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
