Getting nostalgic about summer

Zahra Amiruddin

Do you often look back and find your memories attached to a certain feeling, place, smell or person? Artist Zahra Amiruddin and musician Medha Sahi describe their memories of summer as a season steeped in nostalgia. The two creators have been best friends since they were 10-year-olds, and have heaps of memories together.

They will now be able to share these moments with an audience at Method in Bandra. The space that is currently showcasing a solo exhibition of Amiruddin's photographs is set to host an intimate musical gig by Sahi. The exhibition called A Slumber Summer is a culmination of a collective stream of consciousness brought upon by changing patterns, self-reflections and growth. Adding to the exhibit, Sahi will present a collection of her original songs, featuring her newest single, Ordinary.

Medha Sahi on vocals

Long school breaks, the aroma of mangoes pervading the kitchen, and afternoon naps that caused a sense of listlessness peppered by unfinished dreams is how writer-photographer Amiruddin remembers her childhood. "Summers are a big part of our childhood. So, for me, it is nostalgic and packs a sense of longing for the things I miss. I hope that via the exhibition, others can relate and bring their stories together, too," she explains.

"While I was growing up, my grandfather would write poems in Hindi, Urdu, Punjabi and English, and his children [her father and uncles] used to put them to music. Every family event was filled with music, singing and chaos. Music has always been a huge part of my life," recalls Sahi, who describes her music as girly, but emotional and honest without the frills and complicated lyrics. She hopes that listeners will understand the story behind her music as she writes about relatable subjects. Hence the album title, Ordinary. Sahi's new single by the same name is about how we are told to live a special, big and loud life. This life that's full of quiet love and subtle magic is somehow, a letdown. The track celebrates mundane things and asks questions like what we would do if we just lived ordinary happy lives, she elaborates.

Photographs from Zahra Amiruddin's exhibition, A Slumber Summer

Both friends hail from different walks of life, and hope that this collaboration will bring out the commonality between them. "I feel Medha's voice is everything that I would describe as nostalgic. One of our friends beautifully quoted that her voice is an auditory expression of my visuals. Her music is so dreamy that I wouldn't have any other person sing in the backdrop during my exhibition," asserts Amiruddin.

On: May 28; 8 pm; (the exhibition continues till June 15) at Method Bandra, St Sebastian Colony, Bandra West.
Log on to: www.method.art
Cost: Rs 500