Elizabeth Dadi
Cast bronze
Lost and Found Ittar
1994
21 elements, each 7 x 3 x 1 inch
Reliquary Tokris
1995
2 elements. 5 x 12 x 1 inch
Bone in the Kabab
1996
3 elements. 11 x 5 x 0.5 inch
Definition: An out-of-place artifact (OOPArt) is an artifact of historical, archaeological, or paleontological interest found in an unusual context.
OOPArt consists of a series of three pseudo-archaeological works in cast bronze. The works refer to ancient objects that bear hallowed associations by being in physical contact with exalted bodies, such as the miniature everyday Gandharan relics of Buddhist life in the Taxila Museum, and medieval European reliquaries that contain traces of the remains of saintly bodies. They are also inspired by joke-store props used in B horror and sci-fi cinema, such as the underground films of George Kuchar.
Lost and Found Ittar remembers the disappearance of ittar usage (traditional perfume oil) against the onslaught of Western alcohol-based colognes and perfumes in contemporary urban South Asia. Reliquary Tokris are portable relics of fake body parts in reusable plastic baskets. And the title Bone in the Kabab refers to the Urdu proverb of an interfering third element that disturbs the pleasurable association between two entities. Together, the works suggest an archaeology of form for a modern living that remains haunted by the deeper past.