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Cadences in rock
WITH BEADS of sweat trickling down their faces and only a few minutes to spare the sculptors hurriedly wash their creations, put on the final touches before the crane comes to pick up their art work and place it in its defined spot. At one end of this open gallery a child clambers on an artist's handiwork, stripping it of its sacrosanct status and anointing it with a new respectability, `art for the people'.
For Robin David, the National Granite Sculptors Camp 2003 was an eye opener of sorts. Normally this Bhopal-based sculptor would not move out of his atelier to participate in a distant camp, unsure if a motley group would inspire him. But ten days of co-habitation has convinced him that Kerala abounds in talent; but the downside is that artists are reticent, unwilling to expose themselves to a larger, outside audience. To put right this glitch he plans to invite some of them to the North, so that they can interact with a wider art community and showcase their pieces.
Far removed from his familiar surroundings Robin basked in the allure of Kerala; soothed by all the freshness and greenery that was on offer. Himself a committed environmentalist, he found the verdant foliage in complete divergence to the barrenness of central India. At this camp, he picks up this contrast to create the stump of a tree. Indefatigably, he pounds the stone until it yields under the artist's master plan. Hard rock morphs into a metaphor for divine music where a solitary line moves and merges with different textures; the stone undulates under his command and unexpectedly conjures up movement and rhythm. The artist, who quarantines his favourite medium, the elite marble, says while he essays to bring about a cadence, he does it without damaging the volume and solidity of the stone.
Adds Kanayi Kunhiraman, chairman of the Kerala Lalithakala Akademi and the man behind this camp, the challenge before the sculptor as he tries to efface the boundaries of art and craft is to use the medium without losing its character. Himself a celebrated artist he understands the nuances of granite, the variegated textures it can produce, how tough a substance it is but how easily it can submit under able hands and most of all its illustrious history. "The Egyptians chose this medium for the Pyramids; our temples of yore were built of granite. But with industrial material available for the asking, the granite is at a risk of losing its relevance."
The camp was in essence an attempt to revive this humble stone. The works of art generated at this camp will eventually be put on display at the Durbar Hall grounds, where they will form a part of the Akademi's permanent collection.
The camp concluded on May 4.
SUNANDA KHANNA
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