REVIEW WORKSHOP HARALD SCHOLE (NL) organized by the Kaman Art Foundation
SOWING SEEDS 2011 INTERNATIONAL VILLAGE RESIDENCY GELAWAS, INDIA
Concept of Harald Schole : a tribute to water
^ 18the century step well in Jodhpur ^ interior memorial Jaswant Thada, Jodhpur
old water well and fish pound, Gelawas new water reservoir, during the dry season, Gelawas
His work statement
Positive and negative are opposites, and also complementary. With Tribute, Harald
Schole wants to show us the balance between the contrasts. Besides that, he combines
his Western or global concepts with the local possibilities.
Every year, Rajasthan faces the problem of a deficiency of water and, sometimes even
the lack of clean water. In the dry season, for months no rain is falling and rivers run dry.
In the Netherlands, in contrary, there is plenty of water. For a country that produces so
many vegetables, fresh and clean water is of great importance. But there is something
else. The Netherlands is situated bellow sea-‐level. The Dutch therefore need to be well
protected against a too high sea level and flooded rivers.
So, water possesses a good and an evil side.
These opposite characteristics of water are represented in this temporary installation.
The Indian river of Ganges is a holy river. Schole has chosen to visualise this river.
The curves of the river of Ganges are drawn on the temple floor both in actual and
mirrored shape, from the source of the river in the Himalayas till the estuary in
Bangladesh.
Beautifully coloured lines of fabric are connecting these two images of the Ganges.
There are eight lines, representing the eight times you can or maybe have to decide
between good and bad. The figure ‘8’ symbolises infinity, comparable with the water of
the river, also a continuous flow, from the mountains to the sea to her source in the
mountains. Like a continue cycle of life.
Tribute is put together with locally available, recycled materials. With a few kids, he was
collecting fabrics lying around the houses, when the artist was invited in one of the
houses. In exchange for some pictures and stories about his country, the villagers gave
him a bag full of colourful leftovers of cloth for his artwork. For some days, Harald
Schole was working intensively. And from these small pieces of cloth, he made over
twenty meters of colourful, decorated ribbons. Knotting the pieces of fabric was a very
meditative activity and his personal tribute.
Schole could not directly find a proper location for the work. One morning, he made a
walk through the village and visited the temple near the village square. By coincidence,
he met the priest of the temple and they had a small chat. He explained his proposal for
the Sowing Seeds project. And then, the priest offered him to do the temporary
installation in the temple. He choses the place were water is collected in a subterranean
reservoir. Schole felt honoured and happy as the art piece had found its beautiful site-‐
specific location in a natural way.
^ detail work in process
Experience:
The residency in Gelawas can be characterised as short, intensive and filled with
hospitality.
The organisation and the villagers were very open and collaborative. He learned much
about the culture of Rajasthan, but maybe the (young) villagers were even able to learn
more then the participants of the residency.
He would have liked to have more time to better learn to know the craftsmen in the
village. The craftsmen were usually very busy.
For the children, it was holiday period. They had time enough.
The numbers of ceramic horses and their size the potter is producing each year
impressed him. In his spare time the potter is also a dancer and a wonderful performer
with a fast turning wheel on his shoulder.
To discover the culture of the village and the habits of the villagers, he would have
preferred to have more time. Schole was glad, he had been in Rajasthan a year before,
which gave him in some way a familiar feeling.
Before going to Gelawas he had decided not to bring any materials from The
Netherlands to the village. He did not want to import art materials from The West to
India. The constraint of material was my well-‐considered way to take his time and
explore the village and the culture of Rajasthan which finally resulted in an art piece of
which he would never have thought to use so much colour and fabric in it.
^ drinking-bowl for peacocks, Gelawas well courtyard temple, Gelawas
He realised that a tool for exchange of experiences and visualisation of the collaboration
with the villagers more directly could be valuable. It could give something in return to
the villagers.
One could think of a musical instrument, but for him as visual artist, he was thinking of a
small instant photo studio. Maybe with crazy, fantastic backgrounds with a mixture of
Indian gods and goddesses and also with the landscape of a land that is situated far
below sea-‐level.
installation Tribute in temple courtyard, Gelawas drawing by Gabriella Hirst
Harald Schole’s conclusion: I really felt at home in my canopy and I know that
Gelawas will be another home forever.
Amsterdam 2012