JALOBAYU
73rd Street & Ocean Terrace
Miami Beach, FL 33141
USA
JALOBAYU জলবায়ু
Climate . Water . Wind
a performance/installation by
MONICA JAHAN BOSE
The body, wrapped in a 216-foot sari written on and worn by 12 coastal women in Bangladesh, collaborates with wind, sand, and water to speak to increasing cyclones, sea level rise, and loss of food and heritage caused by climate change. “Jalobayu” means climate in Bengali and is a combination of the words for water and wind. The performance alludes to rituals in Islam, Hinduism, and Christianity.
JALOBAYU references narratives, both real and mythological, including the Indian myth of Draupadi, the eternal virgin who was married to five brothers, as well as the true story of the artist’s grandmother Johora, who was married at age seven and years later swept away by a cyclone. In South Asian and other cultures, water symbolizes death, destruction, purification, and renewal. Draupadi bathes and become a virgin daily.
The endless sari is part of STORYTELLING WITH SARIS, a collaborative art and advocacy project highlighting gender and climate change. JALOBAYU juxtaposes women’s words and their worn saris against the backdrop of the rising ocean in Miami Beach.
SELECT MIAMI, 73rd & Ocean Terrace, Friday, Dec. 5, 2014, 4:00 pm
