‘The Almirah’ – a fashion project by Kerala artist-entrepreneur that looks at limited spaces for women as a fallout of the pandemic

In Sharmila Nair’s multidisciplinary set up, The Almirah, a girl says joyfully, “Tenth day of the lockdown and you are beside me…while another voices her anguish, “When was the last time we shared the sinking emptiness…”

The fashion project looks at the limited spaces accessible to women as a fallout of pandemic-led restrictions. “After the lockdown was announced, I stood in front of my almirah looking at my stock of saris, which would go unsold and unseen for a long time, and I began to wonder about the privations of women across the world,” says the artist-cum-entrepreneur, who in 2019 got here up with 18 Shades of Black, by which a black sari symbolised the restrictions confronted by women in day by day life.

The almirah additionally kinds a half of a girl’s trousseau in some communities of Kerala and Sharmila makes use of it as a metaphor to interpret completely different points of feminism. “For a bride, the almirah, which she gets as a gift, is perhaps the only personal space that connects her to her family. It is a link,” says Sharmila, who retains her inventory in an historical, century-outdated cabinet that as soon as belonged to her grandmother.

Being caught inside the 4 partitions of the dwelling can have an effect on women in some ways. Sharmila’s pal’s grandmother fell into melancholy and needed to be hospitalised as a result of her solely outing to a place of worship had ceased. However, there are others who see the lockdown as a boon as a result of they’ve been capable of spend high quality time with their households.

Combining these concepts, Sharmila had a six-by-4 foot almirah constructed in the basement of a constructing and, along with Bharatanatyam dancer Ramya Suvi and filmmaker-cinematographer Ratheesh Ravindran, created a telling narrative of women confined to a house.

Dressed in saris from the almirah, Ramya carried out inside the tight, ‘unshelved’, closed house expressing numerous feelings starting from the agony of entrapment to a sense of safety.

The set up combines artwork fashion, pictures, efficiency and poetry. Ratheesh who wrote the poetry says, “We started the campaign with happiness, as many women felt happy with extended time on their hands. But it soon changed to fear, frustration, anger and sadness. We tried to capture all these nuances.” Lighting the storage space, he says, was a problem as a result of of the reflective glass.

Sharmila additionally hopes to start out a marketing campaign titled Open the Almirah. “Through Open the Almirah we aim to inspire corporates to take this up as a CSR project where they can put across the idea of donating one valuable thing inside the almirah, for those in need. The valuables may be anything, ranging from clothing to basic essentials,” she says

Currently The Almirah, which was launched on social media on October 10, could be considered on the FB web page and Instagram deal with of Red Lotus. There are plans to showcase it in gallery house submit pandemic.