Works conflating art and science are uniquely engaging. The distinction is from yoking the complexities of opposite worlds. Boundaries blur; the undefined — emotions, expressions — invade set spaces of natural science to create, in this case, an installation that aims to address a discriminatory emotion facing the current world — Islamophobia. Waning peace, even the quest for it, has further dimmed, believes autodidact artist-scientist Raigon Stanley, from Fort Kochi, who in a bid to promote world peace, ahimsa , has created an installation, which will be travelling across Europe and America, July 22 onwards. The World Peace and Humanity Tour will first be on show at Cologne in Germany.
A fabricated steel bicycle, in-balance, devoid of props and with Islamic calligraphic ‘Salam’, Arabic for peace, built on to the framework, with an invisible AV facility will be showcased at public spaces. It will document expressions, and conversations of viewers, collecting data that will be displayed in follow up shows. The national music of the country, where on show, will be played to create a mood where nationalism could be interpreted as part of a greater unified world. “We notice that Islamophobia is increasing all over the world and Muslims are widely seen as victims of discrimination and racism. Now more than ever we need to reach out to the community with love and peace for a better future,” says Stanley.
Stanley took to serious art after a successful stint with the aerospace industry. He combines in his work multiple disciplines like photography, motion pictures, painting, sculpture, art-installation, design and technology. He has also forayed into dealing with high-end art, working with international art collectors. Almost all his works — reverse engineered antiques, artefacts and collectables, period interior design, automotive design and experimental photography — are skilful combination of art and science.
As a child he found himself curious and interested in his father’s profession of a photographer, often landing in the dark room, observing the development of negatives and admiring the mechanics of cameras. He was drawn to technology just as much as he was to art and social work. His other obsession is collecting art, currently a voluminous collection of archival photographs and negatives. In 2016, he launched his gallery ‘Grey Book’ in Fort Kochi.
Of the issue behind his work he says, “we use the word peace when there is war but it is effective only when it reaches the minds of people who live in that country.” He equates peace with a balance of mind, “once we have got the balance, we can live in peace forever in the beautiful world.”
