KATHMANDU, May 29: ‘Sight & Sound,’ an art exhibition being held at MCube Gallery, Patan provides the essence of the boundless expressions that artists have. The exhibition that kicked off this Sunday is in its 8th season and features four artists from different walks of life. Participating artists are given a platform to collaborate with Nepali artists and/or art practices of Nepal. 

Graham Blackshaw, originally a House & Dance Hall DJ from LA, created a 70’s style Blues-Rock track in collaboration with Studio Nepal. A booth has been dedicated that showcases the photos of the music production process with lyrics of the song stuck on the walls. The observers are given a pair of headphones to witness the song.  

The choice of genre is rhetoric – Blackshaw’s curiosity made him question “In this age of remixes and movies coming as trilogies and franchises, how can I do something unique?” Thus he went on to produce the song ‘Katman Blues’ which is the representative of Blackshaw’s take on Nepal’s capital.

Bethany M Richards from the USA uses her artistic license to question the traditional notions of duality. She recognized the expression of hands in communication and her work illustrates the different connotations of hand signs. She further believes that we can change our karma with the way we use our hands.

The USA based artist uses the 5 elements --fire, earth, water, air and the mind -- among which the last one was discovered during her travels in Nepal and her yoga practices. In her speech, she offered the audience some food for thought: “Let yourself experience what you cannot see or hear; a perfume that can influence your perspective. And then ask yourself – is it a cloud or is it clarity?”

Bidhata KC has transformed the limited space, within the confines of the 4 walls, into a miniature world with rocks and stones illustrative of the scenic terrains and housing styles of Mustang and Larkey pass. She recalls, “I started to realize that even within those stones there exists a vast universe. It was at that moment I realized the power of nothingness.” Spectators become participants as they walk on the stones in light with KC’s idea of how the meaning of the same thing, space, and time changes when they are transformed and placed in another dimension.

Salil Subedi’s work,‘Where Do We Stand? allows visitors to participate in a real-time simulation juxtaposing the chaotic sounds that aggressively surround the city life. The installation further lets the visitors experience the vibrations of the earth as they stand inside a singing bowl. 

The event curator, Manish Lal Shrestha explains the essence of the event, “Sight is what you see and the sound is what you feel.”  The exhibition is scheduled to be held until the 8th of June.