Colonized

Tracing paper, Matte Medium, Monofilament, Wooden Reed, tape

Artist Statement:

Through this project, I wanted to describe how the colonizer impacts the land and history of the people they control. I specifically focused on how eastern (or colonized) history has been written through the lens of the west, leading to a loss of culture and an increase in inaccurate accounts of history. I used the example of British colonialism over India (The British Raj) and how it has erased or incorrectly recorded Indian culture and history as well as how it instilled divides within the country.

There were two distinct primary sources I focused on. First was the translation of the Bhagavat Gita, an extremely famous and important Indian scripture/mythology, by Charles Wilkins in 1785. Even if Wilkins wanted to translate it accurately, he instilled western outlooks upon the story, and certain meanings were never properly deciphered into English. The translation is written on half of the formless hangings, representing the incorrectly rewritten history (from a western lens). The blank hangings represent the lost information and history due to the destruction of Indian records as well as mistranslations. The flimsy quality of the paper hangings refers to how broken and destructive colonialism can be and the instability it leaves countries in. Likewise, the layering of paper in the hangings and transparency of the installation itself demonstrates how layered and complicated history is and how we as spectators will never be able to fully understand what is the truth and what is a mistaken translation or interpretation. 

The second is a map of the division of North India into ‘palatable’ sizes/regions. The red tape on the floor is a recreation of the map. As the audience walks on the tape and through the hangings (or even bumps into them), they actively change history/the orientation of it and act as a colonizer, dividing the floor space. While walking, they can gain perspective on these divides, illuminating how history has been impacted by power dynamics.

Tracing paper and matte medium hold an important place in my heart as materials as I have been using them since my senior year of high school in honors studio (and they are the first things I turn to when I have to create something). I have always been interested in the way tracing paper refracts light and the organic shapes created by combining the two materials.