My wheels around town. #IndianBenz
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Pinhole photography in Goa.
A few weekends ago, I headed to the famed beach state of Goa with the lovely Danika Cooper to take a seminar on pinhole photography. Goa is stunningly beautiful, teaming with palm trees, lush countryside and (relatively) clean beaches. This is India afterall.
In the workshop we found old cardboard boxes lying around and converted them into pinhole cameras. Making a camera is surprisingly simple. With the help of some black tape, a needle, and a piece of metal from a Coca-Cola bottle, we made ourselves some pretty decent photography equipment. :)
This is my favorite photo my pinhole took. If you look closely, you can see Danika and I sitting on the steps of the house. It took 8 minutes to expose, and then we developed the paper in a dark room.
Have any of you ever made a pinhole camera or done dark room photography? It's my absolute favorite.
In the workshop we found old cardboard boxes lying around and converted them into pinhole cameras. Making a camera is surprisingly simple. With the help of some black tape, a needle, and a piece of metal from a Coca-Cola bottle, we made ourselves some pretty decent photography equipment. :)
This is my favorite photo my pinhole took. If you look closely, you can see Danika and I sitting on the steps of the house. It took 8 minutes to expose, and then we developed the paper in a dark room.
Have any of you ever made a pinhole camera or done dark room photography? It's my absolute favorite.
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
A new drawing for your Wednesday.
Caryatid, 15"x11", Mixed media on paper, 2011
This drawing started out as a lemon tree, then somehow ended up with a chick in it. I love when drawings morph into their own entities.
Click here if you need it on your wall. xo.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Monday, January 30, 2012
A new collage for your Monday.
Just finished this collage using left over chocolate wrappers, cut paper, and random Mother Theresa stamps I found in our closet. The figurine is based on a vintage Hindu temple god that I was given as a gift in Pondicherry.
If you've been following along here you probably know that I don't generally work in collage--however, this one was so fun I might have to do more in the future. Using found materials to create artwork is always such a welcome challenge.
12"x12", Mixed media and collage on paper affixed to panel, 2012
If you've been following along here you probably know that I don't generally work in collage--however, this one was so fun I might have to do more in the future. Using found materials to create artwork is always such a welcome challenge.
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
The Taj Mahal
No trip to India is complete without a visit to the Taj.
Built by Shah Jahan as a tomb for his favorite wife, a Persian queen named Mumtaz, this structure is one of the most stunning sites I've ever seen in my life.
The Taj is considered India's grandest symbol of love, attracting millions of newly married couples every year. So when we visited with my parents, our tour guide insisted we all pose for cheesy love shots.
And I don't think they've ever looked cuter.
Have any of you ever made the trek to Agra for a Taj visit?
Built by Shah Jahan as a tomb for his favorite wife, a Persian queen named Mumtaz, this structure is one of the most stunning sites I've ever seen in my life.
The Taj is considered India's grandest symbol of love, attracting millions of newly married couples every year. So when we visited with my parents, our tour guide insisted we all pose for cheesy love shots.
And I don't think they've ever looked cuter.
Have any of you ever made the trek to Agra for a Taj visit?
Saturday, January 21, 2012
A new drawing for your Saturday.
Moo. God bless the Indian cow.
Holy Cows, Ink on paper, 9"x12", 2011
Pretty reminiscent of this painting I made when I first arrived. Both available for sale through Ugallery. Click here if you need it on your wall.
Friday, January 20, 2012
Sari Magic
Only took 3 hours of youtube to figure out how to tie this baby. And once I did, it's all I wanted to wear.
Shopping for saris in India is so. much. fun. Stores like Nallis and Fab India have floor to ceiling piles and piles of colorful saris in every material imaginable and every pattern possible. It takes serious self-discipline not to buy them all. :)
I think when we head back to the States, above all else, I'm going to miss wearing saris the most. They're pure magic.
ps...Vintage photos of how to wrap a sari.
"The Sari, it is said, was born on the loom of a fanciful weaver. He dreamt of Woman. The shimmer of her tears. The drape of her tumbling hair. The colors of her many moods. The softness of her touch. All these he wove together. He couldn't stop. He wove for many yards. And when he was done, the story goes, he sat back and smiled and smiled and smiled." (source)
Shopping for saris in India is so. much. fun. Stores like Nallis and Fab India have floor to ceiling piles and piles of colorful saris in every material imaginable and every pattern possible. It takes serious self-discipline not to buy them all. :)
I think when we head back to the States, above all else, I'm going to miss wearing saris the most. They're pure magic.
ps...Vintage photos of how to wrap a sari.
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Jaipur + Bombay
Jaipur, also known as the Pink City, is one of my all time favorite spots in India. It's filled with intricate paintings, Moghul architecture, and delicious naan bread. It's also really likely you'll see elephants and cars driving together on the roads, which makes everything so much more enjoyable for some reason.
After Jaipur, we headed over to Bombay for New Years and some city exploring. It was in Bombay that we encouraged my family to step out of their tourist bubble for a day and take a tour of the most densely populated slum in all of India, Dharavi.
India is nothing if not a country of dichotomies. And perhaps the most obvious one, is the cataclysmic gap between rich and poor. For anyone interested in visiting this crazy sub-continent we call home, I highly recommend making sure you see both sides of India. Most tourists come and go without actually seeing what life is like for nearly 2/3 of the population.
The tour was organized by Be The Local, an organization founded and operated by Dharavi residents. Our guide was a 19 year old college student who was born and raised in the slum. He was awesome.
We learned that the slum is actually a really vibrant center for recycling, pottery, and many other industries. Nearly $1 billion worth of products come out of Dharavi every year. Tragically, very little of that money actually gets funneled back to the hundreds of thousands of people working long hours in these industries. Corruption in India is deeply rooted and ever present. There's no escaping its destructive forces, and in most peoples' opinion, very little hope for future change. Nevertheless, we found beauty where stereotypically there is none, and had our assumptions about "slum-life" challenged and changed.
For more information on Be The Local, visit their website here or read their mention in the NYTimes.
After Jaipur, we headed over to Bombay for New Years and some city exploring. It was in Bombay that we encouraged my family to step out of their tourist bubble for a day and take a tour of the most densely populated slum in all of India, Dharavi.
[Woman digging through trash, separating plastics out for recycling]
India is nothing if not a country of dichotomies. And perhaps the most obvious one, is the cataclysmic gap between rich and poor. For anyone interested in visiting this crazy sub-continent we call home, I highly recommend making sure you see both sides of India. Most tourists come and go without actually seeing what life is like for nearly 2/3 of the population.
The tour was organized by Be The Local, an organization founded and operated by Dharavi residents. Our guide was a 19 year old college student who was born and raised in the slum. He was awesome.
We learned that the slum is actually a really vibrant center for recycling, pottery, and many other industries. Nearly $1 billion worth of products come out of Dharavi every year. Tragically, very little of that money actually gets funneled back to the hundreds of thousands of people working long hours in these industries. Corruption in India is deeply rooted and ever present. There's no escaping its destructive forces, and in most peoples' opinion, very little hope for future change. Nevertheless, we found beauty where stereotypically there is none, and had our assumptions about "slum-life" challenged and changed.
For more information on Be The Local, visit their website here or read their mention in the NYTimes.
Friday, January 13, 2012
Berlin's "Cloud Cities"
My brother just got his roll of film from our weekend trip to Berlin developed, and I wanted to share the best parts with you.
A huge thank you to Christine, who sent me wonderful tips about where to go, eat, and see. Our favorite exhibition was "Cloud Cities" by Tomas Saraceno at Hamburger Bahnhof.
Saraceno is an architect by training but has definitely branched into the realm of sculpture and installation. His exhibit was so inviting and allowed us as viewers to interact physically with the piece.
Airplants grew freely in plastic bubbles all interconnected with black thread. It was like entering a modern Hanging Gardens of Babylon. We loved climbing into the bubbles and crawling around inside the giant terrariums.
If you're in the Berlin area, this is not an exhibit to be missed! It's the best 6 euros I ever spent.
[photos by Andisha Croft and Donesh Ferdowsi]
A huge thank you to Christine, who sent me wonderful tips about where to go, eat, and see. Our favorite exhibition was "Cloud Cities" by Tomas Saraceno at Hamburger Bahnhof.
Saraceno is an architect by training but has definitely branched into the realm of sculpture and installation. His exhibit was so inviting and allowed us as viewers to interact physically with the piece.
Airplants grew freely in plastic bubbles all interconnected with black thread. It was like entering a modern Hanging Gardens of Babylon. We loved climbing into the bubbles and crawling around inside the giant terrariums.
If you're in the Berlin area, this is not an exhibit to be missed! It's the best 6 euros I ever spent.
[photos by Andisha Croft and Donesh Ferdowsi]
Monday, January 9, 2012
7 cities, 3 countries, 35 days.
There are a lot of pictures.
I've been sifting through them for days trying to decide what to post, but I'm sure these are still way too many. Each city was so photogenic it makes it hard to decide. But for now, here are a few from Rome and Jaipur. Ciao Bella!
In Rome we met up with my parents and then in true Eat, Pray, Love fashion, flew from Italy to India.
In Jaipur we stayed on the rooftop of Alsisar Haveli, a converted palace hotel. We hit all the tourist stops for my parents (Amer Fort, Jantar Mantar, City Palace, etc.), and even did a little off-roading to visit the famed Samode Palace. Jaipur is pretty much magical.
I've been sifting through them for days trying to decide what to post, but I'm sure these are still way too many. Each city was so photogenic it makes it hard to decide. But for now, here are a few from Rome and Jaipur. Ciao Bella!
In the beautiful city of Roma we visited the new MAXXI Museum and loved their "Indian Highway" exhibition. Nalini Malani's paintings were such a treat to see in person.
In Jaipur we stayed on the rooftop of Alsisar Haveli, a converted palace hotel. We hit all the tourist stops for my parents (Amer Fort, Jantar Mantar, City Palace, etc.), and even did a little off-roading to visit the famed Samode Palace. Jaipur is pretty much magical.
More to come. But for now our electricity keeps cutting out. #thirdworldproblems
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)