2008 I find a wonderful book: The Red Tent by Anita Diamant. Dinah is the daughter of Jacob from the Book of Genesis. Fascinating. Bible times, life in the dessert, midwifes, birthing in The Red Tent. Fear, the life cycles, death. Womanly strength and Wisdom under the stars, under tents in the dessert. Names I knew from childhood like Esau and Jacob, Rebecca and Deborah, Isaac and Rachel; Canaan and Egypt. Judah and Joseph. Lives of several generations and questions started to arise in me. How did they live in the dessert? When did they settle and how did their rituals and faith change? It was a patriarchal society, how was their role, social structure, how were decisions taken? How did these women dress? how were they protected, how was life in that Red Tent in this nomad tribes? So I continue inquiring, reading about Middle East and Central Asia's history. The war in Afghanistan, the invasion of Iraq, all that is going on in this XXI Century and I see the images of towns in the dessert thinking, not so different from Biblical times. More questions about women's life in the land of conflict, in my own country, Colombia. Questions about each region, traditions, religion, geography. What is common, how are we the same from the gatherings in the Red Tent.
So the question comes, -Why do women dress the way they do? Why do they cover up? How do we expose or protect our body. and more questions of the same. This new year of 2009 starts with more news about the wars in Middle East, Iraq, Afghanistan and all of Central Asia. A new book appears, fascinating. Descent into Chaos written by Ahmed Rashid, a Pakistani journalist who writes for several news media, BBC Online, The International Herald Tribune, The Washington Post, The London Daily Telegraph and appears in the news in the BBC World Service, CNN and other media. Trying to understand what is going on, the politics and recent history, the conflict, Al Qaeda and the Taliban. Fascinating. But the questions repeat themselves, I find myself under the pressure of doing something in order to understand what is behind, go deeper in. And as always, I think, what and how is all this affecting women there? how are their lives and roles changed? what does it all have to do with Central Asia and Middle Eastern history, culture, politics, traditions, religious beliefs? How do they live? how and why do they dress as they do? How are women's garments related with their culture, tradition, fashion, social relations? with their role with men?
The question repeats itself over and over... So. I must do something in order to understand, to communicate these questions to others, go to the core. Go deep in. Inside myself, inside my body and traditions, culture and views and talk about the question as it becomes more complex. Since Art is my language, well I will work an Installation related to the way we cover our bodies and all those questions I have inside. -Why do we cover our bodies? why do we uncover, when and why... for whom do we do it... there is sex, maternity, relationship, service, fashion, function... how can I work all these questions?
So the question comes, -Why do women dress the way they do? Why do they cover up? How do we expose or protect our body. and more questions of the same. This new year of 2009 starts with more news about the wars in Middle East, Iraq, Afghanistan and all of Central Asia. A new book appears, fascinating. Descent into Chaos written by Ahmed Rashid, a Pakistani journalist who writes for several news media, BBC Online, The International Herald Tribune, The Washington Post, The London Daily Telegraph and appears in the news in the BBC World Service, CNN and other media. Trying to understand what is going on, the politics and recent history, the conflict, Al Qaeda and the Taliban. Fascinating. But the questions repeat themselves, I find myself under the pressure of doing something in order to understand what is behind, go deeper in. And as always, I think, what and how is all this affecting women there? how are their lives and roles changed? what does it all have to do with Central Asia and Middle Eastern history, culture, politics, traditions, religious beliefs? How do they live? how and why do they dress as they do? How are women's garments related with their culture, tradition, fashion, social relations? with their role with men?
The question repeats itself over and over... So. I must do something in order to understand, to communicate these questions to others, go to the core. Go deep in. Inside myself, inside my body and traditions, culture and views and talk about the question as it becomes more complex. Since Art is my language, well I will work an Installation related to the way we cover our bodies and all those questions I have inside. -Why do we cover our bodies? why do we uncover, when and why... for whom do we do it... there is sex, maternity, relationship, service, fashion, function... how can I work all these questions?
