Arav Tewari
Forgotten Sacrifices
Prompt: This assignment explored how the way we draw affects how we feel and understand things. The task was to create five drawings/segments of a whole, moving from fuzzy to clear. We could choose if we wanted to focus on one part or do the whole thing gradually. We picked directions—left to right, right to left, up and down, or in circles. Some parts were soft, blurry, and undefined, while others were sharp, clean, and clear. These choices changed how people looked at the drawings. We also thought about how this connects to photos, news, and media. The project was like a visual journey, making us consider how tiny details in art influence how we see and think about the world.
Some edges are difficult to define, like the narrative of how history is laid down and sometimes washed away from the stains of time. For example, most aspects of culture and mainstream media often brush over the efforts of colonized nations during World War II. During the war, there were over two million Indian deaths, as well as over Eleven Thousand losses from South Africa and other non-western colonies. Yet most people don’t know the extent at which these sacrifices were made. This project is my attempt to honor the often-unacknowledged sacrifices of commonwealth soldiers during World War Two. I’ve tried to capture the sense of detachment that these brave individuals must have experienced when fighting for another nation’s battle in a far away land.