A 2009-2010 Arts Management Interns Presentation
Colour Concepts of South India
Exhibition Catalogue
Have you noticed that colours have slipped into our everyday vocabulary with strong associations and connotations?
Colour Concepts in South India
An exhibition by the Arts Management Interns of DakshinaChitra, 2009 - 2010 23 December, 2009 to 20 January, 2010
Art Gallery DakshinaChitra Heritage Museum Muttukadu, Chennai Inaugurated by Rm.Palaniappan Artist, Art Critic and Regional Director, Lalit Kala Akademi, Chennai
Sponsored by
Building Sustainable Communities
The Road to Colour We chose COLOUR as a topic for our exhibition lured by the promise it held in terms of visual appeal. The team went on a research mode for two months. It did not take long to realize that the concept of colour is much more than skin deep. Our research findings soon became a roadblock - translating written concepts to visual exhibits seemed to be a Himalayan task. We thank contemporary artists, Rm.Palaniappan, Anamika and N Ramachandran, who opened our eyes to new ways of looking at the concepts unearthed and encouraged us to find artistic expressions for the same. Our gratitude goes to M D Muthukumaraswamy of NFSC for ‘emptying’ us and giving us varied viewfinders to observe culture. The inputs of Designman Manohar were critical as we were novices at working with materials that had to end up as art in our hands. BO Sailesh a contemporary artist and our guide, literally led us through the process with admirable patience. If Deborah Thiagarajan had not pulled us up for slack or patted our backs for achievements, this exhibition would not have happened. It was indeed an energetic dance of learning, unlearning, doing and undoing - Colour Thandava. Thank you all so much. Lalitha, Pooja, Prathibha, Purnima, Rajiv, Rhoda, Supriya, Susan,Vasundhara
Introduction The colours of South India have a language of their own - an attempt has been made to peek into this language through this exhibition. Like words, colours create different meanings individually and when placed next to each other. Some of these colour groups signify concepts that are inherent to the Indian psyche. Though there are varied groupings and meanings, the common factor is that there is an omnipresent striving for balance and depth of symbolism in each colour combination. The contemporary meanings of colour have also been looked at, along with the stories that colour tells in our daily lives, rituals, performing arts, streetscapes, media, etc. This close scrutiny of colour has been an enjoyable one, sometimes awe-inspiring, sometimes depressing and sometimes cautionary, but mostly happy.
In the beginning... As you may have suspected, colours in ancient times were derived only from nature. Natural dyes come from mainly three sources - plant, mineral and insects. Dyeing was known in India as early as in the Indus Valley Civilization (2500 BCE). Natural dyes were used in mural paintings on temple walls and in caves, on textiles and on wood. Black, ochre red, white and yellow were the main colours for murals. Blue was used sparingly as the colour came from expensive lapis lazuli. Experimentation in dyes for textiles led to a vibrant range of colours for which India is and was known worldwide. Some natural sources are as follows:COLOUR
BOTANICAL NAME
COMMON NAME
PARTS USED
RED
Rubia cordifolia
Indian Madder
Roots and Stem
REDDISH BROWN & VIOLET
Ventilago maderaspatana
Black Murdah
Roots and Bark
Curcuma longa
Turmeric
Rhizome
Punica granatum
Pomegranate
Fruit rind and Bark
Terminalia chebula
Myrobalan
Flower and Fruit
ORANGE,YELLOW & RED
Bixa Orellana
Anatto Tree
Seeds and Bark
BLUE
Indigofera tinctoria
Indian Indigo
Leaves and Twigs
BROWN & BLACK
Acacia catechu
Cutch Tree
Bark
PINKISH RED
Kerria lacca
Lac
YELLOW YELLOW YELLOW & YELLOWISH BROWN
Paintings and textiles from South India form a collage beneath which the sources of natural dyes are exhibited in test tubes.
COLOUR
MINERAL SOURCE
RED
Laterite
YELLOW
Laterite
GREEN
Malachite
ULTRAMARINE BLUE
Lapiz-Lazuli
BLACK
Lamp Soot
WHITE
Lime and Gypsum
Colour Clusters
Join us on a countdown on the role of colour in age- old Indian beliefs. Graha means to grasp or take possession of and nava means nine. The navagrahas (commonly translated as nine planets) are believed to have the power to temporarily seize the health, wealth and general well- being of persons. These are believed to be the strongest of cosmic forces and therefore living by their respective recommendations of COLOUR, gem stone, food and even kolam patterns is believed to aid in the process of achieving a better life.
PLANET
COLOUR
GEM STONE
GRAIN
SURYA (SUN)
Reddish Gold
Red Ruby
Wheat
CHANDRA (MOON)
White
Pearl
Rice
MANGAL (MARS)
Red
Coral
Split Red Gram
BUDHA (MERCURY)
Green
Emerald
Split Green Gram
GURU (JUPITER)
Yellow
Topaz
Black Chick Pea
SHUKRA (MERCURY)
White
Diamond
White Bean seeds
SHANI (SATURN)
Black
Sapphire
Sesame seeds
RAHU (ECLIPSE)
Blue
Zircon
Black Gram Dal
KETU (ECLIPSE)
Multicoloured
Cat’s Eye
Horse Gram
Colour Clusters Dance-drama forms of South India present an extremely vibrant show of colours. The costume and make-up not only create visual appeal but also play an important role in determining the nature of the character. Characters are generally classified according to their temperament which is dominated by one particular sentiment or Rasa. And of course, each Rasa has its own colour.
RASA (Sentiment)
COLOUR
SRINGARA (LOVE)
Green
HASYA (HUMOUR)
White
KARUNA (PITY)
Dove coloured
RAUDRA (ANGER)
Red
VIRA (COURAGE)
Wheatish Brown
BHAYANAKA (FEAR)
Black
BIBHATSA (DISGUST)
Blue
ADBHUTA (WONDER)
Yellow
Ashtadikpalakas or the Eight Directional Gods The God guarding each of the eight directions is represented by a specific colour as mentioned in the Vishnudharmottarapurana and the Agama DIRECTION
GOD
COLOUR
N
Kubera
Crimson Red
NE
Isana
White
E
Indra
Dark Blue
SE
Agni
Red
S
Yama
Black
SW
Nirruti
Blue
W
Varuna
White
NW
Vayu
Sky Blue
Colour Clusters Surya or the Sun God is known as the Sapta Vahana orChitrabhanu because of the seven horses that draw his chariot. The seven horses are of seven different colours too! NAME (SANSKRIT)
COLOUR
Sveta
White
Rakta
Red
Krisna
Black
Pita
Yellow
Harita
Green
Kapisa
Grey
Nila
Blue
Saptaswaras In Indian classical music, each swara or tone has a specific colour, a related God, a planet, an animal and a chakra (energy centre in the body). And when in combination with each other, various Ragas are created. (Samaveda talks about the seven swaras and their related aspects) SWARA
NAME
COLOUR
SA
Shadjam
Green
RI
Rishabham
Red
GA
Gandharam
Golden
MA
Madhyamam
White - Yellowish tint
PA
Panchamam
Blue
DHA
Dhaivatam
Yellow
NI
Nishadbam
Multicoloured
Colour Clusters According to the ancient texts, the universe is made up of five elements (bhutas):Akasa or Ether Vayu or Air Agni or Fire Ap or Water Prithvi or Earth The Panchabhutas are associated with Siva in many ways. One of his most important mantras has five syllables (nama sivaya) and his body is said to consist of five mantras. Each bhuta has its own form of God and distinct iconography - Sadyojata, Vamadeva, Aghora, Tatpurusa and Isana. These are represented as the five faces of Siva and there is a system of correspondence between these five murtis or forms of Siva,five colours, five symbolic shapes, the five senses, five planets, and five South Indian temples (Panchabhuta temples). The table below gives the details of each Bhuta ELEMENT (Bhuta)
EARTH (Prithvi)
WATER (Ap)
FIRE (Agni)
AIR (Vayu)
SPACE (Akasa)
COLOUR (RANGA)
Red
Orange
Yellow
Green
Blue
SENSE (INDRIYA)
Smell
Taste
Sight
Touch
Sound
FORM OF SIVA (MURTI)
Sadyojata
Vamadeva
Aghora
Tatpurusa
Isana
PLANET (GRAHA)
Mercury
Venus
Mars
Saturn
Jupiter
TEMPLE (STHALA)
Kanchipuram
Tiruvannaikkaval
Tiruvannamalai
Srikalahasti
Chidambaram
SHAPE
Square
Hemispherical
Triangle
Circle
Dot / Drop
Colour Clusters
3
Kolam
The dark greenish brown cowdung background, the white rice powder and the bright red kavi powder. An everyday Yantra - perhaps? Cowdung provides antibacterial properties (Protection) Rice powder for the ants and insects as food (Sustenance) and Kavi powder to ward away evil spirits (Destruction)
Originally, the kolam was drawn to represent the sun or the moon and the directions; a cosmic mandala to ward off evil and attract positive energies.
Triguna Vishnu the preserver, Brahma the creator, and Rudra the destroyer- are represented by white, red and black respectively. The Matrtantra explains that the three inner qualities or triguna- Sattva (intelligence or brilliance), Rajas (action), and Tamas( inertia or darkness) are also represented by the same three colours - white, red and black. Each individual is a combination of all the three.
Colour Clusters
2
Yellow (as in turmeric) signifies intellect/ knowledge/ wisdom Red (as in vermillion) signifies love Turmeric (yellow) is mixed with saffron (red) as intellect is meaningless without love. Traditionally, kum kum (vermillion powder) which is used by women to adorn their foreheads and in temple rituals, is made by mixing turmeric powder (yellow) and lime (white). The vermillion colour is the result of a chemical reaction!
Red and White temple walls Have you ever wondered why the walls of most South Indian temples are painted red and white? These two colours together represent Prakriti and Purusha, the two all important concepts in the universe. Red and white in tandem with each other represent creation through the union of Purusha (white, the male principle) and Prakriti/ Shakti (red, the female principle). These two colours represent the Theory of Dialectics, the same concept as is represented by the Yin and Yang, the Ardhanarishwar, and many other such examples that are present in different sciences from across disciplines.
Heating and Cooling Colours The fire and potency of human life are symbolized in ritual by the colour red (heat); and control by white (cooling) substances. Food that heats the body is consumed before the one that cools. This is followed in foods and in caste marks. The Vaishnavite and Saivite namam/ caste mark has both Red and White. The gigantic image of goddess Kali at the Madurai Meenakshi Temple represented in her ferocious avatar is cooled down by the butter balls thrown at her by devotees.
Break a Coconut Q: Why do we break coconuts in temples during pujas and important rituals? A: Breaking a coconut releases your: Ignorance Ego and arrogance Vanity and lust
Colours in Performances Colours represent emotions/ rasas or characteristics. No one characteristic exists on its own. Most of the characters (hero, anti hero, villain, female, sage) in a performance are a combination of different rasas, with a dominant rasa dictating the overall character of the person. Some such colours in the facial make up of different dance dramas such as Theyyam, Therukoothu and Kathakali are represented by the painted masks exhibit.
Sacrificial Colours The white pumpkin has replaced animal sacrifice. Today, before an auspicious occasion begins, a portion of the pumpkin is cut, filled with kumkum and broken at the threshold, symbolic of blood sacrifice.
Colour in our streets There is an abundance of colours in our streets today, leading to a chaotic look and feel for the same. The feeling of placelessness that results from this has become a unique identity of our streets. The exhibition attempted to place elements from a typical streetscape to look at the colours at play closely.
Era of Commercially Symbolic Colours Everything big or small we need and use in our daily lives comes wrapped in colourful packages now. Would we buy anything that is packed in black & white? Like products, contemporary man too is imprisoned by this multitude of commercially symbolic colours that he now willingly identifies with and believes in. The cage is just becoming bigger and stronger with globalisation and retail explosion.
Succumb to RED We have to thank the brand gurus of the world for our colour associations - businesses, media and even politics use these associations to their advantage. But why are all of them going gaga over one colour - RED? The oldest profession in the world is represented by red and so are many of the worlds best known brands (lets not omit the AIDS symbol, the red cross...).
It has been scientifically proven that RED catches people’s attention quickest.
We eat with our eyes! The experts say the more attractive food looks the higher the chances that it maybe bought and consumed. The additives added to make bright coloured eats for children are known to be carcinogenic. Genetic Modification techniques now attempt to make natural foods ideal (eg. BT brinjals) and good to look at - but lab testing has always confirmed that the consequences will be disastrous. Beware!
Endangered Colours NAME : Yellow cloth bag VERNACULAR NAME : Manjal Pai NATURAL HABITAT : South India, particularly Tamilnadu ACTIVITIES: Very useful to store valuables, to carry important and unimportant things, easily foldable into a small unit when not in use, 100% washable and reusable, affordable, environment friendly and user friendly THREATS : Plastic and synthetic look alike replacements. COLOUR and style considered ‘not trendy’ SAVE THE MANJAL PAI... SHUN PLASTIC BAGS
P.S. Once upon a time, the yellow cloth bags were made by dipping white cotton cloth bags in turmeric water. That simple!
Pink Made Possible Fairness creams have always sold like hot cakes in South India. They hold more than a 1000 crore share in the Indian cosmetic industry. Leading advertisements for fairness products show already light skinned men and women becoming lighter and achieving success in life due to the pink sheen. A look at the matrimonial columns for requirements of ‘very fair’ men and women is proof enough!
Back to B&W? High fashion, elite products, formal events, art photography and cinema now prefer black and white. Have we come full circle?
So, what colour do you choose? Colour trends especially for fashion and retail industries of the world are being predicted in advance of two to three years by leading international business houses. It has now become the norm for companies across the world to use the colours chosen for a particular year to cash in on business. Thanks to globalisation and new technology these forecasts are now available to India Inc too. Should we in India, who have so much behind the concept of colour, give in to world trends or continue to discover our own palette? Can we not continue to also be inspired by the stories colours tell - from our ancient texts, our textiles and our daily lives?
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It was a wonderful experience exploring the hidden world of natural dyes. Sound strategies and guidelines should be employed as natural dyes gain wider acceptance in the commercial arena. Pooja Nagpal
I realised that mine was just a minuscule part in the ocean of Colour Thandava. It was mind boggling to learn that each Graha had even a grain of its own and that culture had imbibed it long ago. Doing the cowdung background for the Hridya-kamalam was fun too. Prathibha Palimar While the Ashtadikpalaka exhibit and the Trigunas & the Trinity exhibit was fun to create, the Surya with the 7 horses was abstract and challenging. I read up a lot for the Panchabhutas exhibit. My favourite exhibit- the Red hands with the Yellow powder- was a simple yet powerful concept, which many visitors loved. Susan Mathen Working on a six-foot long chilli was an organised roller coaster ride - luckily it ended up as a piece of contemporary sculpture. The symbolic meaning of breaking a coconut gives a whole new world of meaning. Lalithashree Ganesh
This exhibition was an eyeopener in many ways. I didn’t realise how tough it would be to put centuries of knowledge in terms of our sastras into physical exhibits. Vasundhara Mukundan
Credit must go to my abhinaya teacher, Bragha Akka, for her ability to accurately express the colour within each rasa. Painting the mannequin heads was a long, delicate process, which made me appreciate the patience performing artists must have when applying their makeup. All in all, it was an enlightening experience. Supriya Kharat Working with the bangles gave me a wonderful colour high. I kept doing and re-doing the various combinations in colours. The clinking of the glass against each other, and an occasional shattering of the same was a feast to my brain, a fusion of colour, poetry and music. Purnima Gopalakrishnan Superficiality, commercialisation, materialism and power play is so evident in the contemporary colours. Makes me see RED! But it is also great that we are now able to research our misgivings and ask difficult questions to each other. Rhoda Alex This experience has taught me to look at everything around me closely. As a team, we have tried to give ‘something to take away’ through this exhibition. Rajiv Bakatial
We, the nine diversely passioned and qualified Arts Management Interns, were fastened together by a common curiosity towards Culture. Our collaborative thoughts and expressions gave shape to the exhibition Colour Thandava.
(left to right) Lalithashree Ganesh - Literature, Painting Rhoda Alex - Communication Design, Research Prathibha Palimar - Psychology, Painting Pooja Nagpal - Anthropology, Culture Travel Rajiv Bakatial - Literature, Painting, Travel Supriya Kharat - Bharatanatyam, Folk dance Purnima Gopalakrishnan - Architecture, Photography Susan Mathen - Branding, Symbolism Vasundhara Mukundan - Bharatanatyam, History The Arts Management Interns 2009 -2010 DakshinaChitra
Our heartfelt thanks to... Shakuntala Ramani Director, Kalamkari Unit, Kalakshetra Foundation
for helping us with dyeing yarns for display
Bragha Bessell
for perfection and enthusiasm while posing for the rasa photos
Logeswaran Devan
for photographing Bragha Bessell
K. Ramaswamy Chetty Country Drugs Dealer
for generously supplying us with sources of natural dyes for display and also helping with the English and Tamil names for each
Padmavathy Anantram Sharath Nambiar Visalakshi Vishalam
for doing the difficult task of co-ordinating us for putting up with all our demands at DakshinaChitra for cheerful encouragement and support for holding fort at MCF on our behalf
Indu Rekha Lakshmi, Prabu & Adhi Stella Hilton
for hunting and providing us with the right books for clicking great shots and having a go at the Navagraha kolams for being there for us when we needed them for letting go of her office space for reminding us about factors next to Godliness
Varadhan Amirthanathan Vinayagam Sumathi Mohan Kasturi
for driving us around for climbing all over the Art Gallery for helping the carpenter help us for cleaning after us and tea-cheering us for patiently painting and generally helping for helping us stitch up the cloths for display
Srinivasan Raghavan Glassblower at DakshinaChitra
for making superior test tubes for display
Palani Potter at DakshinaChitra
for fashioning chillies, brinjals, pots and shapes enthusiastically and expertly
Zeenat Lac artisan at DakshinaChitra Craft Bazar
for making the clay brinjals look like real brinjals
FACULTY
for inspiring us and introducing us to new ideas and thoughts that helped widen our vision.
Thandava Street sign at the exhibition. Colour coded just as in the real world.
a special word of thanks to our sponsor
Building Sustainable Communities
goodearthhomes.net
for more details on Diploma in Arts Management please visit http://www.dakshinachitra.net/scripts/internshipdiploma.asp Madras Craft Foundation G-3, Madhurams Apartments 6,Urur Olcott Road Besant Nagar Chennai -600 090 Tel: 2491 8943/ 2446 2435
DakshinaChitra East Coast Road Muttukadu (Next to MGM Dizzee world) Chennai, Tamilnadu 603 118 Tel: 2747 2603/ 2747 2783