Bank, 2019 (plastic bottles, staples, battery light)

Text About 'Bank, 2019':

 

It’s believed that ancient man, the Old Ankotakka, lived on the banks of the Mahi River, which flows through the north of Vadodara, India. The movements of these hunter-gatherers, living on the banks of the river, can be traced by the cobbles and pebbles available on the river bank. These raw materials were used as their crude stone tools enabling them to grub roots and kill animals. However, no evidence of the existence of early man is found in and around present-day Vadodara. This is due to the absence of gravels and cobbles on the banks of the Vishwamitri rivulet.

 

I'm therefore looking to bring back these ancient artefacts, re-creating the pebbles & stones of the banks of the Mahi River that was inhabited by ancient man. However, I’ve used a material that is of abundance to the land and notoriously difficult to disappear - plastic.

 

During the residency, I asked the artist camp to save their water bottles for the use of this work. Each artist has therefore inadvertently contributed at least a ‘pebble’, enabling me to build up the beginnings of ‘Bank’. The shiny objects also take on a jewel like quality, giving the title another meaning.