‘Fluid, not Frozen’: Assigning memory to material

Abstract

‘Fluid, not Frozen’ delves into the relationship between intangible memory and its material form, as experienced through collaborative projects with artists from Kutch and Rajasthan, India. These artists employ the mediums of cloth and wood, respectively, to manifest and embed their memories in tangible forms such as embroidery and the kaavad shrine. The communities’ artworks (or artistic traditions) serve as living examples of the dynamic, evolving nature of memory and material, with cloth and wood echoing the malleability and resilience of memory. This article shares the insights that emerged from the collaboration between the artists and the filmmaker–author with regard to the fluidity and transformation of memory and material.