02
Nafrat / Parvah
‘Hate / Concern’ is positioned as two polarised sentiments that have occupied our collective minds in the present moment. Responding to the volatile climate and atrocities across the country against students, friends colleagues, and respected elders, the teams of POLLINATOR & POND, have collaboratively decided not to celebrate this event. Rather than celebrating we would like to address the ideas of ‘hate and concern’ by exchanging the ideas of care. This project space is not a site of protest, but a safe space to expand our understanding of the verb “hate” through vocabularies, aesthetics, and value systems of the antagonistic force. At the center of the project is a Nafrat/Parvah – A Barbershop, for 6 days a week, any visitor can make an appointment to get a “free” salon service. Instead of a monetary transaction, the customer will barter by bringing one object, service, or sentiment that they “hate” We will mark this tough time in support of free voice and against undemocratic actions that seem to undermine the very fabric of our nation. It is time to stand, learn, organize, and educate.
Steps to follow:
*the object should be physical and functional
Yet to be disclosed
FAQ
_ What is happening in this space?
The collaborative project at the Pond explores the idea of “hate” through the vocabularies, aesthetics, and value systems of these antagonistic forces and maps the sentiments that have occupied our collective minds in the present moment in exchange of a barter as “care”.
_What are we collecting?
We are collecting articulations of an object, service, or sentiment offered in response to the volatile climate and atrocities across the country.
_Do I have to physically bring an object to this space?
Yes, the work has to be submitted physically.
_What do you mean by providing an anecdote in support?
A participant has to provide a supporting text (preferred language), narrating why they have brought this object of hate.
_What kind of object can we submit?
The object should be functional, re-usable, non-perishable, or inflammable.
_What is the objective of this?
The objective is to understand and exchange the idea of care in the midst of the barbarity of contemporary times. To stand together, learn, understand, organize, and educate each other.
_What will happen to the collection afterward?
(To be decided)
_Who are these participants?
The participants are those who choose to engage in our experiment, mark this tough time in support of free voice, and against undemocratic actions that seem to determine the very fabric of our nation.
_Is it just one collection or a part of a larger collection?
The project is the second version of Pollinator after Collection Bureau at India Art Fair 2018. The Pollinator will continue to create more such collections.
_What is exchanged in return for the object submitted?
This didactic approach barters 30 mins in the barber’s chair: a personnel time, vulnerability, attention, relaxation, and breaking of typical “personnel boundaries of human touch with a stranger”.
_What do you mean by bartering here?
The currency can be anything if it works as circulation, as a medium of exchange; here we set ‘hate as a currency’. “Object of Hate”—> Exchange —> Care
_What kind of services can I expect?
A haircut, dry massage, hair blow dry, shave, and a hair trimming.
_ What is the scope of this alternate system? Why is it needed?
The project is a safe space to expand our limited understanding and address the verb “hate” and trigger the discourse further through mindful workshops through self-initiated learning.
_What are these workshops?
The workshops will be conducted over the weekend by inviting people from a particular domain, like an activist, a lawyer, environmentalist or a cybernaut. The workshops will be a discourse of shared-knowledge.