SOCIETY THROUGH OBJECTS
"What strikes me is the fact that in our society, art has become something which is only related to objects and not to individuals, or to life." - Michel Foucoult
People look and think through the world through objects, and these objects just like humans end up influencing the ways of the society. Projects under this catgeory explores the interrealationship between objects, people, and the society. It looks at objects as entities that aren't just things that we touch, feel, or use, but store a plethora of concepts that affect emotions, cultures, and perceptions. While some projects have used objects like umbrellas and bandages as a trigger to look at the larger societal impacts, some others have used objects as a medium to convery strong messages in context with the past or current societal practices.
SOCIETY
THROUGH
OBJECTS
The Evolution of the CashBox
Aneesha's object of inquiry was the cash box. She has researched the evolution of different kinds of cashboxes in existence, and collated her findings in the form of a coffee table book.
The Evolution of the CashBox
Aneesha
Sadomoneterism
Anusuya
Sadomoneterism
In modern reality, wherever archaic modes of thought have predominated or persist, in the ancient civilisations, in myths, in fairy tales and superstitions, in unconscious thinking, in dreams and neuroses, money is brought into the most intimate relationship with dirt. It is possible that the contrast between the most precious substance and the most worthless which they reject as waste matter has led to this specific identification of cash with faeces.
On the Death of Children
Forty children die before the age of one out of a thousand live births in India. This is a sad thing that tells us of the distressing issues that afect large parts of society that depend on the public healthcare system. ‘On The Death of Children’ attempts to make sense of why the infant mortality rate is what it is by superimposing the urban and rural divide on the metaphor of a baby with interlocked hands, and use form and colour to express the fow of power, wealth and education that sustain this gap. The painting depicts deficiencies of the public healthcare system, specifically that of infant mortality.
On the Death of Children
Aravind
Matchboxes v. Lighters
Charushree
Matchboxes v. Lighters
This project shows the evolution of objects, specifically the shift from matchboxes to lighters. While this shift may seem small, it engages us in a deep thought and makes us question the ever changing nature of objects based on their utility. Using embroidery as a medium, the artist has depicted the dying use of matchboxes and the use of its predecessor - the lighter.
Matchbox Covers
The ability to make and use fire was one of the first steps towards the civilization of humankind. In the last one hundred and fifty years, the match and the matchbox have remained relatively unchanged in terms of concept and construction; even the current methods of manufacture are similar to those originally employed. However, the graphic and typographic design of the visual and textual matter applied to the packaging has undergone considerable change throughout its history. The artist/designer has redesigned a matchbox cover and used it as a space to convey relevant societal messages.
Matchbox Covers
harshita
Deconstructing Gender Stereotypes
jaishree