“Step a bit closer... closer… one step back,” says the voice that is part of an interactive sound installation, “The Speaking Wall”, by artist Shilpa Gupta at her solo show here. The installation, set up in a dimly-lit room, transports the visitor to a point somewhere on the map that is vaguely the boundary of two countries. It is an immersive experience, one that highlights the artiste’s concern about the process of map-making and its complex but real impact on the lives of people.
It effectively manages to explore notions of location and belonging vis-à-vis the nation state, and looks at historical violence embedded upon the drawing of lines on a map through communities which have shared histories.
18 February 2016
