Super Matter

The second set of the English alphabet for A Letter A Week 2014 has now been compiled into a flag book. I call this book of Tamil slang - Super Matter. 

Everday Tamil is liberally sprinkled with English words. 

In Tamil these English words have meanings far removed from the original meaning in English 

The back of each letter has the english word or phrase in both the Tamil script and English.

Bright fluorescent colours for the flags in the flag book. In keeping with the love for bright colours whether its clothing, colours for exterior of houses and decor in Tamil Nadu.

 I've now made two books for ALAW 2014.
 One with the theme of place is  'Footprints and a Wishlist' and the second is Super Matter.
To read about the Engish words and their meaning in Tamil click here,
From e to h click here.
for the next four - i to l click here.
for those from m to p click here.
Click here for meanings of words from q to z, here.

To view the creations of all those who participated in A Letter A Week 2014 click here.
I was fortunate to participate in 2014 because ALAW has now come to an end.

Putting up my feet

I finally get to put up my feet, sip tea and review the year which is coming to an end. 

 An exciting development was the inclusion of my work in the publication TextileArt. I'm going to find time in the next two weeks to leaf through the pages of TextileArt and discover the unique and exciting work of 160 artists from around the world whose work has been featured in this tome.Special thanks to Marta for letting me know about this project.
The YouTube video made by Ellen's son gives you a sneak peek of the book and the book is available to order here.


I've done a fair bit of travelling this year and had to juggle teaching assignments with the travel.

I'm glad I decided to participate in A Letter A Week 2014 because it's come to an end.I made an accordion style book with the Alphabets+Place. The second book which deals with Tamil slang and English words  has to be put together as a flag book.
This year I made books with paper and not fabric.I'm trying to decide whether to make a small fabric tome of Home Remedies or find a fabric book page swap to participate in , in 2015. Please point  me to any projects brewing in the ethernet involving fibre art, making fiber art/artists book in the coming year. I find that any collaboration however limited or involved has always enriched my work and broadened my horizons.

Second year running I participated in Roy G Biv conducted by Jennifer and Julie. I'm going to participate in 2015 as well but my findings will be on display each month on my other blog Take Diversion.   maybe you'll join in.

It's been a very full year and I'm grateful for all the interactions with family and friends which have enriched me whether in person, via social media and various WhatsApp groups.
Social media and the web which made it possible for my work to be accepted and published from the Netherlands. Who knew it was possible.
Travel which has broadened my cultural horizons.
Teaching has always given me an insight into what's in with Gen Y. This year I discovered Gen Y has ceased to write and notebooks aren't part of the paraphernalia they carry around. All I taught was typed and saved as memos on their smart phones, anything written on the board was photographed, submission dates and assignments were shared on WhatsApp.
All in all its been a good year.

Wishing all who stop here a season of good cheer,good health and happiness.

English Tamil Slang q to z

I've finished stitching the entire alphabet with sequins on paper.

Now to start assembling them into a book.
I was thinking of a flag book. Must work things out.
 In my last post about English Tamil Slang we'd got as far as p. Onward to q.

q - quarter cutting - phrase - 180 ml of any alcoholic beverage . The smallest quantity of bottled alcohol available for sale.

r - reel - comes from the era when movies came recorded on reels in Tamil slang it refers to an improbable story garnished with juicy bits and pieces to enhance the story.

s - scene -  to show-off, act pricey

t - tension party -  someone who gets annoyed easily or becomes tense easily.

Haven't found any gems for u, v, w, x, y and z still listening to Tamil conversations to find them.

Have a good week.


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English Tamil Slang - m, n, o, p

m, n, o, and p in the English Tamil slang book which I'm creating for A Letter a Week.

m - matter - shady secretive topic of conversation. Could be something underhand or of a sexual nature.

n - non-veg - short form of non vegetarian but also carries the implication of something shady and sexual. So jokes with sexual overtones are termed non-veg jokes!

o - over - excessive, over the top.

p - peter - someone who speaks in English and feigns no knowledge of any Indian language.

If you would like to know the English Tamil slang words associated with the alphabets from a to l click here, here and here.



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English Tamil Slang - i, j, k, l

i, j, k and l make up the next instalment of the Tamil English slang.

i - item number - a song and dance sequence in a tamil movie done by a voluptuous young woman who is dressed provocatively. All movies include an item number its part of the formula.    

j- jacket - the blouse worn with a saree. All women go to a tailor to have their blouses ( jackets!) stitched.

k - I haven't found a word for the letter k as yet.

l - leg pees -  The most coveted piece of chicken is the leg pees known to the rest of us as the drumstick.

If you missed out on the English Tamil slang words associated with  a, b, c, d, e, f, g,and h click here and here.
 Have a good week.

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Tamil English Slang - e,f,g and h

The Tamil English alphabet is progressing well.

The next four letters of Tamil English slang.

e - is for empty. - adjective. \ yemp-tee\
definition - as in empty biryani. Biryani rice without pieces of chicken or mutton.

f - is for figure - noun. \fig-er\
definition - a beautifulor sexy girl.

g - is for gym body - phrase. \Jimbaadi\
definition - usually pronounced as a single word, 'jimbaadi', refers to someone whose physique is relatively well honed. If you are stout but not fat and do not have a very visible paunch then a tight t-shirt will also do the trick.

h- is for hot drinks.
definition -an alcoholic beverage.

Missed out on a,b, c, and d then click here.
To view more exciting interpretations of the alphabet in ALAW 2014 click here.


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A Letter A Week2014 - Tamil English Slang

I'm starting on the second set A Letter A Week 2014. This set of the alphabet can be interpreted by each one personally. I've chosen to represent English words which have become a part of the Tamil language. That's the one sentence explanation,now let me elaborate.

Tamil is a Dravidian language and one of the oldest surviving classical languages. Tamil is the official language of the state of Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and the Andamans and Nicobar islands in India besides being an official language in Sri Lanka and Singapore. Tamil is alive and spoken in Malaysia, Mauritius and I was surprised to discover on the island of Reunion! The Tamil diaspora has in turn taken it to all corners of the globe, as we discovered when we went to Paris and much to my husband's delight he could buy Tamil movie DVD's. 

The Tamil I am familiar with and conversant in, is peppered with words from the English language.      

Language is greatly influenced by the booming Tamil movie industry and vice versa. Like in the movies, everything is over the top - bright contrasting colours, incongruous mix of modern and ancient or western and eastern,larger than life superstars who have a cult following, its a unique form of pop culture a bit like this bus. 

You might recognise the English words but they don't always have the same meaning that they have in English.It's slang which is unique.   

 I photographed this bus in Coimbatore.Bus art is another one of my projects.

The first four alphabets.

I've cut out 5cm x 5cm pieces of paper from Tamil magazines and stuck them on cartridge paper.it's the visual representation of the mix of Tamil and English.

I've then stitched sequins onto the paper squares in the shape of the lower case of the alphabet and used a marker to give the alphabet a bit more 'presence'.

a - is for assaulta.  \ah-saal-ta\

definition - casually ... without a care. Nothing to do with actually assaulting or bashing someone.

b - is for blade.\blay -aid\

definition - used widely to refer to anything that causes a combination of boredom and pain.

c - is for colour.

definition - soft drinks, Fanta, Pepsi etc.

d - is for dress. 

definiton - "outfit" including men's apparel!

These definitions are from Samosapedia.

Related posts

ALAW 2014 Place + Alphabet book.

To see all the interpretations of the alphabet in ALAW 2014 click here. 

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ALAW 2014 - Place+Alphabet book

The first set of alphabets for A letter A Week 2014 which incorporates 'place' into the 26 letters of the English alphabet. I've put all the letters together as an accordion fold book.

I've cut out the alphabets from maps found in inflight magazines and mounted them on red or purple paper. Red for the cities or places I have visited or lived in and Purple for the places I would love to visit. A wish list.

On the back of the accordion fold book I've written the map co-ordinates of the city or town which is on the other side.

Another view of the accordion fold book.

I need a name for this little book. I thought of 'Footprints and a Wishlist'. the other one was 'Journeys and a Wishlist'. I'm going to mull over these and other possibilities,suggestions are welcome.
This little book is not perfect from a book makers point of view but its very precious and the journey has been an interesting one. The book is 11cms x 11cms.
Click on the links below to see more of the journey.
A Letter A Week - ALAW 2014
ALAW - Catching Up
ALAW - An Update  

I'm starting on the second set of alphabets for ALAW.


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ALAW -an update

Eight letters required to complete the first set of the alphabet which incorporates 'place' in some way.
I've added D, I, T and Z.
D for Dubai, I for Istanbul, T for Tokyo and Z is for Zanzibar.
Dubai and Zanzibar I visited last year. Dubai is all glitz and glamour. Manmade structures which boast being bigger, taller, faster and better than anything seen before. In contrast was Zanzibar a little island paradise of blue seas and soft white sand beaches, the alleys and carved doorways of Stone Town, the brutality of the slave trade and Dr. Livingstone who set the wheels in motion to abolish it.
Istanbul and Turkey I would love to experience Tokyo for the ancient and ultra modern which coexist in harmony. To get a better understanding of kawaii, to try and taste all the different flavours of Kit Kat, buy origami paper and see something of the rich textile heritage that exists in Japan. I think I'l need atleast a couple of years, one visit won't do it.
I'm hoping to get my hands on a couple of different inflight magazines so I can cut out a few more alphabets.Friends have promised to bring them back from their business trips abroad.
There are going to be more purple alphabets than red going forward. I also need to work out some options of putting them together - accordion book is what I'm thinking of.
Click here to see how differently different people are incorporating place with regard to the 26 letters of the English alphabet.

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ALAW - Catching up

I joined ALAW 2014  in February and I had some catching up to do. Looks like I've gone ahead.  

 What have I added to the place alphabet.
J - Jersey City. Where I lived during our two year stint in the USA.
K - Kuala Lumpur. The city where we found ourselves ringing in the twenty frist century.
L - Leh.The place I did my first design project after graduating from design school. Its a place like no other I've been to, I thought I'd landed on the moon.
M - Macau
N -New York. What an amazing city.
P- Paris. Another amazing city I'd like to go back to and explore.
S - Silchar. Place of my childhood in eastern India amidst tea estates.
U - Udaipur, the city of lakes.
V - Varanasi. Ancient city on the banks of the river Ganges.

 My first letter mounted on purple paper a place I haven't been to yet and one that's on my wishlist. The purple colour is a bit off.
 X is for Xian in China where I would like to see the Terracotta Warriors.

Have a good weekend.

A Letter A Week - ALAW 2014

You must be aware of A Letter A Week. No?

Well it was started in 2010 by calligraphic and book artist Fiona Dempster as a small project to focus on each week.

Fiona explains the project.

'The aim is simply to:

Write/create a letter a week

Creating 52 letters

Which must form 2 x alphabets (that is not 52 x the letter ‘A’)

By the end of 2014

The main rule is that the letter must be presented on a piece of material measuring 7cm x 7cm 

– this helps keep a sense of uniformity amongst the pieces which helps with exhibition 

coherence.

The other criterion for 2014 is that ONE alphabet has to meet the criteria of "Place”

- that means the alphabet references place in some in way, but is still presented on the square. 

It could mean the alphabet describes a place; is photographed in a place, reflects a place, tells a 

story of a place. It could be a special place or the place where you live or work, a place that calls 

you or that you call home…

Each alphabet must be turned into a final piece which could be used for possible publication or 

exhibition.

- that is, you must put all the letters together into a final piece of art.

you can use any medium, on any surface.

you can use any hand or representation of a letter.

The presentation of the final product is up to each of us – we could mat and frame 

the pieces as a work of art; we could make a stack of cards; we could bind them 

individually; we could bind them in a book; we could cover a box with them....'

I'm starting with the Place alphabet. I'm going to be using maps to cut out the alphabet of places where I've lived, visited and which I would love to visit. Places I've lived in or visited I'll be mounting on red paper and places I wish to visit will be mounted on purple paper.

Airline magazines are great for maps and that's where I started.

 A - Ahmedabad. City in Western India, capital of Gujarat, where I went to design school, got married and a treasure trove for all textile enthusiasts.

B - Bengaluru. Capital of the state of Karnataka. The Garden City which is today known as The Silicon valley of India. The city I reside in currently.

G - Goa. Union territory on the west coast of India a former Portuguese colony.  Feni, fish curry and susegad , wonderful holiday destination.

H - Hong Kong. I was there recently visiting family.

Check out what the other participants are creating by clicking on this link.

Happy valentine's day and have a great weekend. I'm thinking of doing some birding this weekend.

Shop update:

Some cross stitched heart motifs, perfect to embellish a crazy quilt, garment or to decorate a scrap book page have been added to my Etsy Shop.