Work - how I learned the Chinese language
Material - cotton cloth (100 meters)
Process - handwritten discharge process with an electric iron
Year - 2021-23
Concept-
There is no limitation to an artist’s imagination in this twenty-first century. As most artists take inspiration from their surroundings and personal life, so have I. After I came to China, I got the opportunity to learn Chinese, which is an ancient language and is also considered to be the most complex language in the world. Even during Han Dynasty (200bc-200ad)During the Han Dynasty, many Sanskrit concepts from India were translated and integrated into the Chinese language because of Buddhism. Around 200 AD, approximately 37,000 conceptual or expressive words entered the Chinese language. In the 6th century, during the Tang Dynasty, around 25,000 more words were added, and by 900 AD, several thousand additional Sanskrit-derived concepts were introduced. Initially, the Chinese language was quite limited and lacked a large vocabulary for expressing various ideas. Gradually, characters combined over time, leading to a linguistic evolution. As a result, Indian cultural impacts and certain concepts have similarities with some Indian languages within the Chinese language.
The words that are used to write and speak this language sound as beautiful as they look visually. The experience of learning this language was almost like being enchanted by a magician.This 100-meter-long work of mine is actually a portrayal of this experience, along with the effect of this language on my daily life and my days spent in the Chinese lifestyle. This work shows all the steps and stages through which I have learned this language and how I am constantly in my practice to improve my knowledge. In the work, I have included the markings and strike-out portions from my answer sheets of each of my Chinese language examinations. I have included my mistakes as I think they are an important step in learning and practicing anything new. In my opinion, showing the errors is more important than omitting them in order to present a clean, beautiful appearance to the artwork. The length of the work symbolizes the length of time one needs to accumulate a new practice within oneself. The journey of learning a language as complex as Chinese isn’t restricted to one day or one year- rather it continues, often for a lifetime. My Chinese teacher has told me how even retired professors are still learning the riches of this language in the dusk of their lives. It has been only 2 years of learning for me and I hope to continue my journey for a long time. In the same manner, a long piece of cloth in my work shows the length of time actually, reflecting the long process of learning.
The colour red is considered a symbol of happiness and beginnings in Chinese culture. In Hindu Indian culture also, red symbolize passion, love, energy and power. Through this colour, I could unite my artistic notions with my Indian roots, along with the new culture that I am happily learning and applying to my everyday lifestyle.
This building was our college for learning Chinese. I consider it a special place where I used to attend classes every day, forming ongoing relationships with my Chinese teachers and developing a connection with the Chinese language itself. Initially, I planned to hang my work as a final display from the classroom window of this building. However, I documented it before actually starting the work, as the building was going to be demolished soon to make way for a metro line. To capture my concept and preserve the plan, I hung the work from the classroom window where I learned Chinese and documented it in 2021. Now, the building no longer exists and has been replaced by a construction site.
The person wearing a white shirt in the photo is me, taking precautions during the pandemic by wearing a mask with a bike helmet on my head for extra safety.
Process-
I dedicated more than one year of constant into this piece of work . Starting from dyeing the textile to the very last finishing, everything was done by me without any mechanical help. I used the discharge process to place the letters on the piece of textile. In this technique, a particular chemical is applied to cotton clothes, which, when put under a specific temperature, discharges color from the marked portion of the textile. I have applied this technique earlier in my student days in India and after conceiving the idea for this work, I also conducted some experiments on a small scale to check if what I have envisioned can actually be translated into materials.
