A sketchy patch

Artist couple Swathi and Vijay are just back from a very unusual experience of creating an artwork over ten acres of agricultural fields. Although temporary and transient, the work that was carried out in Kallur has been deeply satisfying for them. 

A delighted Swathi reveals, “For such kind of works, documentation becomes a very important aspect. We have a video of two minutes captured by a drone camera that is being shown on various social media platforms.” The video shows excerpts from the long hours of work that went into inscribing words, ‘Save’ and ‘farmer’ on the ground although the letters are simplified and fitted creatively into the space available. 

“We have been waiting for the last five months to do this because farmers harvest their crops this time of the year. So, we were able to request them to allow us to do our work now. Not even a single grain of the crop was damaged during our work and most importantly, some farmers even joined us,” beams Vijay.

When asked about the response, Swathi explains, “Our aim is to create awareness about the number of farmer suicides that have taken place. Farmers deserve the right price for their harvest and hard work. We are hopeful that our work will make a difference and kindle a spark of understanding amongst people for the farmers, who are rightly considered the backbone of our society.”