Entryway

Sites of Vacancy, Coordinates: Dispatch

“Entryway” is an installation involving many traditional Indian motifs related to protection, prosperity and wishing good fortune to visitors and residents of the home. All the symbols are usually displayed at the entrance or threshold of a South Indian home.

This installation touches on the concept of “utility rather than visibility,” as these symbols are ubiquitous in many suburban homes in Bangalore, India. While many of these symbols are rooted in craft, they function as commonplace utilitarian objects meant to serve their purpose as devices of protection. The Rangoli is made with coarse chalk powder that must be reapplied every morning, the Rakshasa mask is often made with paper mache or mud meant to erode with time and weather and the Thoranam is made with dried mango leaves, something cheap and easily available. My versions in “Entryway” are more permanent depictions of the symbols, in an attempt to familiarize myself with various textile methods: block printing, weaving and wool felting. I hope that visitors take a moment to step into the installation and envelop themselves in this environment of fierce protection.