Waste Meditation

Sweep Dreams - Still Life with Brooms | Brydee Rood 2014 | Live Installation under a Jacaranda Tree at sunset in Mt Abu Rajasthan with NiV Art Centre Residency India. Materials: Brooms, Survival Blanket, Silver Foil, Jacaranda Flowers | Life Model: Chiman Dangi

Waste Meditation - Performance With Brooms | Brydee Rood 2014 Performance in conjunction with Shakti Sundays - A series of biweekly eco festivals and environmental initiatives in the public space of Fateh Sagar Lake and Art Junction Residency Udaipur India. Materials: Brooms, Survival Blankets, Turban Cloth, Ribbons, Golden Rain Flowers. Sponsored by the Asia:NZ Foundation Arts Grant program. Photographer: (below) Sunil Nimawat | (above) Brydee Rood

 Images courtesy of Brydee Rood 2014

Golden Dung Cave

Golden Dung Cave | Brydee Rood 2014 Installation in natural rock formation on the roadside to Dilwara Temple, Mt Abu Rajasthan India. My participation in the NiV Mt Abu Residency was sponsored by the Asia:NZ Foundation Arts Grant program. Materials: Cow Dung and Gold Leaf

All images courtesy of Brydee Rood 2014

Survival Yoga

Survival Yoga | Brydee Rood and Chiman Dangi 2014 Site specific performance and video installation at NiV Art Centre Mt Abu Artist in Residence Program. My travel to India and the artwork created during the NiV Mt Abu Residency was sponsored by the Asia:NZ Foundation Arts Grant program

Artist Text: We began thinking a lot about clean environments - wild and domestic, relating to topics of health and survival and the tasks of daily life. Survival Yoga involves the revival of an old, rusty, and broken Jhula (love seat, swing) which we found discarded on the rooftop of the NiV residency. We were drawn to its sculptural qualities and its functionality,  finding value and promise in this object, we also noted that there were quite  a few Jhula in the homes and gardens of Mt Abu residents.

Inspired by our many visits to Mt Abu's numerous and diverse temples, we wished to combine ritual with creative play using a variety of material ephemera to communicate something of our experience. The playful action of swinging to and fro and the delicate wrapping of Mali (foil papers) over the rusted iron limbs come together with dangling recycled drip bottles collected from the local hospital, sweeper brooms bought in the market, fallen flowers and survival blankets. The performance swings into life as each artist takes a turn to sit in the meditative rocking seat.

Images: Brydee Rood & Chiman Dangi 2014

Sun Passage

Sun Passage | Brydee Rood 2014 Performance during the TellusArt Artist in Residence Program - Kaliyanwala Village, Uttarakhand India. Sun Passage is reflective walk through the wheat-fields of Kaliyanwala wearing a sculptural teepee-poncho of silver disposable paper-foil plates, the kind found commonly in the local market for serving samosa and other snack-foods. The silver plates reflected my passage through the environment in the fading afternoon sun. Sun Passage is a poetic movement concerned with agricultural landscapes and our temporary and disposable life. Sponsored by the Asia:NZ Foundation Arts Grant program.

Videographer: Klas Fredrik - Images: Brydee Rood 2014

Holi Dung Cake Temple

Holi Dung Cake Temple | Brydee Rood 2014 Site specific installation and interaction at TellusArt Artist in Residence program 'My Village My Nation' Kaliyanwala Village Uttarakhand India. The Holi Dung Cake Temple installation evolved in three parts; first was learning the cow dung process from village women and building the dung sculpture creations on site in preparation for Holi, secondly it involved fellow artists and villagers who were invited into the work to partake in a ritual throwing of Holi pigment powder - in a self initiated and inspired festive celebration of the cow dung and finally - the application of 100% pure edible silver leaf to the dung cake sculpture surfaces in an exercise of making sacred.

Materials: Cow dung, Holi festival pigment powder, 100% pure edible silver leaf, miscellaneous local decorations, solar lights. Sponsored by the Asia:NZ Foundation Arts Grant program.

Image above - Photographer: Ajmer Sandhu

Image above - Photographer: Peter Varhelyi

Image above - Photographer: Peter Varhelyi

Image above - Photographer: Peter Varhelyi

 All Images courtesy of Brydee Rood 2014