Images of water and desert 2008-2009
Images of water and desert 2006-2007
Tanums Cultural award 2009 Bohuslänningen - newsarticle
Water of the world
During a number of winter working residencies in Morocco I came to reflect upon the long lasting drought and the lack of water that came as a result. Out of garbage from the streets of Morocco I created embroideries, mostly for fun. They turned into a series of embroideries made from leftovers from Coca-Cola and the water industries. In the book "Water Wars" by the Indian environmental activist Dr. Vandana Shiva, I found texts that I combined with the embroideries. Suddenly i wasn't just "for fun" anymore...
People have made themselves dependent on deep drilled wells powered by fossil fuels and electricity with the effect that the old wells dry out. Even the traditional systems to collect water has fallen into oblivion. So in India, according to Vandana Shiva, and so in Morocco where I have learned that 75% of the worlds water consumption comes from irrigation, often of genetically manipulated crops which are very water consuming compared to each regions traditional cereals which is naturally resistant to drought.
Vandana Shiva writes: In the maquiladoras of Mexico drinking water is so scarce that babies and children drink Coca-Cola and Pepsi. -- In an annual report Coca-Cola proclaims:
” All of us in the Coca-Cola family wake up each morning knowing that every single one of the world's 5.6 billion people will get thirsty that day. If we make it impossible for these 5.6 billion people to escape Coca-Cola, then we assure our future success for many years to come. Doing anything else is not an option”
s.99 "Water Wars" by Vandana Shiva
Every Coca-Cola factory consumes up to 1.5 million liters of water daily. I takes 2,5 liters of water to produce 1 liter of Coca-Cola. This massive extraction of the groundwater causes the poor to loose their right to fresh drinking water. Coca-Cola has drained many wells and water reservoirs. Women in the villages is forced to walk 5-6 km to bring home their daily water in water jars carried on their heads, while every day, 8-9 trucks leaves the Coca-Cola factory loaded with Coke!
My readings of Vandana Shivas book brought me to India and the water theme grew into "Images of water and deserts". Read more below...
Images of water and desert 2008/2009
Project, theme exhibition & lecture.
This project is both an independent exhibition (se Works) as well as an embroidery cooperation with village women from the desert of Rajasthan about their daily life and water reality. The project which begun in Morocco spans over two residencies in India and has been going on for a couple of years now, gradually developing as new experiences and impulses are occurring.
ON MY LATEST JOURNEY TO INDIA NOV 2008- FEB 2009 I was accompanied by my collegue Britta Kleberg. Our intention was to continue developing the embroideries into some sort of selfemployment for the villagewomen. A group of young girls, 12-15 yearl old, showed such great interest that we also started an ”embroidery school” under Brittas lead, where the girls embroidered images from their daily life. We helped founding the embroidery club "Mahila aur Pani" consisting of around 40 women and girls.
We created an exhibition in an exhibition space in Jaisalmer. Embroidery sales started in a city hotel and on several other locations around the town.
Above the the exhibitors at the exhibition, where some of the embroideries were sold. Most of them we bought ourselves to sell at our exhibitions and lectures in Sweden. Together with donations this income makes it possible to continue our work with the women. Please se project report from 2006/2007 below.
Se our project broschure that was used in India.
Would you like to support our project in Jaisalmer?
Please contact Elsa Agélii by e-mail: elsa.agelii@telia.com
Images of water and desert 2006/2007
Project, theme exhibition & lecture.
During my first stay n the desert in 2006, I met a group of social workers who devote themselves in a Ghandi inspired work in the desert villages, mainly focusing on health, nutrition, education, and help to self help in different ways. Among other projects at the time was an embroidery course for young women in the village of Bilaon.
I got the idea and was inspired to find out if it was possible to do something in cooperation with this group of women. Traditionally their embroideries are richly decorated and very lush and beautiful - but now Ii wanted to see if it was possible for them to also tell stories, something to come from their own reality, images of the water in their lives.
In the exhibition "Images of water and desert" I exhibit my own embroideries inspired by the water problems and impressions from my meeting with India together with the works of the young women. The exhibition will take place in many places during the duration of the project, firstly at Nææs Konsthantverk, Floda 13 sept - 12 okt 2008 in Sweden.
This autumn I will return to India to continue my work, this time trying to develop the water embroideries into a working opportunity for the women.
In 2008 I received "The Long Tall Sally Award" for my work with this project.
More information at LTS communication.
See brochure (use this for print)
See more images from India in my blog:
www.waterindesert.blogspot.com (2008-2009)
www.elsaiindien.blogspot.com (2007)