26/11
Creating artist books to share intimate South Asian stories to fundraise for mental rehabilitation.
over-view
Housed in the permanent Special Collections of the ︎︎︎ John Hay Library — each of the 26/11 books outlines a different episodic account of the 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai.
“Special Collections” is an umbrella term for archives, books, and manuscripts that are rare, old, or worth preserving.
Through this purchase, thirty-three women who suffered PTSD after the attacks were provided free-of-cost mental rehabilitation services.
Read More about the 2008 Attacks ︎︎︎
26/11 was awarded the ‘Women at Brown Prize’ in 2021 and purchased by the John Hay Library’s Special Collections
Each book is dedicated to the different sectors of society that become inevitable casualties of political warfare and terrorism.
26/11 was made on handmade paper purchased from a paper mart near the Taj: one of the locations of the terrorist attack. I didn’t go to the Taj Mahal Hotel for 12 years after the attack.
PROJECT DETAILS
Client:
Pembroke Center for Women and Gender Studies
Timeline:
Tools:
Library Collections:
Skills:
Reflection:
Pembroke Center for Women and Gender Studies
The ︎︎︎ Pembroke Center at Brown University is a feminist research center devoted to critical scholarship on the struggles faced by people across national and transnational contexts.
Timeline:
6 weeks (Feb-March ‘21)
Tools:
Found Materials, Pen and Ink, Collage Materials, Hand-Made Khadi Paper
Library Collections:
John Hay Library at Brown University
The ︎︎︎ John Hay Library is the second oldest library on the campus of Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, United States.
Skills:
Storytelling, Concept Development, Content Writing, Fundraising
Reflection:
Lobbying for your work is important.
Through conversations and dialogues about my work and its significance, I was contacted by the aforementioned collections to purchase my work. This would not have been possible without the people who guided me, and listened to me, as I spoke about my work.
Fundraising is only effective when you aim to provide sustainable means, not temporary solutions.
Through conversations with the women who were served through this project, they mentioned their appreciation for the fact that they were provided with sustainable means to cope with certain localized issues.