Voyaging to Innocence
12 poems, 12 artworks, released monthly
“…Let us bring renewal
Let us declare the death of despondency and tyrants
For I have seen our campfires pitched beside the roads
like fallen, still-burning miraculous stars
I have seen our bus voyaging to innocence…”- From Alan Kaufman’s Let us
Poised at this complex historical moment, when the world is awash with the bittersweet rush of possibility and resilience, I am reminded of Toni Morrison’s urgent plea to the artists of the world:
“… This is precisely the time when artists go to work. There is no time for despair, no place for self-pity, no need for silence, no room for fear. We speak, we write, we do language. That is how civilizations heal.”
It is art, after all, that has served as both prophecy and pharmacy in these disorienting times, and it is art that will save us.
I am overjoyed to be curating the first in a series of digital prints featuring artists’ interpretations of 12 different poems by Indian poets, released in monthly editions. ‘Voyaging to Innocence’ is conceived as an anthology of digital wallpapers for desktops/laptops combining poetry and illustration.
The January edition features Srividya Sivakumar’s Pastoral, interpreted visually by Charanaya Ramakrishnan Before taking in the deep reds, rich ochres and pregnant blues of the artwork, breathe in these few lines from the poem.
On the road now, there are unexpected shimmering waters.
A patchwork of earth and grass, arid and rich, brown and green,
hope and more hope.
There’s music in my head and a smile on my lips.
I’m going home.
I’m going home.
Click on the image to properly view, download, and set it as your wallpaper.
You can also use this link to view and download the wallpapers to set as your desktop background.
Srividya Sivakumar can be followed on facebook here and on instagram here
Charanya Ramakrishnnan can be followed here
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