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Chantal Jumel

Chantal Jumel

Freelance researcher, artist, traveller and writer, specialised in Indian visual and performing art.

📍 France
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India on the moon "Kolam to celebrate Chandrayaan-3"
Chandrayaan-3 mission

India on the moon "Kolam to celebrate Chandrayaan-3"

At the moment of the moon landing, applause and shouts of joy followed one another in the control room. The next day, a similar frenzy gripped my kolam artist friends, who gave free rein to their imagination to capture the event.

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Chantal Jumel Sep 9, 2023 • 7 min read
Vrindavan sanjhi, "Stencil art to celebrate the divine couple Radha Krishna" — part 3
Sanjhi/Vrindavan

Vrindavan sanjhi, "Stencil art to celebrate the divine couple Radha Krishna" — part 3

The beauty of sanjhi lies in the perfect precision with which the stencils are cut, and the skill of the painter in placing them one after the other without the design and background blurring.

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Chantal Jumel Jul 8, 2023 • 6 min read
Vrindavan Sanjhi , "A tradition shrouded in mystery." — part 2
Sanjhi/Vrindavan

Vrindavan Sanjhi , "A tradition shrouded in mystery." — part 2

Unlike other floor paintings traditions in India, these are, to my knowledge, the only ones to be created using handmade paper stencils and coloured powders.

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Chantal Jumel Jun 30, 2023 • 6 min read
Vrindavan Sanjhi , "In the footsteps of Radha and Krishna" — part 1
Sanjhi/Vrindavan

Vrindavan Sanjhi , "In the footsteps of Radha and Krishna" — part 1

A rare form of ephemeral painting known as sanjhi developed in the temples of Mathura and Vrindavan in the 17th century, becoming an integral part of Vaishnavite religious traditions. According to an ancient belief, almost all the temples in this region used to practice this votive art.

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Chantal Jumel Jun 26, 2023 • 7 min read
Odisha chita/jhoti, " Painting the  walls and the floors " — part 4
Chita/jhoti/Odisha

Odisha chita/jhoti, " Painting the walls and the floors " — part 4

Considered auspicious, the patterns dedicated to the Goddess, as in other parts of India, are often floral, with a preference for lotuses and footprints, to guide Goddess Lakshmi home.

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Chantal Jumel Jun 2, 2023 • 7 min read
Odisha chita/jhoti, "Temples of Bhubaneswar " — part 3
Chita/jhoti/Odisha

Odisha chita/jhoti, "Temples of Bhubaneswar " — part 3

Getting to know the city of Bhubaneswar starts with the exploration of its temples nestled in the four corners of a booming city. In the taxi that took me to the shrines, I noticed the profusion of plants, sculptures and murals with various themes that lined the city streets.

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Chantal Jumel May 26, 2023 • 5 min read
Odisha chita/jhoti, "Visiting Bhubaneswar and Raghurajpur" — part 2
Patachitra/Odisha

Odisha chita/jhoti, "Visiting Bhubaneswar and Raghurajpur" — part 2

Patachitra paintings are known to illustrate mythological stories and portraits of the divine triad of the Jagannath (Lord of the universe) temple. In Odisha, God Krishna is worshipped in this form along with his brother Balabhadra and his half-sister Subhadra.

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Chantal Jumel May 20, 2023 • 6 min read
Odisha chita/jhoti, "Arts and Crafts in Bhubaneswar, " — part 1
Chita/jhoti/Odisha

Odisha chita/jhoti, "Arts and Crafts in Bhubaneswar, " — part 1

After three years of seclusion at home, drawing, writing, editing videos and photographs, frustration finally gave way to the joy of travelling to India again. I had planned to document other forms of Indian murals and floor paintings, but to my surprise, I was offered a research trip to Odisha.

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Chantal Jumel May 14, 2023 • 5 min read
Kolam notebooks
Pulli kolam/Kolam with dots

Kolam notebooks

Kamalavathy Kannan has designed two notebooks for you; one with idukku pulli, or dots are aligned in staggered rows and another one with ner pulli or dots lined up in neat rows.

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Chantal Jumel Nov 4, 2022 • 2 min read
Navaratri kolam to celebrate the Goddess
Navaratri/Celebrate the Goddess

Navaratri kolam to celebrate the Goddess

Navaratri, literally "Nine Nights", zealously celebrates the manifestations of the female creative force called Shakti Devi. This festival, which goes by different names in various parts of India, lasts for nine nights and ten days.

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Chantal Jumel Oct 10, 2022 • 8 min read
Kerala Kalam, "Books, and references"
Bibliography/Ephemeral art

Kerala Kalam, "Books, and references"

A non exhaustive selection of books on Kerala floor paintings called Kalamezhuttu in English and French

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Chantal Jumel Sep 26, 2022 • 2 min read
Bengal alpona, Santiniketan  photographic memories
Alpana/alpona Bengal

Bengal alpona, Santiniketan photographic memories

A collection of photographs on the graphic art of alpona from former students and teachers of Santiniketan in Bengal.

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Chantal Jumel Sep 23, 2022 • 6 min read
Kolam to welcome the Chess Olympiad in Chennai
Kolam/Tamil Nadu

Kolam to welcome the Chess Olympiad in Chennai

For a few years, the kolam, which once exhorted the virtues of the Indian woman is changing. Kolam artists have added another dimension to their traditional themes, reinterpreting the chess tournament according to their culture and imagination.

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Chantal Jumel Jul 31, 2022 • 3 min read
Colourful carpets to celebrate Corpus Christi in France
Corpus Christi

Colourful carpets to celebrate Corpus Christi in France

At dawn, the men, women and children and members of the association join to set up the station altars and mark the 1.6-kilometre procession route through the village streets with sawdust and flower decorations.

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Chantal Jumel Jul 3, 2022 • 6 min read
Kolam to celebrate the birth anniversary of god Rama
Ram Navami

Kolam to celebrate the birth anniversary of god Rama

Bow, arrows, and padukas as symbols of Rama in kolam. He is adorned with all virtues, exceptional strength, and incredible archery skills. Janaka, the king of Mithila had decided that the king who could lift the bow would marry his daughter Sita.

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Chantal Jumel May 22, 2022 • 6 min read
Kapaleeswarar temple, the chariot festival
Temple chariot/ter/ratha

Kapaleeswarar temple, the chariot festival

Processional chariots (ratha in Sanskrit, ter in Tamil) are an integral part of temples and public life in South-India. It is therefore normal to find in the kolam repertoire a rich collection of chariot designs dedicated to the gods and goddesses of the Hindu pantheon.

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Chantal Jumel Apr 2, 2022 • 7 min read
Kerala Kalam, "Ayyappan, the hunter and the householder"— part 2
Kalam/Kerala

Kerala Kalam, "Ayyappan, the hunter and the householder"— part 2

Ayyappan Tiyattu ritual is performed in the regions of northern and central Kerala. The paintings of the Nambiar community exhibit a perfect mastery of line. The three-dimensional effects add a sculptural dimension to the paintings and a liveness to the image of Ayyappan and the other characters.

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Chantal Jumel Feb 27, 2022 • 6 min read
Pongal festival, the Chettiar way — part 3
Pongal/Tamil harvest festival

Pongal festival, the Chettiar way — part 3

Finally, it is Pongal, and I can't wait to see the preparations in the house. The women unleash their creativity by adorning the earthen and bronze vessels. The kolam stands out once the rice paste has dried, and is ready to welcome the celebration with an auspicious Ganesha portrait.

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Chantal Jumel Jan 29, 2022 • 6 min read
Kerala Kalam, "Ayyappan, the Lord of Sabarimala"— part 1
Kalam/Kerala

Kerala Kalam, "Ayyappan, the Lord of Sabarimala"— part 1

The 41-day mandalakalam period, which starts in Vrikshikam (November-December) and culminates by December-end, embodies a time of intense religious fervour and austerities, particularly in temples of Ayyappan and the Goddess. This ritual period benefits the kalam painters.

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Chantal Jumel Jan 22, 2022 • 6 min read
Kerala Kalam, "Colours and emotions" — part 4
Kalam/Kalamezhuttu

Kerala Kalam, "Colours and emotions" — part 4

Panchavarnam, five colours for the kalam paintings are more than just an aesthetic choice; they convey concepts as well as feelings. The five powders are chosen according to the attributes of each god or goddess. The iconography refers to myths and legends.

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Chantal Jumel Jan 8, 2022 • 5 min read
Kerala Kalam,"Measuring and sketching the body"— part 3
Kalam/Kalamezhuttu

Kerala Kalam,"Measuring and sketching the body"— part 3

Kalam paintings are not born of the priest's or ritual painter's own imagination; they are drawn according to precise rules, which include specifications about shapes and colours. A kalam begins, in most cases, by tracing an east-west vertical line called brahmasutra.

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Chantal Jumel Dec 20, 2021 • 4 min read
Kerala Kalam, "Hand drawing techniques"— part 2
Kalam/Kerala

Kerala Kalam, "Hand drawing techniques"— part 2

In Kalamezhuttu images, the hands constitute drawing and colouring tools. The simplest gesture involves holding the powder between thumb and index and allowing it to drop smoothly onto the floor to complete dots or lines of varying thickness.

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Chantal Jumel Dec 11, 2021 • 4 min read
Kolam to celebrate the birth anniversary of Lord Krishna
Gokulashtami/Krishna Janmashtami

Kolam to celebrate the birth anniversary of Lord Krishna

Of the various kolam created on Gokulashtami, drawing the feet of baby Krishna is a custom in Tamil-Nadu and a sign of welcoming the Divine at home. I have always been moved by the women printing with their fists dipped in wet rice flour, tiny footprints from the threshold to the altar.

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Chantal Jumel Nov 24, 2021 • 8 min read
Kerala Kalam, "Draw and sing the paintings" — part 1
Kalam/Kerala

Kerala Kalam, "Draw and sing the paintings" — part 1

Almost invisibles, the floor paintings called kalam do not expose themselves to the morning walker's gaze. They are drawn in privacy and focus the attention of the family within the home and of devotees in the temple premises.

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Chantal Jumel Nov 14, 2021 • 4 min read
Two games inspired by Kolam and Rangoli
Kolam/Rangoli games

Two games inspired by Kolam and Rangoli

Meet Kanaka Ananth and her creative games called KRAZY KOLAM and RANGOLIO. Both are inspired by the fabulous floor painting traditions called kolam and rangoli.

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Chantal Jumel Oct 17, 2021 • 3 min read
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