In December 2013 I visited Nepal where I stayed for 3 months. Two and a half months of which, I lived at Jovo Kadhampa monastery in Aarubari, Kathmandu, with young monks, sharing with them their daily routines from early morning puja prayers to the daily classes and chores to the evening puja again. With other volunteers, I taught them english and then decided to add some photography classes for the teenage boys.
Two young monks playing in the sun with my phone, while the rest of the monks in the back leave the puja room after the morning prayers. December 2013
Cleansing as a daily ritual: It begins at dawn after the call to prayer, by cleansing the mind with the morning puja, an almost three hour journey of beautiful chantings and mantras, then cleansing the body, the alter, the robes, the different spaces, and ending with another cleansing of mind and spirit during the night puja before repeating the cycle again with the following sunrise.
Young monks playing while making pillows. December 2013
Shaving, a ritual of rebirth into never ending new cycles: Before shaving their head, the kids would all gather in the courtyard to wash their hair. In January it gets very cold in Kathmandu, as soon as their hair got wet, steam would become visible above their heads adding more magic to the whole experience.
Young monks waiting in line for the head shave. December 2013
They would stand in lines and shave each others’ heads one after the other. Shaving the head is associated with detachment and rebirth - letting go and allowing oneself to be constantly reborn.
One after another, they would shave each other’s head. December 2013
In 2015, I made a sound and photo installation in Beirut, Lebanon, at Brut Galerie, in which I exhibited these photos and played a soundtrack designed with the sounds I had recorded throughout those three months, with sound designer Anthony Sahyoun, to share a glimpse from the experience of this journey with my community.
The installation aimed to project a transcendental journey; the process of delving deep into ones self to reach stillness in its various aspects. On one level, the photos and sounds were put in contrast; while the sounds reflected the learning process of the monks' rituals, the rituals that are meant to give them an identity and offer them a state of belonging, the photos in contrast portrayed them as lost in the middle of their surrounding.
You can listen to the soundtrack following this link: https://soundcloud.com/ghnwa/soundtrack-of-the-photography-and-sound-installation-a-song-2015
Link to the photo album: https://www.ghinwadaher.com/jovo-kadhampa-monastery-nepal
