Tandel Fund of Archive Projects
Ek Bagal Mein Chand Hoga Ek Bagal Mein Rotiyan (One Side Lies the Moon, On the Other Lies the Bread). As the title suggests, the project begins by looking closely at the two faces of the moon. It refers to the Koli (fishermen) community’s dependence on the moon, to the literal, functional and symbolic meanings attached to it by the Son Koli tribe, when local livelihoods and traditions are on the verge of extinction. In an effort to reverse this sense of loss and dying of indigenous resources, trades, and ecosystems, the women of Chendani fishing village and Parag Tandel are developing a Dry Seafood Recipe manuscript with narratives of loss and shift in occupation.
Drying infers loss, yet the action itself suggests the need to preserve. On this occasion, the women and Tandel will present an archive of recipes, a manuscript recording the survival of these dishes and carrying personal narratives, memories and illustrations of a landscape that has succumbed to pressures of uncontrolled growth.
आई माझी कोनाला पावली? (OH MOTHER!! WHOM SO EVER HAVE YOU BLESSED?)
SON KOLI COMMUNITY BOOK PUBLISHING PROJECTS
Let There Be Bounty Everyday
Let there be bounty everyday is a video series by Tandel Fund of Archives. Coming from the Koli (fishermen) community, fresh fish has been unavailable these weeks. So Tandel and his mother had to open up their reserve of dried seafood. To preserve and store food is a common custom among Kolis. Every week the artist will be sharing recipes using seafood and ingredients found and cooked only in Koli homes! The stories and recipes are part of the Tandel Fund Of Archives promoting cultural narrative that form an integral part of Mumbai’s layered history.
एक बग़ल में चााँद होगा एक बग़ल में रोटियााँ
(ONE SIDE LIES THE MOON, ON THE OTHER LIES THE BREAD)-2018
ArtOxygen (ArtO2) together with Parag Tandel & Chendani Koliwada invite you to Ek Bagal Mein Chand Hoga Ek Bagal Mein Rotiyan (One Side Lies The Moon, On The Other Lies The Bread). As the title suggests, the project begins by looking closely at the two faces of the moon. It refers to the Koli (fishermen) community’s dependance on the moon, to the literal and symbolic meanings attached to it today, when local livelihoods and traditions are on the verge of extinction.
In an effort to reverse this sense of loss and drying of indigenous resources, trades, and ecosystems, the women of Chendani fishing village and Parag Tandel are starting the city’s first Dry Seafood Recipe Contest. Drying infers loss, yet the action itself suggests the need to preserve. Taking a spin on the word and the action, the fishermen dry up to 33 species of fish, which are then fried, pickled or cooked as fast-food meals, reviving recipes that are no longer in use because the diversity of fish available for drying are fast becoming extinct.
13 dishes once cooked by grandmothers will return to Koli kitchens. They will be served at the contest & judged by the entire village! On this occasion, the women and Tandel will present an archive of recipes, a manuscript recording the survival of these dishes and carrying personal narratives, memories and illustrations of a landscape that has succumbed to pressures of uncontrolled growth. To accompany the manuscript, the community will launch an exhibition dedicated to the processes and rituals involved in mummifying fish.
The project thus becomes a symbolic chronicler of the past – as the artist calls it. When human memory is provoked, the past starts to attain fable-like qualities. For Tandel, they become myth buried beneath the residues of our minds. And for us to move forward, it’s the only way to fill the gaps.
– Leandre D’Souza & Claudio Maffioletti, ArtO2
Ek Bagal Mein Chand Hoga Ek Bagal Mein Rotiyan begins at 6pm with the exhibition launch & dinner (hariyali lake, balaji boating & fisheries, Anand bharti marg, Chendani koliwada, 1-min from Thane E station).
The exhibition will be on view till 18 November from 4-9pm (khule kala dalan (open art gallery), jetty road, ashtavinayak chowk, near valmiki nagar, Thane E).
About the Artist | Parag Tandel comes from a family of fishermen in Greater Mumbai, Thane. His practice is deeply influenced by his background, whose roots are entrenched in the history of Mumbai, its changes both economic and ecological. He uses sculpture & drawing to monitor the transition of his community, affected and transformed by persistent and reckless alterations of their natural and built environment. In his work, sea creatures undergo fantastical transmutations, landscapes are broken into tiny particles & boundaries between land and sea are no longer visible. Everything exists in a mythical universe, never extinct, always surviving.
Founded in 2009, ArtOxygen (ArtO2) is a Mumbai-based art initiative curating and producing art projects in urban spaces. Since 2010, ArtO2 organizes [en]counters, a public art festival dealing with issues affecting the everyday life of Mumbai. In September 2013, ArtO2 was invited to curate & organize the participation of the international segment at the biennial Haein Art Project at Haeinsa Temple in South Korea. In 2014, we were the recipients of an award for Culture and Change bestowed by the Prince Claus Fund for Culture and Development which enabled the production of [en]counters 2015 – Spaces in Transition at the iconic CST Terminus.
Check out our projects at www.artoxygen.org
