I volunteered at Auroville, a township in South India endorsed by UNESCO and the Government of India as an ongoing experiment in human unity.
It is an international community (with over 50 nationalities) dedicated to sustainable living and a variety of projects ranging from organic farming and renewable energy to IT and handicrafts.
My stay made for a wonderful experience where I had the chance to be involved in various community activities such as gardening, painting, playing with children at the Udhayam Educational & Cultural Center and interacting with the Korean Traveling School.
The monsoon season and its downpours in India are associated with a sense of relief and welcomed after a typical scorching summer.
I designed an installation to celebrate the downpour, the relief and the memories attached. It embraces the richness of language, script and expression and aims to reflect the diversity and the wonderful sense of community at Auroville.
The project invited members of the community to jot down their favorite memories from the monsoon season in their native tongue.
Materials include newspaper, cotton, lights, string and dried leaves. Painted in deep blue and gold, the leaves draw from the shape of raindrops.
Memories include the story of an ice-cream tree that mysteriously appeared only on rainy days, making paper boats in the rain, being told off for playing with snails, Mum’s soup, to name a few.