This reading blog focuses on my honors thesis project. My thesis project, titled Mõaj, is a continuing discourse about my experiences of physical and psychological displacement, genetic memory, a reclamation of the land, and reconnection with my ancestors. This piece embodies the heaviness of these ideas. It is a sculpture constructed of over 550 feet of steel and traditional Indian fabric. It moves around the room in a fluid manner, latching onto its walls. Its mass is constrained within the space and spills out of the room in an attempt to breathe. The steel, forced into organic topographical shapes, serves as the skeleton for the colorful skin of fabric on top. While the piece exists in a liminal space, it tries to define its own sense of self. Mõaj is a reflection of my experience as redefining a narrative of trauma and generational suffering. The impact of this genocide threatens to destroy the vibrancy and colorful nature of my culture, but this piece is an assertive revival of it.
The topography of Mõaj is a digital interpretation of the Himalayan Mountain Range surrounding the Kashmir Valley. My mother has always told me how similar the landscape, climate, and topography of Kashmir is to Colorado. The massive mountains, the high-altitude, and the snow all hold similarities. In this way, through the land, I am still able to experience a small part of what my life would have been like if I had been born in Kashmir. My body has evolved to a cold climate and mountainous terrain, and I am able to experience the land in the same way that my ancestors have. The land is a powerful bridge of connection.
The process of making this piece utilized an evolution of memory. The topography of the Himalayan Mountains surrounding Kashmir was sourced from satellite data map memory. This was transferred to CAD drawing software, where the curves of the mountainous terrain were traced. Then, those curves were isolated from the terrain and sent to the CNC router machine to be cut onto wood panels. Finally, the topographical curves of Kashmir from the wood panels were used as a template to bend the steel.
Mõaj considers a transformation of memory from the digital to the analog, a reversal of how we conserve memories today by making them digital through photography. The digital brings proximity to memory, but is also alienating and distant simultaneously. The process I used in my work to make the structure embodies these ideas.
