Coir in Pepper House
By: Louk Vreeswijk
Tags: Architecture, Art, History
| Aperture: | f/4.8 |
|---|---|
| Focal Length: | 53.9mm |
| ISO: | 160 |
| Shutter: | 1/0 sec |
| Camera: | DSC-R1 |
In the courtyard of Pepper House, one of the venues of the 2016 Kochi-Muziris Biennale, Indian artist Praneet Soi had put up a number of sculptures made of coir on wooden supports. Soi had chosen to work with coir especially for the Biennale since this material has been and still is so important for the survival of hundreds of thousands of coir workers in Kerala. In fact he had planned doing a whole study during the Biennale about the place of coir in the economy and culture of the State.
From the 2011 Venice Biennale I remember his figures in silhouette, falling from the sky or maybe from a plane or high-rise building, suspended in the air, a moment before crashing on the ground. Only when looking closer we see thin lines that are drawn in the dark forms.
Praneet Soi, Venice Biennale 2011, Italy 2011
Praneet Soi, Venice Biennale 2011, Italy 2011
Praneet Soi, KM Biennale 2016, Kerala, India 2016
In the big stumbling human form of coir we immediately recognize Soi’s hand. The person seems about to fall; the next moment he may lie flat on his face. For Kochi Soi had changed his material but not his theme.
Photo of the week: Praneet Soi, sculptures in coir, Pepper House, Kochi-Muziris Biennale 2016, Kerala, India 2016
καιρός remembered 
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