(after) genesis
preface
In the beginning there was a war, and it brought with it some lessons. With every utterance of a truth, comes a cyclical rebirth of that truth, and time is perennial.
In this project, we wish to explore the changing nature of our primordial texts with changing times, but also acknowledge their conceptual similarities. With these photos, we want to weave the epic stories of love and war with the thread of modern reimagination. We’ve taken three poems from our readings in class that focus on love, conflict, and an intermingling of them both.
With love, we explore platonic female companionships and their interesting physical intimacies surrounding water. For war, we’ve chosen the internal battle one fights with oneself when choosing between their duties, desires and tough decisions. Lastly, we explore a combination of romantic conflicts with homosexuality and male queerness that is often unexplored and remains in secrecy.
“What She Said to Her Girl Friend When She Returned from the Hills
Bless you, friend. Listen.
Sweeter than milk
mixed with honey from our gardens
is the leftover water in his land,
low in the waterholes
covered with leaves
and muddied by animals.
-A. K. Ramanujan”
“Bhagavad Gita
i feel
drained
my
mouth’s dry
my
tremble
is me my every
hair in shock
my
bow slips
i’m
feverish
i can barely
stand
my mind
Wheels
don’t wanna be a here
don’t need no empire
what’s there to enjoy
what’s the point of it all
-Mani Rao”
“There is also rain
“Pari, Pari”
So go the varied praises
of poets with fertile tongues.
There is not only Pari
but also rain
to sustain this world.
-Kapilar”