I arrived to Munnar town, surrounded all by green; it’s the beautiful tea plantation mountains in Kerala..
Every one that visits India, soon enough finds out that there is a daily electricity run down. Each day in the morning or in the evening, or in both – the duration can vary from one hour to 3 h = with NO electricity! Lucky enough for me, in the 3 weeks that I am in India, in all the places I stayed there was a generator that soon replaced the main electricity source.
Munnar, The country of tea plantation
Now I am writing in the DARK! I am amazed to discover (only now!) that WE – the people are very adaptable! We can adapt to everything. If we want to or have to!!! After some complaints, after a bit of discomfort, soon enough we adapt the discomfort.
With that kind of power that we have of adaptation, no donut we rule the world, also exploit it to the brim. 🙁
I was lucky to arrive to Munnar yesterday, but to get to The Darkness Stroke on the my FIRST night – was a bit too much!
Every time I arrive to a new place my first night is a bit rigged – I listen to the new night sounds, I look at the creatures in my room, I listen to the dogs barking outside etc. I am a city rat, so the noises I know are of loud Police cars, loud cry of Ambulances cars etc, party music etc.
In my journey to the East, I discovered the sounds of nature.
The ‘music’ in each place is very different. In New Zealand there are a lot of crickets. (Zarzarim = Hebrew) They sit on a tree – in huge colony. When one passes under that kind of tree the chirping is so loud that it can even hurt one’s hears. These crickets are very particular, they choose only certain trees that they like to live on them. I listened to that huge choir on one tree, and in another tree next to it, it’s a complete silence. Only then I can hear the birds singing. Thank God the birds can raise their voices also.
I arrived to Munnar from Auroville, a real country side, without nearly any cars, so the voices of nature were loud & proud.
Each night there were adventurous sounds of nature, like ‘symphony’ of the night, it will sound different according to the season.
Even before midnight, after just one loud bark of a dog – a major choir of dog barking will be heard all ever the region. At that same time the jackals are waiting… and they will raise their cry. With their up loud barking-cry it’s like listening to a team of trumpets in a live concert. Hearing jackals so close to my doorstep, made me lock the door again. At that moment I realize that I must have a torch…. Ha Ha
Other exciting voices I got to know in Auroville at Ilona & Tony’s house – coming from the attic – the noises of one big happy family of squirrels. I must say, they have a busy life, chasing & running up and down all night. Also I saw & heard the lizards!!! They have a loud squawky voice when they chase one another probably saying in a romantic voice: “Come to me my love!” 🙂
I am lighting the page with my small torch to see my rough hand writing. But soon enough the Indian buttery will be off…
On top of the Darkness Plague, I have now a strong stomach pain. Eating the Indian food is fine, but it’s pretty HOT, and my stomach have to get used to digest it. (part of the adaptation…) The buttery is finally dead, and the pain in my stomach increased.
I was so astonished that an hour later, when the electricity came back, the pain in my stomach went away, and I could go to sleep happily with the “soft cry” concert of the jackals.
Love of the land – Pistacia trees [Ella trees], 2023 Etching Etching Center – Kibbutz Cabri
The Pistacia trees [Ella trees] with their vast treetop creates shadow and shelter for birds and vary organisms
This Etching is a confession of love for the common trees and the land of Israel. Plants and trees in each country express the structure of the people, the land and it’s habits
Typical local cactus, brings home happiness and comfort
Cactus (close up of “Midnight 2” painting) 2022 Acrylic on canvas
Philodendron, most common house plant, with heart-shaped leaves, brings wellbeing and freshness
Philodendron (close up of “Midnight 1” painting) 2022 Acrylic on canvas
Cantuta, typical South American plant. National flower of Bolivia and Peru. Also known as ‘The magic tree’
Cantutaflowersare the cover of my book “The English School”. (2013)
Cantuta, Sacred flower of the Incas Common names include ‘flor del Inca’, ‘flower of the Inca’, ‘magic-flower’ etc
It took me years to gain strength to paint our old old house in Jaffa, 1949. He stood in the mid of Jaffa’s catacombs. The cactuses on the roof and around the house were the essence of that period and that house
The Old Old house in Jaffa 2014 Acrylic on canvas
A quick drawing on iPad – was my inspiration years later, for a series of prints on silk screen and etching
18.2.2016 ‘Trees at the top of the hill’ A drawing on an iPad
‘The Trees at the top of the hill‘ was perfect starting point for a series of prints
The Sun will Shine Again, 22.11.2023 Etching, work in progress printed at WM College
Created series of prints in urgent need for hope, comfort and support to my people, in troubled times of 2023-2024
Miss D. and Cat, Positive Thoughts, 2023 Silkscreen 8 colors, A4 Print club London
“And the Sun will Shine again”, 2023 Silkscreen, 10 colors, A4 Print club London
Miss D. by the river at night at the Galilee, 2024 Silkscreen 8 colors, A4 Print club London
I was lucky to be at the “Corona times” in Stamford Hill’s green neighbourhood, London
I painted 5 paintings of the neighbourhood. Two paintings from that series I exhibited in Espacio Gallery, Shoreditch, London2023
Neighbourhood, 2021 Girl’s school, Stamford Hill, London Acrilic on Canvas
Buddha with Lotus on the Gangas, an oil painting I did at Mahatma Ashram’s library hut, 2016, Rishikesh, india
Two yers later, on 2018 an hurricane swept the hut, the books and Buddha to the sky
Buddha with Lotus on the Gangas,2016 oil painting on wooden walls
*** Top print Tzabar, Kibutz Cabri, Galilee, A3 Silkscreen, 7 colors, printed in Print Club London
“Western Wall” By Nurit Manor, Sep. 2023 Based on a painting byBernatz, 1839 Print Club London
“Hope Between the Walls, Between the Times”
Over the course of hundreds of years, the Western Wall has been documented in painting, engraving and photography. Then women and men were praying side by side, without a partition. !!
Walling Wall – Etchings by Nurit Manor
“Women and Men prayingat theWestern Wall” Etching By Nurit Manor, June 2023 Based on a painting byBernatz, 1839 Etching Center – Kibbutz Cabri, Israel
“Hope Between Walls, Between Times” – One of the subjects that dealt in the project is – aboutthe monologue that takes place in Israel now – on the invisible and visiblewalls between women and men. It takes place also at the “Western Wall” – the empowering symbol, which has public, private, historic and international importance, where there is a “partition” between women and men in the praying areas. *** This is a controversial issue – as it touches political and religious extremes in Israel.
The separation between men and women, that exists in many places in Israel now, brought the historical change to the Western Wall on Nov. 1967, after the six-day war, and a “Partition” was created. [“Mechitza”]
A partition between men and women at the Western Wall, which was never there before 1967, interface with the ideas and struggling for the rights of equality. The Western Wall should be kept a place of prayer for all and for tolerance.
The Western Wall is documented in paintings, drawings, engravings and photographs from 1839 until today.
I created several works of art, to raise the issue of the right to pray without a partition, where women and men have prayed together at “Ha’Kotel” [The Western Wall]for hundreds of years. That’s based on historical works of art, andphotographs, created before 1967.
“Western Wall” Etching, 3 colors, Size A2 By Nurit Manor, June 2023 Based on a painting byBernatz, 1839 Etching Center Kibbutz Cabri, Israel
Walling Wall – Silkscreen by Nurit Manor
“Western Wall” Silkscreen, 3 colors, Size A3 By Nurit Manor, June 2023 Based on a painting byBernatz, 1839 Hamelaha Silkscreen Printing studio, Tel Aviv
Raising the issue for the right to pray without a partition, Women became one of the center of attention in this Project.
“Western Wall and a Woman” Silkscreen, 2 colors By Nurit Manor, Sep. 2023 Based on a painting byBernatz, 1839 Print Club London
“Hope at the Western Wall 1″ Silkscreen, 7 colors By Nurit Manor, Sep. 2023 Based on a painting byBernatz, 1839 Print Club London
“Hope at the Western Wall 2″ Silkscreen, 7 colors By Nurit Manor, Sep. 2023 Based on a painting byBernatz, 1839 Print Club London
