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The Kitcha Projectby Syra Miah
Syra Miah's family are typical of the Sylheti experience in Birmingham, having moved here in the seventies from Bangladesh. Her own experience has shown that the migrant communities here tend to cling to an idea of a timeless age back home, reinforcing this strongly within their children. As a child of this, she chose to link her idea of Bangladeshi culture with a real experience of it.
Bangladesh is a young troubled country where the majority of its citizens are deprived of literacy. Even so, a strong oral tradition has evolved there, into a powerful means of communication. Many forms of this storytelling flourish, such as the mystic Baul singing of rural Bangladesh. A travelling vent for social comment, and a healer for spiritual uncertainty, this tradition forms an integral part of the culture there.
Within The Kitcha project, Syra has explored aspects of this dynamic tradition in rural Bangladesh and storytelling within communities here. Her aim is to investigate if there are lessons to be learnt through an insight into the evolving nature of stories, as they travel geographically, and from one culture to another and pick up new frameworks.
The Kitcha project culminates in a collection of text, imagery and sound through which a parallel snapshot in time is offered.
'Kitcha' means 'story' in colloquial Sylheti, the language spoken in Sylhet , northern Bangladesh. The majority of Bangladeshi immigrants in Britain are of Sylheti origin.
The Kitcha Projectby Syra Miah
Syra Miah's family are typical of the Sylheti experience in Birmingham, having moved here in the seventies from Bangladesh. Her own experience has shown that the migrant communities here tend to cling to an idea of a timeless age back home, reinforcing this strongly within their children. As a child of this, she chose to link her idea of Bangladeshi culture with a real experience of it.
Bangladesh is a young troubled country where the majority of its citizens are deprived of literacy. Even so, a strong oral tradition has evolved there, into a powerful means of communication. Many forms of this storytelling flourish, such as the mystic Baul singing of rural Bangladesh. A travelling vent for social comment, and a healer for spiritual uncertainty, this tradition forms an integral part of the culture there.
Within The Kitcha project, Syra has explored aspects of this dynamic tradition in rural Bangladesh and storytelling within communities here. Her aim is to investigate if there are lessons to be learnt through an insight into the evolving nature of stories, as they travel geographically, and from one culture to another and pick up new frameworks.
The Kitcha project culminates in a collection of text, imagery and sound through which a parallel snapshot in time is offered.
'Kitcha' means 'story' in colloquial Sylheti, the language spoken in Sylhet , northern Bangladesh. The majority of Bangladeshi immigrants in Britain are of Sylheti origin.
The Kitcha Projectby Syra Miah
Syra Miah's family are typical of the Sylheti experience in Birmingham, having moved here in the seventies from Bangladesh. Her own experience has shown that the migrant communities here tend to cling to an idea of a timeless age back home, reinforcing this strongly within their children. As a child of this, she chose to link her idea of Bangladeshi culture with a real experience of it.
Bangladesh is a young troubled country where the majority of its citizens are deprived of literacy. Even so, a strong oral tradition has evolved there, into a powerful means of communication. Many forms of this storytelling flourish, such as the mystic Baul singing of rural Bangladesh. A travelling vent for social comment, and a healer for spiritual uncertainty, this tradition forms an integral part of the culture there.
Within The Kitcha project, Syra has explored aspects of this dynamic tradition in rural Bangladesh and storytelling within communities here. Her aim is to investigate if there are lessons to be learnt through an insight into the evolving nature of stories, as they travel geographically, and from one culture to another and pick up new frameworks.
The Kitcha project culminates in a collection of text, imagery and sound through which a parallel snapshot in time is offered.
'Kitcha' means 'story' in colloquial Sylheti, the language spoken in Sylhet , northern Bangladesh. The majority of Bangladeshi immigrants in Britain are of Sylheti origin.
The Kitcha Projectby Syra Miah
Syra Miah's family are typical of the Sylheti experience in Birmingham, having moved here in the seventies from Bangladesh. Her own experience has shown that the migrant communities here tend to cling to an idea of a timeless age back home, reinforcing this strongly within their children. As a child of this, she chose to link her idea of Bangladeshi culture with a real experience of it.
Bangladesh is a young troubled country where the majority of its citizens are deprived of literacy. Even so, a strong oral tradition has evolved there, into a powerful means of communication. Many forms of this storytelling flourish, such as the mystic Baul singing of rural Bangladesh. A travelling vent for social comment, and a healer for spiritual uncertainty, this tradition forms an integral part of the culture there.
Within The Kitcha project, Syra has explored aspects of this dynamic tradition in rural Bangladesh and storytelling within communities here. Her aim is to investigate if there are lessons to be learnt through an insight into the evolving nature of stories, as they travel geographically, and from one culture to another and pick up new frameworks.
The Kitcha project culminates in a collection of text, imagery and sound through which a parallel snapshot in time is offered.
'Kitcha' means 'story' in colloquial Sylheti, the language spoken in Sylhet , northern Bangladesh. The majority of Bangladeshi immigrants in Britain are of Sylheti origin.
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| Syra Miah |
Photography © Ian Reynolds i4images |
The Kitcha Project
Syra Miah
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The Kitcha ProjectSyra Miah Visual Art | Exhibition Syra Miah is an emerging Bengali British artist who works across a wide range of media in order to bring new dimensions into traditional art forms. Her work is particularly concerned with exploring the Bangladeshi aural tradition of storytelling and its impact on communities in both the UK and in Bangladesh. 'I have a strong interest in the changing nature of language through the combined expressions of tactile, narrative and aural mediums. Through these approaches I am attempting to create a snapshot of time and place to a new audience. Previous experience lies in the areas of set design, drama and costume design workshops. Recent work includes several short films including production and costume design work for a recently screened MTV music video. 'Earlier this year I worked with Atelier Nikolau one of the most renowned costume houses in the world. Previous to this I was commissioned by Modulate, to create a collaborative sound installation project exhibited at The Lighthouse, Wolverhampton'. Other work of note includes work with a partially blind artist which resulted in an interactive sensory sculpture trail. |
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