}
Philosophical Meaning by Mahesh [OH842]
Following a visit to M Shed, Easton resident Mahesh Patel discusses his passion for poetry, visual arts and antiquities. "As a creative person," he says, "I'm 95% poet and 5% artist... my aim is to fuse poetry and art together"
MAHESH: Right, I’m using the paper, I know it doesn’t look good so I need to do it, yeah.
Q: Can you read it for [inaudible 00:00:21]?
MAHESH: Okay, hi my name is Mahesh, I’m a Bristolian artist and I’m in M Shed building to explore. My main interest was with the Wallace & Gromit exhibition because I’m into art and literature and I’m at the moment trying to do some stop motion animation. I’m a constructive person, I like to make things restore old things, and because I’m a great sucker for hand craft, so anything that somebody does with hands it draws me like a magnet [laughs].
Audio from animated film about elephants
AI say for man is human, full of pity and compassion, and yet for all his vast intelligence he kills for the most stupidest reason. As an artist I do draw things and as a poet I do write things, so mentally I do create things [laughs], but not physically. Death Stands by my Side, a poem by Mahesh Patel, ‘Death stands by my side, and does not embrace me, the swine, the [word beeped], toys with my broken heart, I beg, lament and cry and devise many sound debts, let I leave while rest die, I am who am burdened with pains.’ To me the past is always interesting, it doesn’t have to be in a shed, it doesn’t have to be in a museum, if it’s outside it’s interesting to me, yeah, some people probably like modern things, and I like old things, and things actually made by people, handcraft things.
Q: I like the fact you’ve kept all your early pictures as well.
MAHESH: Yes, ’72, this guy he’s been offered this and that, a gold box, or a cup of tea, and he goes for a cup of tea [laughs]. This was about 12 years when I was, yeah. This was in Africa where nobody taught you how to paint, you just did it by yourself, and they’ve got a lake in Eastville Park, I think that that was 1981 or something. To me art is a tonic, and drawing is a tonic, sometimes when you get down you draw, or you write a poem, and then it lifts you for that instance. But I feel that art is not taken very seriously, and that is probably the problem with other Indian culture, until 1980 the best and a proper career or profession was doctor, if you become a doctor, you earn a lot of respect. Yeah, I’m not good at art, I’m not a professional artist, I don’t have the gift like other people have, but I’m happy with what I draw, and I draw it because to satisfy me that at least I can do something with my hands. But when I do things it has to have meaning behind it. It’s not just a random thing, it must have some – a philosophical meaning.
[Music playing]
MAHESH: Right, I’m using the paper, I know it doesn’t look good so I need to do it, yeah.
Q: Can you read it for [inaudible 00:00:21]?
MAHESH: Okay, hi my name is Mahesh, I’m a Bristolian artist and I’m in M Shed building to explore. My main interest was with the Wallace & Gromit exhibition because I’m into art and literature and I’m at the moment trying to do some stop motion animation. I’m a constructive person, I like to make things restore old things, and because I’m a great sucker for hand craft, so anything that somebody does with hands it draws me like a magnet [laughs].
Audio from animated film about elephants
AI say for man is human, full of pity and compassion, and yet for all his vast intelligence he kills for the most stupidest reason. As an artist I do draw things and as a poet I do write things, so mentally I do create things [laughs], but not physically. Death Stands by my Side, a poem by Mahesh Patel, ‘Death stands by my side, and does not embrace me, the swine, the [word beeped], toys with my broken heart, I beg, lament and cry and devise many sound debts, let I leave while rest die, I am who am burdened with pains.’ To me the past is always interesting, it doesn’t have to be in a shed, it doesn’t have to be in a museum, if it’s outside it’s interesting to me, yeah, some people probably like modern things, and I like old things, and things actually made by people, handcraft things.
Q: I like the fact you’ve kept all your early pictures as well.
MAHESH: Yes, ’72, this guy he’s been offered this and that, a gold box, or a cup of tea, and he goes for a cup of tea [laughs]. This was about 12 years when I was, yeah. This was in Africa where nobody taught you how to paint, you just did it by yourself, and they’ve got a lake in Eastville Park, I think that that was 1981 or something. To me art is a tonic, and drawing is a tonic, sometimes when you get down you draw, or you write a poem, and then it lifts you for that instance. But I feel that art is not taken very seriously, and that is probably the problem with other Indian culture, until 1980 the best and a proper career or profession was doctor, if you become a doctor, you earn a lot of respect. Yeah, I’m not good at art, I’m not a professional artist, I don’t have the gift like other people have, but I’m happy with what I draw, and I draw it because to satisfy me that at least I can do something with my hands. But when I do things it has to have meaning behind it. It’s not just a random thing, it must have some – a philosophical meaning.
[Music playing]