Title of project: <Mummy Table> In collaboration with Dozen Table, Table 4; 26/05/2018.
Collaborator: Hidemi Nishida (architect).
Medium: Multidisciplinary Dialogue.
Size: Variable.
Process:
Bamboo Curtain Studio is situated near Tamsui River creek and mangrove forest. Fish trawling is getting less due to excessive fishing, Taiwan is well known as fish country. it was easier for me to connect with my ongoing art practice. The country is also worried about Fukushima Nuclear disaster, The Pacific Ocean is getting polluted.
I collected some fish from fishermen which are popular in Taipei market. Fish were gutted by me and buried in salt for Five days. Later they were dried in sunlight, this is a traditional process of drying fish in our community, in process of preliminary research I found similar technique is used for mummifying Egyptian mummies.
This project is about Death, Degradation and Loss, my whole art practice is about ‘Loss’ in many varied forms and subjects. So hereby Process in of mummification I am keeping DNA as evidence of loss.
I needed a table for mummification where twenty people will come and Mummify these dried fishes, Japanese Artist Hidemi Nishida was working on ‘Dozen Table Project’
I collected some fish from fishermen which are popular in Taipei market. Fish were gutted by me and buried in salt for Five days. Later they were dried in sunlight, this is a traditional process of drying fish in our community, in process of preliminary research I found similar technique is used for mummifying Egyptian mummies.
This project is about Death, Degradation and Loss, my whole art practice is about ‘Loss’ in many varied forms and subjects. So hereby Process in of mummification I am keeping DNA as evidence of loss.
I needed a table for mummification where twenty people will come and Mummify these dried fishes, Japanese Artist Hidemi Nishida was working on ‘Dozen Table Project’
I collaborated with him, also he was working on Fukushima nuclear disaster, it was logically and Conceptually good collaboration. Hedemi Nishida (Japanese Artist) made one six meters long table and I cooked few Koli (fishermen) recipes for dinner which are rarely cooked by new generation it was kind of a celebration of loss.
We invited people on Facebook, and there was registration limit of twenty guest.
The project begins with poetic dialogue Written by me and edited into the script by me and Hedemi. After poetic dialogues we explained how to process for mummification, after mummification, we proceed to dinner at the Same table. I made one large scroll of drawing of Six meters for the table on which all the rituals of mummification and dinner were performed, later participants were asked to write recipes related to fish on the same drawing.
The project begins with poetic dialogue Written by me and edited into the script by me and Hedemi. After poetic dialogues we explained how to process for mummification, after mummification, we proceed to dinner at the Same table. I made one large scroll of drawing of Six meters for the table on which all the rituals of mummification and dinner were performed, later participants were asked to write recipes related to fish on the same drawing.
<Chapter 1 - poem>
Salt of ocean, Salt as portion
Moon attached in the midst of ocean
Water in pan will turn into salt soon
They disappeared, saltpan into woods
Soon I will transform into concrete woods
Sir. Sun god is meeting Mr. Moon to discuss about mysterious dark matters
Moon:
“Dark water is not listening to me sir”
Sun:
“Ask Barnacles and Corals to clean”
“Ask Mangrove forest to clean”
“Ask water to clean water”
“Ask clouds to clean, faster!!”
Moon:
“You know Sir they all are sell-fish”
Sun:
“Mister Moon, is there anything fishy going on?;
Then ask fish to clean it”,
Moon:
“Sir we should call fisherman, he is the only hope”
Fisherman:
“I am no more Fisherman”
Sun:
“Sssssssstop you fool little Moon or I shall disconnect your shine, which is mine”
“Mister Moon this is time of extinction”
“Mister fishyman I have task for you”
“We need your help to dry the fishes, save them all as much as you can, as soon as possible”
“Mister Moon call his sisters they can do this soon”
“Mister Moon we are nearly doomed, enlighten them or I will fight with them”
Moon:
“I am frightened Sir, fruit of Eden had given them knowledge”
Sun:
“Ask Lord Vishnu to take away knowledge and He was base of all resources during Samudra Manthana (churning of the ocean)”
“Take all resources back”
Moon:
“Sir what about me”
Sun:
“Mister Moon we need to save everything before Lord Shiva the destroyer, destroys everything”
Moon:
“Sir we can ask Lord Bramha the creator to create once again”
Sun:
“Call Matzu, we need to seat on Table and have discussion about Dark waters”
Moon:
“But sir”
Sun:
“We need to restart again”
“My dear Moon process has already begun”
“Disconnect everything!!”
Moon:
“Everything!?”
Sun:
“Yes, everything and mummify every bit of it”
- Parag Kashinath Tandel
<Chapter 2 - Mummification>
Sun:
“Mr. moon, please explain next process”
Moon:
“Okay Mr.Sun, Now we start mummification process”
“Okay Mr.Sun, Now we start mummification process”
“Dear audience, there are mummified fish on the table in front of you”
“We kindly ask you to help us to finish the mummification process”
“First, the given plastic should be stuffed into the stomach of the fishes”
“After, take needle and thread on the table and stitch their stomach”
“Then, wrap them up with the white band”
—— Mummification workshop —–
Moon:
“Oh, now mummification is almost done!”
“Mr. Sun, what did you mummify?
Sun:
“Umm, I had a squid with two bodies”
“What about you, Mr. Moon?”
Moon:
“Oh, actually I got a shrimp with two heads”
<Chapter 3 - Dinner>
Moon:
“Dear audience, thank you for your contribution”
“Now all the fishes on the table are mummified”
“Then, we also need to keep their recipes”
“Please enjoy the dinner”
—– Dishes are coming and dinner starts —–
Moon:
“Bytheway, Mr.Sun, what are today’s recipes?”
Sun:
“Oh, thank you for asking”
“So there are some recipes which are using these fishes and are getting lost slowly”
“Someday these recipes will be extinct”
Moon:
“So Mr.Sun, do you think the audience can also share their recipes?”
Sun:
“Yes!”
Moon:
“Dear audience, please keep enjoy your dinner, and if you have some idea of disappearing recipe, you can share it with us”
“Please use the papyrus pen and write your recipe on the drawing”
“You can write anyways; just name, ingredients, cooking process, or drawing of how it looks like”
—– Eating, chatting, writing, drawing —–
Moon:
“Dear audience, thank you for your contribution today”
“Now we collected mummies of the fishes, and also their recipes!”
The end.