Exhibition: Distortion
Humour is one of the great markers of sentient life: there is no culture which doesn't have jokes. It is also a way of seeing; how we perceive ourselves, our community and our world is contingent upon shaping our sense of humour. Seeing how humour is based on perception, humour distorts how we look at the world, and controls us.
The Laughing Matters exhibition was thus aptly named ‘Distortion’. It was placed in a domestic setting, highlighting the unfurling of the carnivalesque in a private space. The distortions it presented shape the views and ideas of each member of the household, making the ideas floating in the space extremely potent.
As one enters the exhibition crossing the threshold indicated by the mat declaring “Home Sweet Home” one is welcomed - confronted - with the centre piece: a life-size jester from which small human figures hang. From the newspaper that declared humour missing in the living room, to the dining table with a pie to throw to ridicule, the pieces sent home (pun intended) the idea of communal humour. The fact that humour alienates came through even in the setting- with one chair standing aloof. The pieces on the wall ranged from the effect of make up in distorting, to a caricatured reality of demonetisation.
The exhibition, like a house, brought together multiple ideas the conference itself dealt with, literally under one roof, in a minimalistic way. Despite budget constraints, it stuck to its foundations and put its ideas across in an effective and artistic manner. Deyasini Chatterjee covered the event.
The Laughing Matters exhibition was thus aptly named ‘Distortion’. It was placed in a domestic setting, highlighting the unfurling of the carnivalesque in a private space. The distortions it presented shape the views and ideas of each member of the household, making the ideas floating in the space extremely potent.
As one enters the exhibition crossing the threshold indicated by the mat declaring “Home Sweet Home” one is welcomed - confronted - with the centre piece: a life-size jester from which small human figures hang. From the newspaper that declared humour missing in the living room, to the dining table with a pie to throw to ridicule, the pieces sent home (pun intended) the idea of communal humour. The fact that humour alienates came through even in the setting- with one chair standing aloof. The pieces on the wall ranged from the effect of make up in distorting, to a caricatured reality of demonetisation.
The exhibition, like a house, brought together multiple ideas the conference itself dealt with, literally under one roof, in a minimalistic way. Despite budget constraints, it stuck to its foundations and put its ideas across in an effective and artistic manner. Deyasini Chatterjee covered the event.
Text by Devika.
Image: Deyasini Chatterjee