01 Feb সোনার ময়না- The Golden Bird

A research based audio-work by Chandrayee Dey during the Residential Art Exchnage Program in Dubolhati Palace in Naogaon, BD.

They work, they sing, they weave histories. They carry the past with them and pass it on to future generations. This work exhibits socio-cultural encounters of women of Dubolhati. It tends to situate the position and everyday realities of these women through traditional wedding songs or Biyer Geet and how this age-old tradition is relevant to their present social scenario.

Through personal interaction and daily visits to the women and their houses, artist could finally make the shy and hesitant women to open up and cooperated with the work keeping faith on the artist.

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In the audio loop is the songs, performed by Ashma Begum and Shefali Begum of Dubolhati, are about expressions and experiences of women. The voices of children, sounds in the palace and the oral histories around provide the context. Elements related to the rituals of a Bengali Muslim marriage ceremony and elements from everyday life of women of dubolhati (like bamboo baskets, earthen lamps, different types of handmade kantha, used saris, dopattas, cow-dung cakes) are installed around the space to reinforce a woman’s position in society while commenting on their apparent absence in social spaces and interactions.

Dey is an independent researcher, writer and poet from India. Presently working on cultural traditions led by women in South Asia. has extensive research work on archiving traditional cultural elements and histories.