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All Of It with Alison Stewart
An Immersive Textile Installation in Socrates Sculpture Park
00:19:37
Suchitra Mattai's first solo show in New York City features a series of enormous, soft sculptures made from vintage saris.
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- [00:00]
McDonald's Customer
I' ma put you on, nephew.
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Radio Host Kusha Navadar
All right, unc.
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Socrates Sculpture Park Curator Caitlin Garcia Maestas
Welcome to McDonald's. Can I take your order, miss?
- [00:04]
McDonald's Customer
I've been hitting up McDonald's for years. Now it's back. We need snack wraps. What's a snack wrap? It's the return of something great. Snack wrap is back.
- [00:16]
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- [01:42]
Radio Host Kusha Navadar
You're listening to all of it. I'm Kusha Navadar in for Alison Stewart. A new outdoor installation features several enormous multicolored soft sculptures made from vintage saris designed by Guyanese American artist Suchitra Maathai. The show pays homage to both the artists in Indo Caribbean ancestors and the stories of many queens residents. The sculptures are made to look like six futuristic architectural pods similar to ancient monoliths. And these pods are set against the backdrop of the East River. It's titled we are Nomads, we are Dreamers and it'll be on display all summer long at Socrates Sculpture park in Astoria, queens until Sunday, August 25. In collaboration with Barka Daniel Dance Company, the park will host a series of free events including a garden party on June 12 at 6pm and a solo and ensemble show on July 18 at 7pm Artist Suchitra Maathai joins us to discuss Suchitra. Welcome to all of it.
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Artist Suchitra Maathai
Hi. Thanks so much for having me on.
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Radio Host Kusha Navadar
Absolutely. Pleasure to have you here. And also joining us is Socrates Sculpture Park's curator, Caitlin Garcia. Maestas, Kaitlyn, welcome to all of it.
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Artist Suchitra Maathai
Hi.
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Socrates Sculpture Park Curator Caitlin Garcia Maestas
Thank you.
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Radio Host Kusha Navadar
Absolutely. So, Suchitra, you created six of these monumental sculptures for the show. Tell us about the shape of the pods. What objects or structures did you model them after?
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Artist Suchitra Maathai
You know, think of them as tectonic plates or these organic, massive forms. I grew up partially in Nova Scotia, and there were these enormous glacial deposits. I was young then, so maybe they weren't as large as I remember, but in my memory, they were very large, and I wanted to kind of use that monumental scale as a starting point.
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Radio Host Kusha Navadar
So Nova Scotia is an influence. And those glacial deposits, what else inspired the show and the themes that you're exploring?
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Artist Suchitra Maathai
Oh, my gosh. Well, you know, in general, my practice gives voice to people whose stories haven't been shared or told. And so I was thinking a lot about Socrates's location. You know, you mentioned it's on the east river, which leads into the Atlantic Ocean, which is the site of so many migrations. And then, of course, in Queens, where, you know, home to so many immigrants. And so these two factors really influenced, you know, the project and what I was thinking about.
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Radio Host Kusha Navadar
Yeah, Caitlyn, Socrates Sculpture park, like Suchitra said, sits alongside the park's position on. On the East River. Can you tell us a little bit about the location and go more into, like, the sites nearby that can be seen from the park?
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Socrates Sculpture Park Curator Caitlin Garcia Maestas
Yeah. So we are right on the cusp between Long Island City and Astoria, next door to the Astoria ferry stop. That's my favorite way to come to the park. If you take the ferry, you'll also get a really beautiful view of Suchitra's installation. And that was actually a perspective that we considered when we were organizing the show, is that perspective that you would actually see from the water. But, yeah, Socrates is in a really special neighborhood. We're right on Vernon Boulevard. So we are directly over the East river, and 40. Roughly 48% of Queens residents were born outside the United States, and the borough has more residents that speak other languages than anywhere else in the world. So it's a really special location. And, yeah, I mean, we do public programs all summer long. We welcome around 200,000 visitors each year. So. So it's a perfect site for this project.
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Radio Host Kusha Navadar
When you talk to artists about this space, as the park's curator, what's something important that you like to Communicate with them about this space. And how do these six, you know, big monumental sculptures fit into. Into that philosophy?
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Socrates Sculpture Park Curator Caitlin Garcia Maestas
Yeah, so Socrates has an incredible history. We were founded in 1986 by Mark de Suvaro, who is a really well known outdoor sculptor himself. So. So the history really started from an artist. So artist founded, artist driven. We really center the artist voice in everything we do. And it was also a collaboration within our local community. So it was really a collective act of land reclamation by a group of artists, activists, and community members in the neighborhood. And that history is very special for artists that get to do projects. At Socrates, we also tend to fabricate things on site. All of our projects are site specific, meaning that they are informed very specifically by the waterfront location, by our community, and also that history of big. A former landfill. So the site previous to being a park was a landfill. And through that reclamation, the community transformed the site into what it is today.
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Radio Host Kusha Navadar
I want to get into that process that you mentioned. That idea of it being built on site is really interesting. I think, listeners, if you're just joining us, this is wnyc or this is all of it on wnyc. I guess both of those statements are technically correct. We're talking about the exhibition We Are Nomads, we are Dreamers at Socrates Sculpture Park. It's on display from May 11 to August 25 this year. And we're joined by the artist who made it, Suchitra Matai, and the curator of the park, Caitlin Garcia Maestis. Suchitra, talk to us a little bit about the process of making these monumental sculptures. How did you actually do it?
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Artist Suchitra Maathai
So the sculptures are made basically of two parts. There's an armature that holds them together, and there are two components that really inform the idea behind the project. So I've been weaving. I call it weaving, but really it's an invented process. I use vintage saris from all over, so from India, but also from my mom and her friends and family in Edison, New Jersey. And, you know, from friends all over. But what I do is I strip the saris and I weave them into a gridded rope net. And so they become these kind of, in a way, a kind of collection of bodies and histories and memories. And so in a way, it's. I'm uniting women of the South Asian diaspora, you know, over topography and through time.
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Radio Host Kusha Navadar
So.
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Artist Suchitra Maathai
And then.
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Radio Host Kusha Navadar
Yeah, no, keep going. No, please, keep going. Keep going.
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Artist Suchitra Maathai
Yeah, no, no, I was just gonna say the mirrored surface at the top basically allows for a sense of transformation, because at all times, you know, Birds fly over cloud formations change. And so the piece, I wanted it to be very much a part of the park and to reflect the community and ecology of the park as well.
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Radio Host Kusha Navadar
So all of those saris that we see as part of those sculptures, you sourced yourself from people that you know?
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Artist Suchitra Maathai
No, no, there are thousands and thousands.
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Radio Host Kusha Navadar
Yeah, I was going to say that's impress.
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Artist Suchitra Maathai
They're all recycled, so they've all been worn, but many of them are from India, from people that I don't know.
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Radio Host Kusha Navadar
Got it.
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Artist Suchitra Maathai
And then they're melded together with ones from people that I do.
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Radio Host Kusha Navadar
How many saris do you think you collected over the course of making these sculptures?
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Artist Suchitra Maathai
Oh, my goodness. I would say thousands and thousands.
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Radio Host Kusha Navadar
Yeah. It's so impressive. At what point did you realize that you wanted to incorporate saris into your artwork?
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Artist Suchitra Maathai
You know, I started using saris about six years ago for the Sharjah Biennial, and I just felt that it was a material that allowed me to communicate this sense of, you know, history and community and also, in a way, a sense of hope, bringing communities together.
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Radio Host Kusha Navadar
Yeah. Caitlin, how does the use of these saris for these sculptures look from a distance for you? And how often do you think people are actually able to tell what the sculptures are made of?
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Socrates Sculpture Park Curator Caitlin Garcia Maestas
Yeah, well, one of the really amazing things about installing at Socrates is we keep the park open. It's open every day of the year, which means that during the installation period, we had lots of visitors stop by and ask Suchitra how she made the work. And those are always really fun conversations to get to have with the public. And we heard lots of different theories as to what people thought they were, but as soon as we explained that they were saris, they were so fascinated. And once you get closer and you really look at the textures, you can see the patterns and the designs. And one of the really brilliant things that Suchitra does with each of these, we call them pods, is she blends two colors. And so from a distance, it sort of appears as. It's a subtle transition, but once you get closer, you can see some of the sarees have polka dots on them. Some of them have different patterns and multiple colors that have been blended together together, even within the fabric itself. So the experience that a visitor has changes as you get closer to the work. And then, of course, everybody wants to touch them. And they are these really soft, luscious tapestries. And the public is encouraged to touch them very lightly and gently. Another fun fact about the work, too, is that a lot of these sarees, because they were previously worn. When you go into Suchitra Studio and you see the stacks of sarees, a lot of them still carry the scent from the women who previously wore them. And so being able to bring the scents and the memories of those bodies into the park, and then, of course, to engage with our community and our public, it's this really beautiful weaving of storytelling that's happening within the exhibition.
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Radio Host Kusha Navadar
I think that's a fantastic point to jump off of, because Suchitra, this show is partly inspired by your background as Guyanese and as Guyanese American, as a woman of Indo Caribbean descent, but also Queens. How did the stories of Queens residents. Residents. Influence you? What. What parallels did you notice between their stories and yours?
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Artist Suchitra Maathai
Well, growing up, I spent a lot of my years in New Jersey, and I had so much family and community in Queens, and there's a, you know, large Caribbean and Guyanese population. And so it was a way, in a sense of connecting to my own family stories, but also in a broader sense to these more universal, you know, stories. And, yeah, it's been really, really special experience.
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Radio Host Kusha Navadar
The. The. The top of all the sculptures, like you mentioned, is a reflective surface. Can you talk a little bit about that and. And what it signifies?
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Artist Suchitra Maathai
Yeah, in a way, the mirrored surfaces allow the sculptures to change over time. I called that particular installation of six pods, as we call them, becoming, because I really wanted to create monuments in a way to this process of immigration, the process of becoming, the process of transformation. So rather than think of monuments as, you know, static and only memorializing people in power or power at large, I wanted these to be monuments to immigrants and really to all of us.
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Radio Host Kusha Navadar
Yeah. And how do these. You mentioned something about the sculptures interacting with the natural environment in terms the weather that we might be having. Tell. Talk more about that. How does our perspective change based on maybe the amount of sunlight or lack thereof? Talk a little bit about that, Suchetra.
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Artist Suchitra Maathai
Yes. So every pod at every moment is changing. You can see different cloud formations. As we were installing these, birds would fly over. Sometimes you could see yourself because the pods are at angles. You can see other people in the park. You can see the trees. And so it is very much one with the universe of the park. And that was a really important part for me, too. You know, just thinking about Socrates, as I've learned and experienced through install and through visits, is a very warm, inviting, you know, heavily used park. It feels very idyllic in a certain way. And this changing. The changing aspect of the sculptures, just for me, relate to that constant use and activity that is both part of the natural world and the human world that occurs in Socrates.
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Radio Host Kusha Navadar
And there's this movement that you're talking about as well, like the passage of weather, passage of people. You yourself have lived in Guyana, India, Canada, the United States. How does your own movement shape how you think about migration and diaspora in your artwork work?
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Artist Suchitra Maathai
So I feel as though I am a nomad in a way. And I think every time you move, there's, you know, there's a kind of strength and courage that it takes to adapt and to be and to find your place. And it's that experience of my own, but of so many Americans that I wanted to kind of cherish and celebrate the.
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Radio Host Kusha Navadar
Yeah, so that's the first half of the title, too. We Are Nomads. The second half is We Are Dreamers. Talk a little bit about that. What does that signify in that title and in the sculptures?
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Artist Suchitra Maathai
I think in most migrations, there is a desire and a hope for a better future. And I think that I wanted to capture that because ultimately, the sculptures, in the sense of color and the reflection of the beautiful park, they are. They're large, but they're beautiful. And I think they. I hope that they communicate a sense of joy and a sense of possibility for an equitable future.
- [16:27]
Radio Host Kusha Navadar
Yeah. Caitlin, there are several events taking place at the park this summer related to the show. Kind of opportunities to bring to bear what Suchitra is talking about here. It includes a garden party and ensemble solo exhibits. Can you tell us about these events in the entertainment?
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Socrates Sculpture Park Curator Caitlin Garcia Maestas
Yes. So Suchitro, when she proposed the project that is now this exhibition, it was really important to her to have dance activate and really enliven the installation. So the actual installation of the six pods was installed with that in mind. And we are working with Barka Patel, Barka Dance Company, who is a local New York choreographer, Katha dancer, and she is working with us to organize the three dance performances that will be happening each month. So starting next month in June, as you mentioned, July, and then we'll do a closing reception on the 25th. And Barka actually visited us during the installation, and her and such were able to kind of think through the performances a little bit more, because, of course, once you see the works in person, it inspires new ideas and direction. But we're excited. There'll be different generations of dancers coming from different backgrounds and different levels. Barka does, like I mentioned, kathak and Garba dance. And so we're excited to present both of those at the park this summer.
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Radio Host Kusha Navadar
Sutisher, why. Why is dance so important at these activations for you?
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Artist Suchitra Maathai
You know, I think that the performance, like when I, when I conceived of these pods, I didn't want them to be static, right? They're changing, they're dynamic. And I wanted, I always thought the dance would be a part of it. I grew up with a lot of dancers in my family and I definitely wanted that to be, you know, a part of this, this process of, of the living installation. And I had met Barka a number of months ago and really appreciated her sense of dance and community. And I love the idea of bringing different traditions together within the dance and thinking about these pods as architecture.
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Radio Host Kusha Navadar
And Caitlin, when you think about all of these different ways in which the sculptures will live in the space, live among the people, how do you envision viewers interacting with Suchitra's installations in the outdoor setting of Socrates Sculpture park in summer? It seems like it's such a great opportunity for different ways of interacting. What are your thoughts on that?
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Socrates Sculpture Park Curator Caitlin Garcia Maestas
Absolutely. We've already seen so many different interactions. The other day I witnessed a visitor laying down, looking, looking up at the tapestries. And that was a really interesting perspective. I don't think I've ever seen a visitor lay on the ground and, you know, and look up in that way. And it's really just been special to watch visitors as they get closer to the work and they realize all of the meticulous, labor intensive work that Sutracher put into these tapestries. You know, that sort of wonder and awe that you get when you see that someone has spent hours and hours of time thinking through. And then of course, it's really exciting to see how the wind and the rain interact with these textiles in outdoor sculpture. Textiles are kind of a no, no in traditional outdoor sculptures. So it's been really exciting for us. As a site that has a long history of experimentation and working with artists and experimenting with new materials and possibilities for outdoor sculpture. It's been exciting to see even when, you know, it gets really windy. Of course, we're on the waterfront, so we have lots of windows and being able to see the textiles kind of subtly start to jiggle and move. There's fibers from the fabric and they kind of act as tentacles sometimes in the wind. We also have a series of seven hanging sculptures that are in the tree grove that Suchitra made, and those are also always shifting and moving with the trees. So it's a very organic, very beautiful, intentional installation.
- [20:37]
Radio Host Kusha Navadar
And it sounds like many different ways to experience it. And listeners. If you'd like to experience it, you can go to Socrates Sculpture Park. My guests have been artist Suchitra Maathai and the Socrates Sculpture park curator Caitlin Garcia Maestas. Their new show is titled We Are Nomads, We Are Dreamers. And it's going to be on display all summer long at Socrates Sculpture park in Astoria, Queens. And it'll be going until Sunday, August 25th. Sutitra, Caitlin, thank you both so much for coming on and talking about it.
- [21:09]
Socrates Sculpture Park Curator Caitlin Garcia Maestas
Thank you so much for having me.
- [21:12]
McDonald's Customer
I'm gonna put you on, nephew.
- [21:14]
Radio Host Kusha Navadar
All right, unc.
- [21:15]
Socrates Sculpture Park Curator Caitlin Garcia Maestas
Welcome to McDonald's. Can I take your order, miss?
- [21:17]
McDonald's Customer
I've been hitting up McDonald's for years. Now it's back. We need snack wraps. What's a snack wrap? It's the return of something great. Snack wrap is back.
- [21:29]
Marshall's Advertiser
Oh my gosh. Have you been to Marshalls lately? They have all the brand name and designer pieces you love, but without the jaw dropping price tag. Alright, so here's the you should never have to compromise between quality and price. And at Marshall's, you don't have to. Marshall's believes everyone deserves access to the good stuff and that's why their buyers hustle around the clock. To make it happen for you, visit a Marshalls store near you or shop online@marshalls.com.