I know that I should be feeling incredibly relieved and congratulating myself and everyone else that's worked on Dancescapes because it looks so good but I can't seem to. It's just that at the moment all I can think about is all the mistakes in the captions people were helpful enough to point out and the fact that now the show is over my departure has come into view. I feel like I have a hole in me. It's hardly a relief to know that tomorrow I'll have the Kama Sutra text to fill that hole.
Last night we were all (Mandy, Alka, Saurabh, Khushal, Ravi and myself) in the gallery beavering away at getting the show in order. Alka took me out to eat at IIC (India International Centre) as we didn't have time to go to her house and back before we had to start working. It was a lovely meal, and, though I know I shouldn't have done this, was actually incredibly cheap considering that three of us ate and it is quite an exclusive place. Our companion was one of Alka's friends and she was such a whiner that I didn't put much effort into the conversation. When we got back to the gallery Shobha had turned up and was talking of her worries and her advice for the layout of the show. Alka's friend didn't help by encouraging all of her comments. Especially as at the meal she'd said how much she couldn't stand her. Pfffffft.
We worked until twelve and Rahul met us and we (he, Mandy and I) went to Meyer's birthday party at her house in Lodi Colony. All of her friends were pretty arrogant apart from one lovely woman who'd just come back from from New York and was happy to discuss Delhi from an outsider's perspective with me.
We hung out and danced and left at half two to pick Alka up on the way to South Ex. This didn't work quite as expected as I had to supervise and proof read all of the text panels but I certainly remember feeling pretty happy with how everything was going. Walls were painted, photos were hung and vinyl had been stuck. We left about ten past three and then Mandy and I hung out a bit more at her house and ate garlic toast.
This morning I was woken before nine despite Mandy saying that she wouldn't be up until ten. Breakfast of mattar paneer and all mehta and roti made up for this. I got into work after about two hours work at Alka's at 12. We had the vinyl printer correct all his mistakes. Saumya and I tried to get a photo for me to give in to UEA for my alumni prospectus interview but I came across surprisingly awkward in front of the camera. I then went to Meher Chand market with Mandy, and then again with Saumya as a welcome break from the endless finishing of the space. Mandy and I had a beer at lunchtime which made me mega tired but we did manage to have a good chat and resolve our tiny tiff from Saturday in which she'd said I had a bad attitude.
As I have said before, the show looked great, and the turnout was great. Shobha sold a great deal of books and I got to hang out with Devshree and Kruttika. Izzy couldn't make it as she has finally got the belly. She'd been crying in the house all night and day. My worry for her kept distracting me so I'm sure I wasn't at my best for Alka etc.
I got back before ten after turning down a holi party with Alka's family because Izzy definitely needed my presence more. I know how savage I felt being ill alone here,
Also, I conducted a social experiment when I left on Sunday which I got to see the results of once I was back at the house. After what Izzy had said about Simar being in and our of our room looking guilty I saw him watching me put my book under my pillow when he came into the room. This is because it was a K S and I didn't want him to find out. I could tell he was making a mental note. so the following morning I translated 'nosy Parker' into Hindi and wrote it on a piece of loo roll and put it under my pillow. Tonight the paper is gone and Simar is acting aggressively towards me. I presume he found it. I hope he went to his parents with it to ask them what it meant.
Photo edit:
Last night we were all (Mandy, Alka, Saurabh, Khushal, Ravi and myself) in the gallery beavering away at getting the show in order. Alka took me out to eat at IIC (India International Centre) as we didn't have time to go to her house and back before we had to start working. It was a lovely meal, and, though I know I shouldn't have done this, was actually incredibly cheap considering that three of us ate and it is quite an exclusive place. Our companion was one of Alka's friends and she was such a whiner that I didn't put much effort into the conversation. When we got back to the gallery Shobha had turned up and was talking of her worries and her advice for the layout of the show. Alka's friend didn't help by encouraging all of her comments. Especially as at the meal she'd said how much she couldn't stand her. Pfffffft.
We worked until twelve and Rahul met us and we (he, Mandy and I) went to Meyer's birthday party at her house in Lodi Colony. All of her friends were pretty arrogant apart from one lovely woman who'd just come back from from New York and was happy to discuss Delhi from an outsider's perspective with me.
We hung out and danced and left at half two to pick Alka up on the way to South Ex. This didn't work quite as expected as I had to supervise and proof read all of the text panels but I certainly remember feeling pretty happy with how everything was going. Walls were painted, photos were hung and vinyl had been stuck. We left about ten past three and then Mandy and I hung out a bit more at her house and ate garlic toast.
This morning I was woken before nine despite Mandy saying that she wouldn't be up until ten. Breakfast of mattar paneer and all mehta and roti made up for this. I got into work after about two hours work at Alka's at 12. We had the vinyl printer correct all his mistakes. Saumya and I tried to get a photo for me to give in to UEA for my alumni prospectus interview but I came across surprisingly awkward in front of the camera. I then went to Meher Chand market with Mandy, and then again with Saumya as a welcome break from the endless finishing of the space. Mandy and I had a beer at lunchtime which made me mega tired but we did manage to have a good chat and resolve our tiny tiff from Saturday in which she'd said I had a bad attitude.
As I have said before, the show looked great, and the turnout was great. Shobha sold a great deal of books and I got to hang out with Devshree and Kruttika. Izzy couldn't make it as she has finally got the belly. She'd been crying in the house all night and day. My worry for her kept distracting me so I'm sure I wasn't at my best for Alka etc.
I got back before ten after turning down a holi party with Alka's family because Izzy definitely needed my presence more. I know how savage I felt being ill alone here,
Also, I conducted a social experiment when I left on Sunday which I got to see the results of once I was back at the house. After what Izzy had said about Simar being in and our of our room looking guilty I saw him watching me put my book under my pillow when he came into the room. This is because it was a K S and I didn't want him to find out. I could tell he was making a mental note. so the following morning I translated 'nosy Parker' into Hindi and wrote it on a piece of loo roll and put it under my pillow. Tonight the paper is gone and Simar is acting aggressively towards me. I presume he found it. I hope he went to his parents with it to ask them what it meant.
Photo edit:
Shobha and Alka opening the first copy of the Dancescapes book
The happiest I've ever seen her
Opening night crowd (thinking of negative things to say)
Installation view
