What is perceived today may not exist tomorrow…

What is perceived today may not exist tomorrow… | Performance, video and installation project at Asia:NZ Foundation and Cemeti Art House Residency Pasang Air #2 Yogyakarta Indonesia 2016

Indonesian Art Researcher Stanislaus Yangni writes: Rood’s intimate works evolve from an enduring personal passion with the natural world and ecological issues. During the residency, she choose water as an element to speak about human alienation with nature, and created a live bathing project in Sendang Kasihan, Bantul Village; her work was an encounter between mysticism, tradition, environmental change and peoples everyday habits relating with water. What is perceived today may not exist tomorrow… is the title of Rood’s installation containing 6 video works within a multi channel video and sound project. The Rainmaker (2 videos), Bodies of Water (3 videos) and Rain Keeps Falling (1 video) offer us a meditative perception.

Composite Image - 4x Video Stills: Bodies of Water

Bodies of Water Ritual Bathing Action |  Photographer: Mella Jaarsma

Materials: Natural Indigo dyed Batik drawings combining DIY homemade cassava paste resist and Shibori tie-dye processes worn as ritual bathing cloth for the live performance action in the Sendang Kasihan.

The Rainmaker - a 2channel video installation has also been exhibited in Auckland's Malcolm Smith Gallery Uxbridge Arts and Culture in the exhibition Sacred Economies curated by Balamohan Shingade - reviewed by John Hurrel on Eye Contact with images of the exhibition on Arts Diary

2channel Video Stills: The Rainmaker

Video Still: Rain Keeps Falling

Images: Brydee Rood 2016

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

Spiriting Waste

During the Sowing Seeds International Artist in Residence Camp at Gelawas Village, Rajasthan, India I developed the following 2 projects in my ongoing visual research series: For A World Without Waste. Many thanks to Sowing Seeds, the Kaman Art Foundation and the Asia:NZ Foundation.

1. ‘Spiriting Waste’  / Performance and video project with Asharam Kumar and a sacred village cow / Materials: 400 solar powered LED lights, 4 general waste rubbish bags, assorted tape and welcome necklaces. Dec 2011 - Jan 2012.

Photographer: Vagaram Choudhary

2. ‘For A World Without Waste’ / ‘Gelawas Project’ and ‘Farewell Installation’ / Materials: 160 reusable rubbish bags, village plastic clean up action. Dec 2011 - Jan 2012

Images courtesy of Brydee Rood 2012