The Land Re-formed Kochi- Muziris Biennale 2012
The Land Re-formed
A collaborative project with artist Nandakumar P K for Kochi- Muziris Biennale (December 2012) Introduction The project Land reformed was part of the Kochi Muziris biennale held at Fort Kochi & Mattacherry, once (14th-20th century)a port city, in Kerala. The island is dotted with palaces, houses, religious monuments and warehouses built by Portuguese, Dutch, British, Jews and other local communities(Gujaratis, Maharashtrians, Konkanis, Malayalees, Andhraites, Marwadis, Tamilians, Kashmiris ,Kutchis ). They got deserted once the port was shifted to the mainland of Kochin in the beginning of the 20th century. What is left today are the shadows of an active port and built structures that have lost its purpose. Mattancherry place(Dutch palace) A major tourist attraction here is the Dutch Palace. In the premises of the palace is the home for the Pazhayanoor Bhagawaty temple. This is a 14th century temple built by the Cochin royal family. . The palace is taken up (for preservation) by Archaeological Survey of India, but the temple (inside the palace) and the adjoining land with a pond was abandoned to be in a dilapidated condition. The temple runs alongside a rectangular plot about an acre in size. Overgrown with shrubs, thorny bushes and some large mango, coconut, tamarind and other trees, the south end of the plot holds a sacred pond (paathra kulam). Land Reformed is an attempt to launch an initiative to return the site to the public in a usable shape.
Ootupura
Santhi madhom
Pond
Pond
Temple Palace
The premises itself comprises of many buildings, some currently in use by the management of the temple and others in need of dire repair and attention. The Dining hall, or ootupura, which used to feed about a thousand people every day during the heyday of the Cochin kings, is the furthest structure. The Shantimadam is a structure that housed the temple priest. The two fold purpose of the project was to rejuvenate the land and to draw attention to the decay. Kochi Biennale I Land Reformed I 01
BEFORE
AFTER
Kochi Biennale I Land Reformed I 02
The land and the pond were the main concerns and we began by cleaning up the same. As the wild growth was cleared the bigger project, to clear the pond, which had been reduced to a ditch filled with broken glass and decades of silt was also launched simultaneously. In a state dotted with temples and the accompanying water bodies of stream fed ponds, the tragedy was the manner in which these fragile bodies were either taken for granted or actively allowed to degenerate. Who has the time to stand and stare?
A metal replica of a smaller and currently used pond within the temple was cast in iron and submersed inside this pond in such a manner that the pond’s water reached the rim of the structure without entering it. The pond cast in metal was empty demanding attention, care and questions.
Kochi Biennale I Land Reformed I 03
The wet land created by the two pump-driven cleansings of the pond was layered over with the fertile silt from the pond. A variety of rice grown on the banks of rivers and that needs little water has been sown in this area which has itself been marked off with the laterite that was littered on the land.
Kochi Biennale I Land Reformed I 04
Rest of the cleared land has been planted with a variety of saplings of neem, ashok, palash, tamarind, konna and some flowering plants. Since no rejuvenation would be possible without the involvement of the local community, the saplings have been planted by many members drawn from it. These have included the local Malyalees, Gujaratis, Muslims, Jews and Maharashtrians.
Santhi Madhom A missing pillar at the dilapidated Santhi Madhom(Built space to accommodate temple priests) was adorned with a sculpture of glass bottles glued together to make a circular column.
Kochi Biennale I Land Reformed I 05
Oottupura (Dining hall) As you enter the Oottupura, there is a sense of decay. A chandelier made of prism and copper rings was installed on a beam at the far end of the room that causes a discord in one’s mind about decay and a bright present. It causes a disorienting gap in the thought process and makes one wonder, ``what is it that fills the void between destruction and creation?’’
Kochi Biennale I Land Reformed I 06
Entrance Bamboo installation Kochi Biennale I Land Reformed I 07
Once the project was approved and work was conceived, we looked upon it as a way to create a sense of community among all those who could, did and will become a part of it. Over a month that the first stage of this project has lasted this could be seen, among other things, in the effort that was willingly put in by groups of children who painted the walls of Oottupura and the ramshackle and abandoned toilet on the site as well as work done by another group of students, local people and friends who became totally immersed in the project.
Kochi Biennale I Land Reformed I 08
Rakesh N M rakeshnm@gmail.com