PATHOREMANUSH

Project Proposal: Pathoremanush:

More detail of the projects - https://pathore-manush.blogspot.com/

The Narrative of the Labour In Silchar Assam 

Brickman (Pathoremanush) is a process-based collective work. This site-specific project is intended to take place at Pathartila in Silchar, Assam.

Pathartila is a place where soil mining is the main source of livelihood.The area is littered with such mines and brick building factories. The majority of the inhabitants depend on these factories as temporary labor. The presence of these factories not only has altered the landscape but has also subtly changed the environment as the high underground oven increases the soil temperature of this area to a comparatively higher level.

Why Bricks?

The question about choosing brick as an object of our work was a necessary argument of this performance. Brick is one of the important units of sky rise urbanity. The urban space dematerializes the singular character of the brick by unifying them into a man-made structure of the world. Interestingly, the brick builders are also shaped in a monolithic structure of labor, as they all are proposed to make bricks in the same size, same shape, and with the same logotype.

Here, we have chosen brick as a metaphor, and our intention is to project ‘brick’ – mass-produced by machines in factories – as a unique piece of art. We intend to emphasize the sense of commonness, not upon the so-called common sense. We will try to deconstruct the values of the unifying structure of the bricks by marking them as a singular and unique piece of creation. This will also help us to separate the identity of the brick as well as of the people who are involved in making them. There are two completely opposite narrations related to bricks. One is how they have created an uncomfortable hyper atmosphere and how they relate to the struggle of a certain class of people. The second is how those are being used in a most comfortable urban space for another class of people. Both these narrations are commoditized and delicately handled by the popular market.

In this site-specific activity, we want to explore the peripherals of the working community of Pathartila. We will try to identify the relations among the people, their soil and the bricks as the remedy of their hunger. Here, we will perform as a group or an individual in accordance to the preferences of the artists and the situation of the work. The work process will be completely interactive, with a critical understanding of the given time and space.

This is a one-year process-based, site-specific project involving discussions among the artists about their thoughts and ideas. The work of the groups or an individual will not be pre-planned and would rather be instantaneous. The basic idea, which has beencited above, is our inspiration for a spontaneous growth of words, documentation, discussion and texts that will continue for a year archive leading to an archiving processof such performances.

Process of Engagement:

The area of the brick factory is highly sensitive, where the whole process may pose some risks. I have already interacted with both the owner and the laborers of the factory. The early stage of the whole process I am focusing on is interaction- based. At the initial stage, I would prefer to have days spent in meetings and regular visits to the site to create a comfort zone where people from both sides can easily interact with each other. I feel that this interaction is important to the work process to study the idea from multiple contexts. In between the process of clay preparation type of clay for the bricks this also important part of work documentation.

The project will also focus on documenting video interviews of the laborers through video, collaborative performances engaging both the artists and laborers. Creating the textual objects out the bricks process, Sound documentation, which is collaborative development.

Another part of this project is to involve the labourers directly in this process. The people who work for hours in a pretty harsh environment have minds of their own, and they never have the opportunity to explore. I intend to publish a monthly/quarterly unedited article by them, which can continue later in the project if they want.

Participants of the project?

The idea of the project is involved with the bigger community aspects. Two different communities are important parts of the activity. As this project is based on Silchar, near Assam University, in the project, students are involved and engaged with the project. We will invite local artists/writers/poets who are willing to be involved with the labour community.