Delhi with artists Kayle Brandon and Heath Bunting. 

The first Arts & Ecology residency began in November at KHOJ Artists' Association in New Delhi with artists Kayle Brandon and Heath Bunting. 

Throughout the duration of their residency Kayle and Heath are sending us their accounts, observations and thoughts. You can read their diary in its full entirety on the projects section of the Arts & Ecology website but here on the blog we'll provide you with a couple of snippets from each week. Enjoy!

15th November

‘Walked around Kirkee village where KHOJ studios are sited. The village used to have lots of farming land then the city grew around it and ran through it. The floor is littered with sweet wrappers, later I find out they are chewing tobacco wrappers. The dogs seem exhausted; lots of the bitches have tits that drip to the floor, overwhelmed by reproduction.

Things have a beaten, worn appearance; I think the climatic elements of the desert in the north, the monsoons and the sun play liberally here.

Delhi is colourful. People wear very colourful clothes, well, the women wear very colourful clothes, traditional to India wear, and men seem to tend toward the western trouser, shirt set up.

Here a new shopping Mall has risen on one side of a busy road. Directly on the other side, is a community that live in tents and have horses and goats. The border that separates the two contrasting places is the road which is always swamped with vehicles. Conveniently crossing the road isn’t an easy undertaking.

Rachel and I go over and look around the highly guarded, air conditioned Mall. We try on very expensive dresses, then return to the village. We are able to transgress realms fashioned out of class, money and status systems. We are realm hoppers.’

18th November

‘Another day of money moving in and out of pockets… Gandhi’s portrait in and out of millions of pockets (he’s on every bank note).

Decided to go the Mahatma Gandhi Museum, we commence a haggle with an auto drive, and then in the auto we go, back into the bedlam of Delhi’s road network. Auto journeys are fast becoming the staple of my experience; long, short curly ones, fast, bumpy, scary ones.
 
Inside the Gandhi museum the lights go off and then on a few times. During the loss of power there are moments of standing and looking at things in half light, the experience is somehow emotional.

Memorable things: A chart of the salt march, a room dedicated to the Khadi principle, spinning wheels and pictures of men spinning in conference centres, gardens and assembly rooms. The museum hosts a collection of Gandhi’s things; his dentures, can opener, foot scrubber, and sandals to name a few.’

Extracts taken from Kayle Brandon's residency diary, November 2007.