Good reference local book especially in terms of colours..

 

http://www.livranoo.com/livre-Maurice-Rodrigues-Les-Fonds-Marins-de-l'ile-Maurice-et-de-Rodrigues-933.html

The beach..

The path leading to the beach: letting the silence do all the talking..

 












 

Affirmations

"Konokono"

 

"Konokono" is a sea creature that exists in Mauritius and in Rodrigues; the neighbouring Island of Mauritius. The species found in Rodriques is unique and it is quite common to see the shells of the "Konokono" lying on the beaches there. However, people of that place are not so interested in the shells: the "Konokono" is rather one of the delicacies of the place and its flesh is often served in salad.http://cuisine-cocovilla.blogspot.com/2014/05/salade-de-kono-kono.html I had the opportunity to taste it (when I was still non-vegetarian) and it is delicious. Its taste is close to the flesh of the Octopus;however, the "Konokono" is also known to be slightly hallucinogenic- I have my doubts on that; however together with a glass of wine and good food, the mood become joyful and festive.

I want to dwell on this aspect of how this shell seems to be unimportant to the people living in that region and so important to me. The fact that they are accustomed to see these shells makes them unimportant to its inhabitants; it is only its flesh that are of interest. The shells look common however while looking closer, they have a different texture from other shells that I have found. I like the colours too: there seem to be a palette of shades of  different colours: purple, red, brown and green. The french word "déguster" comes to my mind suddenly: to savour with the eye and to savour its taste..http://fran.cornu.free.fr/affichage/affichage_nom.php?id_espece=1653 Seafood is something very common on islands as it is easily available; however it is considered as delicacy for the foreigners. I also think of the word "excellence" which is often associated to "high cuisine" which is a form of art...

Beach Therapy.

 “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door”:“You stand on the beach and taste the salty smell of the wind that comes from the ocean, and inside you feel the warmth of never ending freedom, and on your lips the bitter, tear-soaked kiss of your lover”.

These drawings were done on the spot while sitting under the shade of a tree. It is so true when Annabel talked about living the situation (smell, sight, taste...) The sound of waves is very comforting and I am on the searching mode as I start to look closely at everything around.

It was a very hot sticky afternoon where I became immersed in the salty smell and taste as I drew on from my discoveries. This feeling is unique and also so important. I would like to record the sound of the sea in future; I have seen yoga programmes use them for meditation purposes. Here is what they say about the sound/sight/smell/touch/taste:

It`s connected with how we perceive external information. We get about 90% of information with the help of our eyes (visual type of perception); 9% – with the help of our ears (sound perception), and only 1% of it we take from other sense organs (touch, taste, smell).
So, if we turn on the sounds of the seashore, lie down on the bed, and close our eyes (thereby turning off 90% of visual perception), we will find ourselves on the sea…

Such audiolization improves your mood and sleep, calms down your nervous system, and helps fight with stress and depression. Listening to these sounds you can get a massage, sleep or meditate.

Interesting idea to think on and as they say: “The earth has music for those who listen.” ― George Santayana

The things I look at and the things I look for..

There are things I look at and there are things I look for. The things I look at at the moment are related to pain,death and sadness. They are the fearful objects that I can't negate from my life; disturbing, forceful and sucking all the joy and positive energy. I feel more at ease to talk about them now. My meeting with Annabel Dover was a turning point. She redefined my parameters in a sense and made me realise how feelings and emotions cannot be dissociated from my project. She also encouraged me to document on these objects even if only to photograph them and to shelve aside for future use if need be.

Of course in contrast, the things I look for is definitely an escape zone area; the comforting activity of finding beauty and highlighting it. I also liked the way Annabel canalised everything into the diary approach: documenting a simple idea a day seems lighter than overthinking about concept and complexities all at one go. There is also something truthful about documenting my father's illness. It is about personal involvement; the same old story of analysing the narrative of the material is present; the story of within the narrative..

Annabel offered me a panoply of references to look for. The British Botanist Anna Atkins had my immediate full attention as I researched on her drawings https://archive.org/stream/lamarcksgeneraof00lama#page/102/mode/2up
Anna Atkins made drawings for her father's book: "Lamarck's Genera of Shells". She also made an album with her cousin Anne Dixon of things they had collected on their walks, when both were mourning their fathers. Collection often acts as a self-therapy process and the author Daniel Miller in his book "The Comfort of Things" debates how "the closer our relationships are with objects; the closer our relationship are with people". The idea of mapping the territory by collecting material is essential to me. 
A contemporary artist who shares my interest is Peter Atkins who says: "My work is about interaction, humanity, the remnants, what's left", "challenging people to look at what makes up their day." and "responding to the commonplace and mundane". His bold abstractions on canvas and multi panelled journals utilise the ephemera of his travels – everything from buttons to bottle tops, sequins and washing machine lint.  Hidden amidst the strange forms are indigenous artefacts and the odd deviations of Outsider Art. Atkins is an alchemist mixing condom wrappers, messages from fortune cookies, lotto tickets, confetti… not just things, but loaded things, writes Max McLean, that speak of chance or destiny, birth and death, form and entropy.http://tolarnogalleries.com/artists/peter-atkins/