Guest guest Posted January 25, 2007 Report Share Posted January 25, 2007 Hindu goddess set for Sydney swim as exhibit wraps http://www.artshub.com.au/ahau1/news/news.asp?Id=151678 or http://tinyurl.com/2pzlkq Arts Hub Australia Wednesday, January 24, 2007 Question: How many divine buffalo slayers are you likely to find in the Parramatta River tomorrow evening? Answer: One. Five West Bengali drummers are getting set to lead a giant model of the Hindu warrior goddess Durga through the streets of Sydney, on its way to a ritual immersion in the Parramatta River. Constructed out of clay, straw and dust from the house of a local prostitute, the goddess comes courtesy of three West Bengali craftsmen, who have been hard at work in the Art Gallery of NSW for the past three weeks. A centrepiece of the Goddess: Divine Energy, exhibition which ends on Sunday 28 January, the three-metre high warrior goddess is rarely seen outside of Bengal. In accordance with over 400 years of devotional, the craftsman prayed before beginning their work. "Our artist prays to the goddess for the courage, the daring, to create her image," said the director of the Crafts Council of West Bengal, Ruby Palchoudhuri. "He prays that he doesn't make any mistakes." The dust, Palchoudhuri adds, partly symbolises the role prostitutes have played as patrons of the classical arts "We have never neglected them... They always have sustained the classical music and classical dance in their houses." After being immersed in the river tomorrow, the goddess will be destroyed. It's part of the cycle of life, Palchoudhuri says. "We have taken the clay from the river so what we take we must give back." more info: http://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/sub/goddess/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.