‘You are under nature’s surveillance’, says a board placed on top of a few abandoned tyres beneath a badam tree on Kozhikode beach. Looking around, there are quite a number of similar boards. Then there are some painted bottles hanging from some of the trees, carrying a variety of messages. There are swings, seating arrangements and several curious items made of not just tyres and bottles, but a variety of articles, what anyone would call waste.
But for Midhun Viswanath and his team of friends under Chintha Arts and Craft, they are all resources for the unique installation on the beach put up under the aegis of the Kozhikode Municipal Corporation and the Department of Ports. Mayor Beena Philip will inaugurate the installation on Monday.
At a single glance, they are just a pile of tyres and other waste materials. But for a creative mind, they are different. “Looking from the beach towards the shore, it looks like a ship. The lighthouse made of tyres rests on top of a tortoise that seems to be moving towards the sea,” said Midhun, explaining his work. Besides the lighthouse, an anchor made of tyres is also part of the installation.
Midhun, a physical education teacher by profession, and hailing from Unnikulam near Balussery in Kozhikode district, had resigned his job to pursue a career and recognition in the field of art and craft. “I have represented Kozhikode district six times for making handicrafts from waste materials in the annual State-level work experience fair. Those certificates certainly came in handy while trying to convince the Corporation and other officials about my dream project,” he said.
He set up the Chintha Arts and Craft collective to promote similar talents and impart training in art and craft. “We encourage people to think differently and hence the name Chintha,” he said.
It took the team of six people nearly three months to complete the installation which is open for every visitor on the beach. However, he is concerned about the safety of the work after the inauguration. “This is a zero-budget project. The Corporation needs to do something to ensure that it is not destroyed,” he said.
