'A taste of tradition' is a display of items that comprise the Parsi Ses.
Growing up in a multi-religious house,
we created our own method for following rituals. The ses is a ritual of celebration-
a blessing before a new journey.
It commemorated every important event in our lives.
'A taste of tradition' is my aim at simplifying the ritual of Ses and
making it a less intimidating ritual shrouded in mystery.
Growing up in a multi-religious house,
we created our own method for following rituals. The ses is a ritual of celebration-
a blessing before a new journey.
It commemorated every important event in our lives.
'A taste of tradition' is my aim at simplifying the ritual of Ses and
making it a less intimidating ritual shrouded in mystery.
The Ses consists of common food items, and some special metal items. I found the best way to communicate these items was to find recipes from all over India that featured these foods.
So the search began- I had six food items in total.
So the search began- I had six food items in total.
A spread from the cookbook
Throughout the book I intentionally hid what the Ses would look like in its entirety. I wanted to keep that private, as the ritual is only practised within our community. Using this privacy as a theme, I spilt the Ses up into three parts. I made intentionality a theme as well, folding the book in an intricate manner such that the viewer would have to take the time and effort to unfold each page, seeing the final picture as a reward once they had completed unfolding all the pages.
I used vellum or kalkpapier, to layer these Ses items one over another. Each item on its own has a unique part to play in the ritual, and I wanted to highlight its place in the Ses as well as show it in union with others.
My final product was a puzzle of sorts, one which took time to unfold, leaving the viewer with a few new recipes and more knowledge on this ritual.
Sketches for the vellum pages
The Toran (flower garland) begins the ritual
Granda's handwriting inspired sketches
In the early stages of illustrating the Ses items, I was inspired by my grandfathers handwriting. I tried to illustrate in the rough, broken up style of his writing, but ultimately I felt it made the item too unclear.