“I’ve always believed in being well-versed in multiple fields. It is this idea that I want to be able to take to children; to make them multi-dimensional, to show them that there’s more to life and many things that they can be,” says Priyanka Ulaganathan, describing the idea behind her postcard project in which she has roped in over 50 artists and art platforms from across the world.
The postcard project, that began a couple of months ago, has sculptors, filmmakers, architects, dancers, musicians, journalists, NGOs and many others share a photograph and a passage that best explains their ideology or beliefs which will be printed on these postcards. “I have asked people to convey something related to their ideology or beliefs or the work that they are pursuing. For instance, someone has written a letter on caste. Someone has written on mental health. There’s a start-up story of a sustainable economy building enterprise. These are small aspects that will lead to a bigger social consciousness,” she explains.
The main target audience for this project, Priyanka says, is children. “I am collecting views and thoughts of people from multiple fields and I would like to present it to children, opening them up to a whole world of opportunities,” says the 25-year-old, who has studied architecture, practices art and also performs on stage.
Deepika, a sculptor and an artist from Chennai, who will be a part of this project, talks about her contribution. “It is a portrait of my face painted over with the mangled bodies of colourful birds. It is a commentary on the lives of birds that have died due to human carelessness,” she explains.
Photographer Amritharaj Stephen, who currently resides in Amsterdam, has shared an image from his art work on Koodankulam nuclear power plant. “I have shared an image from my Koodankulam photos where the children of Idinthakarai wrote postcards to the Russian Ambassador requesting Russia to stop providing technical support to the Koodankulam nuclear project. I see this postcard project as a continuation of Koodankulam protests, in carrying the voices of Idinthakarai children through these postcards,” he shares.
“We all fight our own battles but we are not fighting collectively,” Priyanka says. “We don't have collective discussions and I believe that is the first step towards creating a society of equals. This postcard project will build a social consciousness through the small aspects of their own battles shared by the participants.”
When completed, Priyanka will work on an interactive exhibit with children as her audience.
On having chosen postcards as a medium, Priyanka is of the opinion that it is counter-culture to consumerism. “Consumerism is based on our insecurities and anxieties. With postcards, that isn’t the case. Everyone who contributes to this project gets a printed set of postcards (including other participants’ contribution). There is no buying, just an exchange.”
The contributor who receives a set of postcards is required to post them to people in their circle, thus keeping a slow, organic transmission of ideas alive. “Thus, postcards require a lot of patience from the user, unlike consumerism,” she says.
Priyanka plans to apply for grants or to find sponsors to print these postcards.
Earlier this year, Priyanka began her Instagram account Aaval, where she has been sharing about the postcard project. “Aaval is a means to feature design for any medium, right from postcards to education curriculum. I would like to be able to design education curriculum in our state, revamp it,” she proclaims with enthusiasm. Providing children exposure to different worldviews through the postcard project is a step in that direction, hopes Priyanka.