THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A wrecked dhow awaits the public before the Corporation building. A human figurine sandwiched between a huge passport dangles from it. In the backdrop, a poem is played, the rendering of which encapsulates the tribulations and sufferings of many a Malayali who sailed overseas to sculpt a life but failed miserably. A few headstones lay scattered nearby. It is ‘Deira’, a poetry installation.
It is the representation of the poem ‘Deira’ penned by Joy Mathew that dwells on the shattered dreams of many such Malayalees. Deira is a city in UAE which has been a witness to the shattered dreams of many a Malayali. The harsh realities and the intense emotions they face is depicted powerfully through the installation which has been set up by the artists of Poetry Installation Trust as part of the ongoing Loka Kerala Sabha in the city. The artwork is a journey through poetry and adds another dimension to poems.
“You get an image once you read a poem. We attempt to figure out the poetry within a poem. Here you get to listen as well as experience the magic of poetry,” says Vinod Sankar about the poetry installation which blends sound, sculpture and recitation.
The poem ‘Abra’ is based on a real-life character ‘Appukunju’, who committed suicide by jumping into Abra creek. Appukunju got steeped in debt and committed suicide, leaving all his belongings including his clothes ashore. The installation titled ‘Abra’ has been placed in front of the Public Office.
The crew behind the installation includes artists Vinod Krishna and Vinayan, Linu Chakrapani (craft work), Dhanya Vinod (3D imaging and graphics), Ranganath Ravi (sync sound) and Nithin Lukose (sound mixing).They have hitherto crafted around 13 installations across Kerala and the next one will feature the fourth sense, that of smell.