POWIS CASTLE Exhibition, 9-27 Nov 2014
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Powis Castle is home to the Clive Museum, which has one of the best collections of Indian artefacts in the UK. A significant portion of the exhibits in the museum were taken as ‘spoils of war’ after the British victory in the siege of Seringapatam in 1799, during which Tipu Sultan, the ruler of Mysore was killed. The two works made for the exhibition deal with issues of history, identity and the legacy of British rule in India.
TIPU'S TENT REVISITED (2014)
One of the looted trophies from Seringapatam on display at Powis Castle is the fabulous painted chintz tent, used by Tipu on ceremonial occasions. I created another tent, also with walls made of chintz cotton, but the fabric has been made to my own design, and produced on a digital fabric printer. The traditional chintz ‘Tree of Life’ pattern was subverted to include icons that explore the history of British Rule in India.
Inside the tent a video of a performance by a British Asian dance group is projected onto layers of gauze and sari fabric. The video is a result of time spent collaborating with Jai Jashn Dance, a Wolverhampton-based community dance group. The dancers here perform to a popular Bollywood song – an example of the blending of Western and Asian cultures.
TIPU'S TENT REVISITED (2014)
One of the looted trophies from Seringapatam on display at Powis Castle is the fabulous painted chintz tent, used by Tipu on ceremonial occasions. I created another tent, also with walls made of chintz cotton, but the fabric has been made to my own design, and produced on a digital fabric printer. The traditional chintz ‘Tree of Life’ pattern was subverted to include icons that explore the history of British Rule in India.
Inside the tent a video of a performance by a British Asian dance group is projected onto layers of gauze and sari fabric. The video is a result of time spent collaborating with Jai Jashn Dance, a Wolverhampton-based community dance group. The dancers here perform to a popular Bollywood song – an example of the blending of Western and Asian cultures.
TIPU'S REVENGE (2014)
The second work proved to be a lot more problematic, both in terms of construction and in the reaction to the work by the management at Powis Castle. This work is based on another item of Tipu's property looted at the seige of Seringapatam: the famous Tipu's Tiger, which is one of the most popular exhibits at the V&A Museum. This automaton is made of carved and painted wood and shows a tiger on the chest of a British Redcoat soldier. By turning a handle the tiger can be made to roar and the soldier waves a hand.
My version updates the original by substituting Queen Victoria for the anonymous soldier in a mischievous and symbolic act of revenge on behalf of Tipu for the fall of his kingdom. It is made of wood and paper mache, and uses a programmable microprocessor to control electric motors to create movements, and an mp3 player to enable the tiger to roar.
However the National Trust's sensitivity about the depiction of a member of the Royal family, even one long-dead meant that it was considered unsuitable for display at the castle. It was therefore displayed at the VAN Gallery in Shrewsbury, from 25th November and continuing until after Christmas. The story made the local newspaper and was then picked up by the Hindustan Times of Delhi! - see 'Press' section for details.
The second work proved to be a lot more problematic, both in terms of construction and in the reaction to the work by the management at Powis Castle. This work is based on another item of Tipu's property looted at the seige of Seringapatam: the famous Tipu's Tiger, which is one of the most popular exhibits at the V&A Museum. This automaton is made of carved and painted wood and shows a tiger on the chest of a British Redcoat soldier. By turning a handle the tiger can be made to roar and the soldier waves a hand.
My version updates the original by substituting Queen Victoria for the anonymous soldier in a mischievous and symbolic act of revenge on behalf of Tipu for the fall of his kingdom. It is made of wood and paper mache, and uses a programmable microprocessor to control electric motors to create movements, and an mp3 player to enable the tiger to roar.
However the National Trust's sensitivity about the depiction of a member of the Royal family, even one long-dead meant that it was considered unsuitable for display at the castle. It was therefore displayed at the VAN Gallery in Shrewsbury, from 25th November and continuing until after Christmas. The story made the local newspaper and was then picked up by the Hindustan Times of Delhi! - see 'Press' section for details.
