Namaste Installation
Namaste
Photo Installation by Deborah Keller-Rihn
Highwire Gallery
The word Namaste is a common greeting in India. The word comes from the Sanskrit namah te and means a reverential salutation to you. Another way to translate this might be the divine in me honors and respects the divine in you.
These photographs were taken in 2012 on my first trip to India. Like most Westerners traveling to India, I was looking for a spiritual experience but I was completely taken aback by the colorful, chaotic swirl of life that I encountered~layer upon layer of the evidence left from thousands of years of spiritual practice~altars and temples on every corner honoring multitudes of deities and still, today rituals of worship are part of the very fabric of everyday life. Of course, the temples were extraordinary and I was very lucky to take a pilgrimage to some of the holiest sites in India but the deeper spirituality to me was found in the faces and eyes of the people. I was met with warmth, generosity, curiosity and kindness. People opened their hearts and their homes to me. Delicious meals were served on banana leaves and I was showered with gifts. I discovered that spirituality was to be found in this attitude of reverence and humble service not in some ephemeral realm.
I wanted to celebrate and honor the people who had treated me so kindly and to present the portraits in a way that was distinctly Indian. I got the idea of putting the photographs into altar boxes from Celebration Circle’s annual altar show. Steve Lewis made the boxes for me based on drawings I sent him of the temples that I had photographed in India.
The painting on the boxes is inspired by the hand-made look of roadside shrines and the colors and designs came from the photos themselves.
I wanted to present the boxes within a space that feels like a Hindu temple ~dark and cavernous~ so this room lends itself to the desired effect. I am inspired by the Hindu temples I saw that are filled with candles, flowers, offerings, music, incense and the beautiful geometric drawings on the floors known as kolams that have been made daily with rice flour by the women for thousands of years as a form of ritual worship.
There are so many people for me to thank~ Shanti Sree for teaching me about kolams
and for organizing the dance performance; Steve Lewis for building altar boxes;
Ramin Samandari for printing large photograph and helping with installation of work;
Sylvia Benitez for her vision and enthusiastic support and encouragement;
Cindy and Ray Palmer for selfless devotion to the gallery; Dr. Sreedhara and Neela Patel who arranged key introductions to people in India such as Shobana, Leo, Arun, Vijaya, Ram, Vinay, Saraswati, and of course, thanks to the many beautiful people I met in my travels who peered into my camera lens. Also, thanks to Sharon Shelton Colangelo and Bill Colangelo for their spiritual guidance and for hosting so many delicious vegetarian meals and spiritual talks. Over one of these meals, I was introduced to Dr. Sreedhara. Sharon is also the person who originally introduced me to the kolam art form. Thanks also to Rick Henderson for playing Indian music during the first opening March 8th and thanks to Erik Bosse for videotaping the dance and the exhibit. Thanks also to Dr. Sreedhara’s dance students for performing for us. Praise and thanks to all who made this possible. Namaste.
Photo Installation by Deborah Keller-Rihn
Highwire Gallery
The word Namaste is a common greeting in India. The word comes from the Sanskrit namah te and means a reverential salutation to you. Another way to translate this might be the divine in me honors and respects the divine in you.
These photographs were taken in 2012 on my first trip to India. Like most Westerners traveling to India, I was looking for a spiritual experience but I was completely taken aback by the colorful, chaotic swirl of life that I encountered~layer upon layer of the evidence left from thousands of years of spiritual practice~altars and temples on every corner honoring multitudes of deities and still, today rituals of worship are part of the very fabric of everyday life. Of course, the temples were extraordinary and I was very lucky to take a pilgrimage to some of the holiest sites in India but the deeper spirituality to me was found in the faces and eyes of the people. I was met with warmth, generosity, curiosity and kindness. People opened their hearts and their homes to me. Delicious meals were served on banana leaves and I was showered with gifts. I discovered that spirituality was to be found in this attitude of reverence and humble service not in some ephemeral realm.
I wanted to celebrate and honor the people who had treated me so kindly and to present the portraits in a way that was distinctly Indian. I got the idea of putting the photographs into altar boxes from Celebration Circle’s annual altar show. Steve Lewis made the boxes for me based on drawings I sent him of the temples that I had photographed in India.
The painting on the boxes is inspired by the hand-made look of roadside shrines and the colors and designs came from the photos themselves.
I wanted to present the boxes within a space that feels like a Hindu temple ~dark and cavernous~ so this room lends itself to the desired effect. I am inspired by the Hindu temples I saw that are filled with candles, flowers, offerings, music, incense and the beautiful geometric drawings on the floors known as kolams that have been made daily with rice flour by the women for thousands of years as a form of ritual worship.
There are so many people for me to thank~ Shanti Sree for teaching me about kolams
and for organizing the dance performance; Steve Lewis for building altar boxes;
Ramin Samandari for printing large photograph and helping with installation of work;
Sylvia Benitez for her vision and enthusiastic support and encouragement;
Cindy and Ray Palmer for selfless devotion to the gallery; Dr. Sreedhara and Neela Patel who arranged key introductions to people in India such as Shobana, Leo, Arun, Vijaya, Ram, Vinay, Saraswati, and of course, thanks to the many beautiful people I met in my travels who peered into my camera lens. Also, thanks to Sharon Shelton Colangelo and Bill Colangelo for their spiritual guidance and for hosting so many delicious vegetarian meals and spiritual talks. Over one of these meals, I was introduced to Dr. Sreedhara. Sharon is also the person who originally introduced me to the kolam art form. Thanks also to Rick Henderson for playing Indian music during the first opening March 8th and thanks to Erik Bosse for videotaping the dance and the exhibit. Thanks also to Dr. Sreedhara’s dance students for performing for us. Praise and thanks to all who made this possible. Namaste.
Namaste
Photo Installation by Deborah Keller-Rihn
March 8~April 5, 2013
The word Namaste is a common greeting in India. The word comes from the Sanskrit namah te and means a reverential salutation to you. Another way to translate this might be the divine in me honors and respects the divine in you. Despite outward appearances to the contrary, we are really one and the same.
From right to left~
1. Perfect Hostess in Chennai
2. Kolam Maker in Mysore
3. Baba~Hanuman Priest in Hampi
4. Hindu Wedding in Thiru
5. Joyous at the Temple
6. My Kolam Teacher in Thiru
7. Beautiful Grandmother
8. Raja, Hampi “Taxi Boy”
9. Pilgrim in Hampi
10. Brothers at Shiva Temple
11. Village Woman near Aurangabad
12. GQ in the Village
13. Woman on the Road near Thiruvannamalai
14. Vinay, Follower of Lalitha-sold
15. Yogi in Gingee-Large Altar
16. Shobana, Bharatanatyam Dancer with Jayalalitha -sold
17. Saraswati Devotee, Temple Guide-sold
18. Curious Grandmother
19. Beautiful Boy
20. Golden Girl-sold
21. Christian Boy-sold
22. Taxi Driver in Chennai
23. Kolam Organizer
24. Sweet Anu in Thiru
25. Pilgrim in Madurai
26. Alien Force
27. Shopkeeper, Keeper of the Water
28. Perfect Flower in Chennai
29. Friends Forever
30. Papayapp
31. Gardener
Archival digital photographs in One of a Kind, Hand-Painted Altars made to resemble the Hindu temples of South India~$350 each~ Large Central Altar is $850.
A portion of the proceeds will be sent to Nectar Ashram and Orphanage,
Thiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu, India.
Highwire Gallery
326 W. Josephine
San Antonio, Texas 78212
(210) 800-5441
archival photograph mounted within hand painted custom altar box, 14" x 28" $350
Photo Installation by Deborah Keller-Rihn
March 8~April 5, 2013
The word Namaste is a common greeting in India. The word comes from the Sanskrit namah te and means a reverential salutation to you. Another way to translate this might be the divine in me honors and respects the divine in you. Despite outward appearances to the contrary, we are really one and the same.
From right to left~
1. Perfect Hostess in Chennai
2. Kolam Maker in Mysore
3. Baba~Hanuman Priest in Hampi
4. Hindu Wedding in Thiru
5. Joyous at the Temple
6. My Kolam Teacher in Thiru
7. Beautiful Grandmother
8. Raja, Hampi “Taxi Boy”
9. Pilgrim in Hampi
10. Brothers at Shiva Temple
11. Village Woman near Aurangabad
12. GQ in the Village
13. Woman on the Road near Thiruvannamalai
14. Vinay, Follower of Lalitha-sold
15. Yogi in Gingee-Large Altar
16. Shobana, Bharatanatyam Dancer with Jayalalitha -sold
17. Saraswati Devotee, Temple Guide-sold
18. Curious Grandmother
19. Beautiful Boy
20. Golden Girl-sold
21. Christian Boy-sold
22. Taxi Driver in Chennai
23. Kolam Organizer
24. Sweet Anu in Thiru
25. Pilgrim in Madurai
26. Alien Force
27. Shopkeeper, Keeper of the Water
28. Perfect Flower in Chennai
29. Friends Forever
30. Papayapp
31. Gardener
Archival digital photographs in One of a Kind, Hand-Painted Altars made to resemble the Hindu temples of South India~$350 each~ Large Central Altar is $850.
A portion of the proceeds will be sent to Nectar Ashram and Orphanage,
Thiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu, India.
Highwire Gallery
326 W. Josephine
San Antonio, Texas 78212
(210) 800-5441
archival photograph mounted within hand painted custom altar box, 14" x 28" $350