Workers in Kerala, India (Part 1 of 3) and Donnie Update
This last week has been quite busy with weddings and photoshoots. Photos from these shoots and their stories are coming soon. In the meantime, let me start another photo essay series about workers in Kerala.
Kerala is the southwestern province of India and borders the Arabian Sea. I had the pleasure of living there for five weeks while attending a language school. All of our meals were on large banana leaves. The fresh pineapple was delicious and always a daily highlight.
One afternoon after my Hindi language class, I was biking to a nearby village and came across this scene. The workers would lift these huge granite rocks onto this man’s head (photo 1). He would then carry them up a hill and dump them into a truck. The work was rather repetitive, but I still found it quite amazing to document because of the huge rocks this one man was carrying. I started photographing different visual elements of the scene; trying to capture the impressiveness of the activity (photo 2). As he lifted the last and largest rock of the day, I purposely angled my camera to include the entire rock (photo 3). This seemingly minor adjustment accomplishes two major goals. First, it brings journalistic interest to the photo: one can’t help notice the sheer size of the rock that this man is resting on his head. Second, it develops artistic/visual interest between the man’s expression and the rock.
This blending of art and story—showing and telling—is what I find missing in much of Contemporary art. Oftentimes, Contemporary art is exclusive to one or the other. Art with visual interest, but no underlying substance quickly loses its connection with the viewer. Art that focuses exclusively on content leaves the viewer perplexed and uninspired (“School: The Archaeology of Lost Desires, Comprehending Infinity and the Search for Knowledge” is a perfect case in point). Having both is necessary for meaningful art. Do you agree with this opinion? What do you think are the key ingredients to meaningful art? Do you think that Contemporary art more often than not overlooks this integral dichotomy? Feel free to leave a response.
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3 Responses to “Workers in Kerala, India (Part 1 of 3) and Donnie Update”
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Hi Donnie,
I’ve been checking in on your blog from time to time and just read your comments about contemporary art, which I find quite provocative. I’m not sure I agree with your mobilization of “contemporary art” as a unified, definable aesthetic category. Also, I’m wondering about this assertion that form and content are out of balance in “contemporary art.” Finally, I’d want to know more about your assumption that inspiration and the delivery of meaning are a priori goals of art. In any case, thanks for launching these questions, it’s encouraging to read someone engaging with these very important questions of roles and social functions of art. Looking forward to reading more.
Best,
Anna
Thank you for your comments! I was hoping someone would question a few of the generalizations/assumptions made in the last entry. Particularly the point that art is primarily for inspiration and that “Contemporary Art” is an easily identifiable category. Asserting that art is solely for inspiration and the delivery of meaning limits the possibilities of art. Many artists today have done an excellent job at expanding our understanding of art and its purposes. Also, “Contemporary Art” is indeed a tough genre to define because art falling under this umbrella can be poles apart.
Speaking from personal experience, art that has influenced me has both an aesthetic beauty, as well as an underlying message. Whether it’s one of Renoir’s self-portraits or a Diane Arbus photograph, these artists have given me a glimpse into their soul. For a brief moment, I’m able to see the world as Renoir did, or as Diane Arbus. This experience doesn’t happen when I view an exhibit of dead sheep, which in my opinion is exclusively content and no soul. This brings me back to the question I asked earlier. What do you think are the key ingredients to meaningful art? What else is art capable of?
Great post!