12 Acres
EP record and book designed on locals songs in collaboration with Sandhya Patidar, Rameela Patidar, Maya Patidar, Manjula patidar, Prameela Patidar, Vimla Patidar, Roshni Patidar, Surabhi Patidar – women members from Patidar Self help group, Bori village.
Bori was the first village we visited, and during the meeting, the women broke out into song during the course of the meeting, and with great confidence. As I learned of the very female-specific nature of the songs’ stories, it became clear that these melodies were a key part of the glue that held the women together, one that brought them camaraderie, cultural continuation, joy in the singing and pride. Indeed, it was clear from the beginning that the songs elevated women’s stories, bringing mythology to the everyday, as well as women’s strengths, dreams, hopes and fears from the everyday (both from their work lives and personal lives) into fable and the fantastic.
The final project consists of three picture books, as an initial batch, to illustrate visually the narrative of three songs in Wagdi—“12 Acres”, “Mother-In-Law and Daughter-In-Law Song”, and “First Dream”, as well as the 6-song EP “12 Acres” sung by Bori women, professionally recorded in Hariprem Films’ studio in Partapur.
As Wagdi is an oral language, preserving the lyrics and songs of Bori’s women not only paved the way to represent them visually for hearing-impaired community members, but also made the songs more accessible to men and young people, and was a form of cultural preservation.Throughout the residency, I used drawings, a sample illustrated songbook, and conversation (in translation, of course) to show everyone involved what the project would entail.
EQUILIBRIUM 