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Here you can see the sketch up model of the kavad from a different angle (roughly from the southwest). I've colored the outer walls as an orientation to the frame of the box; but I think the interior will need more structural columns than it currently has. We'll see.
Here's the kavad, open to show the decanates of the Zodiac. I made a serendipitous discovery when I opened the other side, and looked through. There are places in the back where the four Archangels of the Seasons (and their relevant stars!) could be posted, so that they show through around the 'cross' in the middle... although increasingly I'm thinking that it needs to be a tree. Not sure how to do that yet, but I'm hoping I can figure it out.
These are some of the decanates of the Zodiac — the first two faces or 10-degree windows of the constellation of Cancer. You can read more about the project that these are preliminary sketches for, at my blog, under a search for 'kavad'.
This is supposed to be an old man disguised as a woman, and an old man with him. It turns out to be the wizard from Pisces 2 again — because I only know one way to draw an old man, so far.
Very cartoonish. Really more of a sketch of a posture than the true figure that should be here. How large should the bag be, that he is carrying. Why is his head bowed? In prayer? In cunning? These are questions left up to the artist or the magician...
I don't think the structure of the body of the kavad will be firm without some additional stabilizers. So I've added these two pillars of 1/4" doweling, which will also act as pivots for the kavad's internal doors.
This is my own personal Decan, and I have to say that I like the Hindu framework of this Decan much more than I like the western European one, which is "A swift-footed person with a viper in his hand, leading dogs." At some point, I should learn to draw that one, but for the moment I'm sticking with the Turtle.
The restless man in red, with gold bracelets on his arms. He's a bit too long in body, a bit too short in leg. But it's a start.
A man dragging someone else by his hair, and making ready to kill him. I'm not really satisfied with the posture of either man, but it's a good first try.
A storytelling project which toured three rural villages in Essex in August Bank Holiday in 2017 engaging with new audiences.
We invited the Grand Theatre of Lemmings to upscale their Smallest Theatre in World into a large Kavad Box. The traditions of the Kavad come from Rajasthan, India. The Project was delivered by Story Narrative Specialist Seema Anand and was supported with funding from Arts Council England, Essex County Council Cultural Development and was supported by Essex Cultural Diversity Project.
I like the alleged sturdiness and ruggedness of this figure. I felt really connected to him while drawing him.
From Wikipedia
Vel kavadi
Devotees prepare for the celebration by cleansing themselves through prayer and fasting. Kavadi-bearers have to perform elaborate ceremonies at the time of assuming the kavadi and at the time of offering it to Murugan. The kavadi-bearer observes celibacy and take only pure, Satvik food, once a day, while continuously thinking of God.
On the day of the festival, devotees will shave their heads undertake a pilgrimage along a set route while engaging in various acts of devotion, notably carrying various types of kavadi (burdens). At its simplest this may entail carrying a pot of milk, but mortification of the flesh by piercing the skin, tongue or cheeks with vel skewers is also common.
The simplest kavadi is a semi circular decorated canopy supported by a wooden rod that is carried on the shoulders, to the temple. In addition, some have a small spear through their tongue, or a spear through the cheeks. The spear pierced through his tongue or cheeks reminds him constantly of Lord Murugan. It also prevents him from speaking and gives great power of endurance. Other types of kavadi involve hooks stuck into the back and either pulled by another walking behind or being hung from a decorated bullock cart or more recently a tractor, with the point of incisions of the hooks varying the level of pain.
You can read more about the kavad project at my blog.
I figured it was a good idea to lay out the three windows of Virgo before I tried designing or sketching them. This proved to be a good idea, as we'll see in a moment. I am coming to the realization that the windows need to encapsulate a lot of information simultaneously, and that means things like the ribbons in the lower part of the image.
This king looks a little maniacal, I think. He's supposed to be looking prideful and conceited. I misplaced the Aquarius 3 in this guy's 'official' spot, and it was such a nice image, I had to rearrange him, and put him in the wrong window. But he came out rather well, I think.
21-year-old Kavader M. McKibben was senselessly murdered while working Friday at the Moreland Package Store (15 Moreland Ave). He was shot twice by 19 year-old Terrone Anthony. Residents of southeast Atlanta are encouraged to come pay their respects and show support for the victim and his family Monday night at 7pm. Please bring a candle and some to share if you can. We are fed up with the constant violence in the metro Atlanta area and we want our presence as a united community to be known.
The Earth and Water registers of the "west front" of kavad 4.6. It's pretty clear that each of the objects are going to have to be painted in some sort of color scheme, rather than merely left blank with the background of their sign.
I also think that I'm going to have to vary the color scheme a bit — bright hue for the Cardinal sign, middle hue for the Fixed sign, and dark hue for the Mutable sign, in order to distinguish them. It may also be worthwhile to reorganize the grid of the zodiac overall, so that each column or row also represents a season of the year. Then the roundels between them could be markers or indicators of specific feasts and festivals between them.
I've realized that I can think of the kavad as divided into four realms or courts — the outer skin, and then three successive layers within — 1) outer doors and outsides of inner doors, 2) insides of inner doors and outsides of innermost doors, and then everything within the innermost doors.
Given that I haven't built the innermost doors yet, though... I have three layers. Which is probably as it should be.
The Siamese Twin isn't actually described as Siamese... he's merely, "The man with two bodies joined at the hands." I've depicted this as a man with two heads, two bodies, and only three shoulders. Not quite accurate, but a good start. More scrying work needs to be done.
Kavad 4.6 is done - all the outside layers now have some sort of decoration on them. Time to begin the "middle layer".
Talking with a friend of mine, I realized that I went about this wrong. Not unfixably over the long haul, but awkwardly for this round. Really, stuff that's common knowledge, like the zodiac should be on the outside — it's public data. But seeing the interior is an initiate's journey, right? So stuff like the signs of Geomancy should go inside, not outside. Hmm.
The interior 'shrine' area of the Kavad. I'm planning on putting in another pair of doors here, or possibly panels on pivots. I may need to get some dowelling from Michael's or another craft-store tomorrow.
While I'm away from the kavad, I'm working in a note book — art book, really — to design some of the elements. This terrific frame emerged from today's pattern work and pen work... It's very definitely a "medieval illumination" type of window, rather than a window on a realistic scene or figure. But I'm now at a bit of a loss as to what goes in it. Any ideas?
Zodiac signs for air and fire. In some ways, as a pair, I like this set of rows the best. The contrast of the yellow against the red is really strong, and the figure-style that's emerging is looking rather classically-inspired. We'll see if that holds up as I do more work.
And here's the position of the internal doors of the kavad, which will rest on the 1/2" doweling that will act as both additional supports for the box, and pivots for the doors. In this view, you can also see the drawer in the lower compartment, and the upper lid lifted off to reveal a glass dome inside or crystal lens, for focusing light into the internal part of the kavad.