Catalogue > Un extrait vidéo au hasard

While observing an isolated event of an artificial, industry-facilitated disaster, Normalisation of A Disaster makes a reflective commentary on the psyche of people in the vicinity of the site of disaster, albeit not immediately affected by it. Exploring the ideas of nonchalance, sensitization and casual tourism towards sites of disaster in a region plagued by disasters, this reflection includes the self of the artist, and his family, and hordes of ‘tourists’ attracted towards the light of the morbid spectacle. The Baghjan Oil Blowout happened on 27th of May 2020, which caught fire through a massive explosion on 9th of June 2020 after leaking gas in the atmosphere for two weeks, continued to burn for 6 months, before being finally doused on 15th of November, 2020. This artificial disaster in an Oil-India Limited owned site has caused the displacement of more than 1600 families who were in the vicinity of the site of gas blowout, and were being sheltered in makeshift relief camps in nearby areas.

Devadeep Gupta B. 1989 Guwahati, Assam, India I frame my artistic process as an exploration of regional ecological uncertainties through a critical examination of associated mainstream perspectives. Inspired by site-specific and vernacular occurrences, I delve into the intricate relationship between people and their land. My artistic practice encompasses the realms of film and sculpture, bridging the gap between conceptual and documentary approaches. Within this intersection, I am particularly interested in narratives that emerge from the convergence of mythology and contemporary experiences. Grounded in the rich cultural landscape of Assam, I draw inspiration from pragmatic practices, oral traditions, and folklore. Central to my artistic endeavors are performative processes that pay homage to meta-cultural practices. Through visual and conceptual stimuli, I incorporate elements of local community-led actions to portray the environmental changes specific to each site. Everyday rituals that have organically evolved as meta-cultural actions inspire the forms and expressions within my artistic practice. The outtakes of my process, realized as rhythmic sculptural forms are expressed through mediums of film, image and sculpture to illustrate these outcomes. ?