Shubhendu Ratna Tuladhar

From the windows

“Although coming a Newa Community, I grew up outside of my community traditions and practices. For years I have felt pretty disconnected with my own cultural and traditional practices. I grew up listening to my family's stories about the past but my role has been mere observational. So whenever I see other members of the community wholeheartedly involved in different practices, I am left wondered in a mix of awe and a feeling of longingness, this search for connection I never got to build. I take a lot of walks around the vicinity of the Basantapur Durbar Square. The thing that always held my attention was the unique Newa wood craftsmanship, especially the lattice windows also known as 'Tiki-Jhyaa:'”

One can admire the beauty of the windows from the outside but cannot see anything inside. While looking through one of these holes lets you have a clear view of the outside world. This is why I have chosen Windows as my subject. The title 'From the windows' is a metaphorical interpretation of my own understanding and knowledge of my community culture. Beautiful view from the outside but obscured from its essence.

The wooden pieces that connect creates a unique shape inside is another indicator of disconnection. Through these disconnected shapes you can read ‘झ्या: प्वालँ’ (jhyā: pwālaṅ) written in Ranjana Script on walls that are built from traditional mud bricks. The phrase loosely translates to ‘from the windows’. Coincidentally, I have been learning to write in Ranjana script in order to connect with my culture. I have created two sets of posters, attempting at obscuring the phrase with an idea that if you are able to read the script, then you already know what’s written just based on whatever is visible. Through this idea, ‘From the windows’ becomes a personal interpretation of disconnection with my own identity with an optimistic endeavor of trying to understand them. The structure and the design of the windows have been inspired from the ever present lattice windows found in and around the Durbar Square area.