Good Question Gallery, located at 210 East Harford Street in nearby Milford, PA, will be screening a documentary entitled “A Homecoming Spectacle” this weekend, followed by a talk by the filmmaker.  For directions to the gallery from Warwick, click here. This is also the last weekend to catch their group show, Abridged Abstract (show closes Sunday).

A Homecoming Spectacle

A Film by Sunanda K Sanyal

The documentary examines specific aspects of the visual culture of Durga Pujo, a grand religio-cultural festival held in West Bengal, India. Locally, it is seen as the occasion of the Hindu Goddess Durga’s annual visit to her parental home. Central to the rituals is a sculptural image of the Goddess killing Mahisasura, or the buffalo-demon. This mythic event is considered a symbol of the eternal battle between Good and Evil, and of female empowerment.

While examining some of the temporary public spectacles/installations produced for the event by professional artists, the film explores the currently evolving hybrid, globalizing character of the festival, where fragmented, cross-cultural signs override notions of cultural authenticity; yet also celebrates —in a seemingly paradoxical gesture — indigenous traditions and sentiments. Throughout this inquiry, a personalized narrative also reflects on the notions of home, homecoming, and legacy.

(2008; 58 mins.)