Project Photo Album: https://www.flickr.com/photos/northernspark/albums/72177720299976150
Anyone who’s ever bitten into a fresh, ripe mango cannot forget the experience. The fruit evokes memories not only of smell and taste, but sensations of warmth, abundance, and home — especially for those who come from places where mangoes grow abundantly. Using the fruit to connect the past and the future, Mangos Are Memories invites audiences to think about their memories, asking: What memories do you come from? What memories do you want to pass on? How do you want to be remembered? This project centers a mango tree with a canopy made of saris. Like mangos, textiles evoke memories — the intimacies of clothing and feeding ourselves are intricately connected. By using traditional and contemporary saris, the artist welcomes her own ancestors into the space, and creates an environment for audiences to welcome theirs. Audiences are invited to share their memories — writing them on paper mangos to add to the tree, or speaking them into a recorded soundscape that will play throughout the night. The accumulation of memories will offer reflection on where we come from and what we want to leave behind, both as individuals and as communities.
#MangoMemories
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Artist Bio:
Alia Jeraj (she & they pronouns) is a performer, writer, and educator in the Twin Cities. A classically trained singer, Alia has recently begun studying folk music from northwest India. Alia uses her art to explore the connection between ancestry and the future through songs, stories, and memories.
Team Credits:
Eyenga Bokamba – Textile Design – support Eyenga’s work: https://www.eyengabokambapaintings.com/
Dameun Strange – Sound Consultant – support Dameun’s work: http://www.dameunstrange.com/
Mart Viirand — Tree trunk design and fabrication
Accessibility note: this project takes place on grass which may be uneven. Scent sensitivity: incense burning.