EVERYTHING THAT IS CONCRETE
Single Channel Film (2015) “Grover and his deep interest in the ‘knowledge of the everyday” - Forecast Forum, HKW berlin
This is a video. This is a performance, This is an installation. Most of all, this is construction in its truest sense. Living in a city that is perennially constructing itself, New Delhi has been expanding at a rapid rate. In the past 30 years, I have watched it grow from being a quiet, sparsely populated city, to a megapolis which stands now as the second largest city in the world. The amount of concrete that has been pushed down its earth, and indeed our lungs and veins, is unprecedented in history. This video captures what goes into building all that is concrete - mixing children’s toys, kitchen sets, gas cylinders, birthday cake, candles, temples, bells, vegetables, spices, linen, candy, pencils, phone chargers, meat, and whatever I can lay my hands on in my house, in one full tasla (pan) of cement. Once the mix is ready, I carefully lay it on the floor to form brick-like objects, and leave them to dry. The resulting objects are memories cemented, partially visible, and unable to escape. With these objects at hand, we are ready to build again.
Performance by Amitesh Grover. Original Film by Ashim Ghosh
Medium Single channel projection (wall-size), 18mins.
Vimeo Link - https://vimeo.com/34809727523 (link is password protected. Send me a mail for the password)
