From Market to Dumping Ground - Matheran Waste Cart Procession

From Market to Dumping Ground - Matheran Waste Cart Procession | Site Specific Performance Collaboration by Chiman Dangi and Brydee Rood 2015 |  Matheran Green Festival. 

Spurred from the context of life in Matheran Hills, a performance action, which involved high-jacking a working rubbish collection cart, and honouring its workers and the process of waste collection by unfolding a series of a sacred rituals throughout the procession from the main market place to the Matheran Dumping Ground. We created garments from silver plates, leaf plates and recycled fabrics; we decorated Jharoo with gold and silver foils and ribbons, and used them like warrior’s arms or ceremonial staffs. Our heads were adorned with a crowning 3rd eye for nature something befitting the forest on the forehead and empowering the inner eco warrior and garbage goddess queen.

From Market to Dumping Ground - Matheran Waste Cart Procession was created as a direct response to the environs of Matheran - meaning "forest on the forehead" an eco sensitive Bombay hill station “discovered by Hugh Poyntz Malet, the then district collector of Thane district in May 1850. Today

Matheran is a very curious place, without modes of popular transport cars, bikes, busses… the tradition of riding by horseback, hand pulled cart or walking prevails and impacts positively on daily life an inviting lush holiday destination popular with tourists. On the other hand - the impact and residues of human waste are evident throughout the delicate habitat. Plummeting breath taking views into Matheran’s green valleys are belied by accumulated carpets of thrown plastic bottles, food packets, snack plates… The evidence of a contemporary human presence carelessly left in the wake of their collective daily life. 

Survival Yoga

Survival Yoga | Brydee Rood and Chiman Dangi 2014 | Site specific performance and video installation at NiV Art Centre Mt Abu Artist in Residence Program. 

We began thinking a lot about clean environments - wild and domestic, relating to topics of health and survival and the tasks of daily life. Survival Yoga involves the revival of an old, rusty, and broken Jhula (love seat, swing) which we found discarded on the rooftop of the NiV residency. We were drawn to its sculptural qualities and its functionality, finding value and promise in this object, we also noted that there were quite a few Jhula in the homes and gardens of Mt Abu residents.

Inspired by our many visits to Mt Abu's numerous and diverse temples, we wished to combine ritual with creative play using a variety of material ephemera to communicate something of our experience. The playful action of swinging to and fro and the delicate wrapping of Mali (foil papers) over the rusted iron limbs come together with dangling recycled drip bottles collected from the local hospital, sweeper brooms bought in the market, fallen flowers and survival blankets. The performance swings into life as each artist takes a turn to sit in the meditative rocking seat.

Untitled Land

Untitled Land | A collaborative site specific installation and performance by Chiman Dangi and Brydee Rood situated around a vacant lot come wasteland on Ambamata Temple Road, Udaipur, India 2013 | Materials: Local pigment, assorted rubbish bags, raincoats, auto rickshaw, solar lights and miscellaneous reused waste material. Photographers: Sunil Nimawat and Vijendra Devra. Link to article about Untitled Land