Handmade Paper

A Window of One's Own by Pranav Prakash

Exhibitions:
Spring 2021 :: UICB Paper Research & Production Facility, Oakdale Campus, Coralville, US | Summer 2021 :: Art Onsite, 16 South Clinton Street, Iowa City, US

Copyright ©2021 Pranav Prakash

A Window of One's Own is a creative response to the windows found in rural households in South Asia. Window panels often reflect the social and economic conditions of the families residing in the house. Some families take care of their windows better than others. Each window has a story to tell about the people who reside around them, about their personal lives and daily struggles. Through my installation of handmade paper panels, I reflect on the ways in which rural communities grapple with the realities of their domestic lives and environment.

This project was conceptualized during a studio arts seminar mentored by Prof. Nicholas Cladis at the Center for the Book, University of Iowa. I benefited immensely from Prof. Cladis's feedback, as well as from the suggestions and support of my fellow papermakers, María Carolina Ceballos, Amy Childress and Jocmarys Viruet Feliciano. Above all, I am immensely grateful to Prof. Timothy Barrett, who—having first introduced me to the craft of handmade-paper—oversaw my development as a papermaking artist.