Cycle Jhalla

 

The Cycle Jhalla is a lyrical video installation based on 5 compositions set to the Indian Raga Malkauns, capturing the beauty of the cycle rickshaws of Banaras. The installation looks at the musical, playful, chaotic nature, and visual aesthetic of the rickshaw in the streets of Banaras. It is inspired from the concept of the “jhalla”a term used to describe a kind of intense musical progression in Indian instrumental music forms. The spokes of the wheel relate to the steel strings of the sitar and this installation establishes a correspondence between the spokes of the wheel and the sitar. Through an aural backdrop of five sitar jhalla compositions, the music intends to capture the movement, rhythm, geometry and colour of the cycle rickshaw which is visualized as a poetic relief on the Banaras cityscape, a musical instrument in itself.