-By Rajesh
“Is there going to be a show?”, a boy asked. People thronged, awaiting entertainment. The VAST members answered questioning pedestrians, hiding mounting irritation and pressure; half an hour and we were still hammering away, as Bhutanese are wont to, working till the umpteenth second before the big show, a show the Bhutanese had never seen. “Grand Mutual Smiles”, our invitation and we announced, a state of the art installation. People nodded, grinned or shook their head.
“There!”, a boy pointed at himself on the screen. His friends exclaimed. An old guy smiled into the camera, unblinking in spite of the glare of the two lights. He put his two hands together, one still holding his prayer beads, as he would at a temple and worded, “I am an old man”, a hello to his Austrian counterparts, who would smile at this weathered face. A group of kids had their busiest days of their lives. They would visit Piere’s installation and shout-sing into the mike, eyes glued to the patterns on the screen, set off by the sound generated. Taking their turns here, they would rush off to the main black room, where they would slither through the crowd to grin into the camera again!.
Old, young, toddlers, policemen, visitors, monks, entire families. Entertainment for all. That was the “Grand Mutual Smiles” project. For once, there was no dancing, no singing, no celebrity to draw a crowd. There were smiles aplenty. If you are reading this (and in Thimphu), be sure to walk to the clock tower and send a smile across the world.
Having a little fun during the preparation of the launch.
Pierre explaining the Grand Mutual Smiles to an impressive gathering of high profile guests during the launch.
H.R.H. Princess Chhimi Yangzom Wangchuck looks on as the Opposition Leader sings to trigger off a voice activated pattern generator, another digital installation art by Pierre.
Hello Austria.
Taking down the installation was as much fun and putting it up.
———-
Other Stories related to the opening of the “Grand Mutual Smile”
>> Kuenselonline
>> www.tsheringtobgay.com
>> www.80plus1.org
My Chu U Chu (walking along the Thimchu)
- Written by Dorji Gayltshen
It was 10 AM, the sky was grey and it was drizzling. The air was cool and calm. We got out of the bus at the Dechencholing bridge. Dorji said 123…, and makes a head count. After the head count we started to walk down the Thimchu, full of energy for the day.
We collected the first water sample of the day just below the bridge and labeled them. Everyone was walking so fast, like the river, with joy on their face and curiosity in the mind to see what they will find for the day.
As we moved along the river we found out that plastics and rags make the branches of bushes more colorful like a flag. The riverbank has plastic for ornament.
The Taba picnic spot on the left bank of Thimchu was littered with chip packets, beer bottles and water bottles, probably left behind by picnickers. Plants were competing unsuccessfully for a better space for growth. Some people were pitching tents, camping and thus adding more to the liter.
As we moved further down the Thimchu, we climbed uphill and downhill so steep and sometime very marshy. The day was a lot livelier than the previous day, more colorful and more laughter, as some of our friends slipped into the marsh and got wet. While some giggled, others were downright serious – serious from the observing the state of our river.
The further we walked downstream, the more rags, plastics, human feces and charcoal floating on the banks of the Thimchu and rags hanging on the branches too. We collected water samples at different locations to test in a lab.
Finally at about 5 in the evening, as everybody was resting in the shade, tired and satisfied, little Thukten cried “we have reached our destination. LUNGTEN ZAMPA!”
This is our third day of the River Survey and everybody is having a blast.
At Dechencholing.
Collecting trash along the Thimchu.
Lunch time.
More along the river.