Photographs by Rachel Topham Photography
ਮਾਲ ਕੈ ਮਾਣੈ ਰੂਪ ਕੀ ਸੋਭਾ ਇਤੁ ਬਿਧੀ ਜਨਮੁ ਗਵਾਇਆ ॥
maal kai maanai roop kee sobhaa it bidhee janam gavaiaa ||
Simranpreet Anand
2021
Cardboard tubes, various synthetic fabrics, ashes, soot, charred and melted plastic
The textiles in this piece are recognizable as fabrics that could be sewn into rumaley sahib but hold no sacred significance in this form. The parts of the textiles that touch the ground have been burned, revealing the contemporary artificiality of materials that historically would have been made of cotton with embroidered silk. Sikh scripture speaks at length of the spiritual emptiness and wastefulness of ornate materials, yet flashy, synthetic fabrics have overtaken the practice of making rumaley sahib. In the line used as the title of this piece, Guru Nanak tells that one cannot appreciate the grace of the Guru if they remain preoccupied with the trappings of wealth and material beauty (Ang 24).