Homemakers
The project was churned out of a mix of feeble memories and daily updates of Anu Bali (my mother) incessantly working day in and day out — over the years and to this day.
At its centre is an ongoing archive of photographs of every meal cooked by Anu Bali — sent daily over WhatsApp since February 2021, and continuing. The Labour Hours Calculator invites visitors to compute the total unpaid care work hours of a homemaker of their choosing — the numbers, when they arrive, are difficult to look at. A Name Change archive documents how women in several Indian communities are required to change both their first and last names upon marriage. An anonymous letters section accumulates letters written by visitors to their mothers. The project paid Anu Bali at minimum wage for the meals she cooked and photographed for the duration of the project.
Developed as part of the Serendipity Arts Virtual Grant 2021, Homemakers has been exhibited twice as a physical installation — at India Art Fair 2022 and Serendipity Arts Festival 2022.
The background video on the homepage is a first-person document of one day in Anu Bali's life — POV footage shot and edited from a single day. The four icons lead to the four interactive sections of the project.
Meals by Anu Bali is an ongoing archive of daily meal photographs sent by Anu Bali through WhatsApp since February 1, 2021. Each refresh of this page surfaces one image from the archive, paired with an audio note drawn from conversations with Anu Bali and other homemakers.
Labour Hours Calculator quantifies unpaid domestic and care work. Enter a start date, an end date, and an average number of daily hours to arrive at a total.
The running counter below accumulates the hours entered by all visitors who have interacted with the project across its various iterations.
Name Change archive documents the practice of first and last name changes upon marriage in several Indian communities — particularly in Punjab, Haryana, and parts of Maharashtra.
The archive was built through extended family networks and online surveys. As the viewer scrolls, names shift — the wedding video behind them responding to the same movement.
An anonymous letters archive built from the project's various physical installations. Visitors were invited to write a letter to their mother and submit it anonymously.
Homemakers at India Art Fair 2021
Homemakers at Serendipity Arts Festival 2021
