Above The Clouds In Dharamsala, 2015, Photograph
Morning In The Himalaya's, 2015, Photograph
I remember the way the setting sun would shine back on the mountain, lighting up the white slopes with diamond brilliance. I remember looking up in the distance, the great mountains hidden in the clouds, knowing that when they would pass, a new coat of snow would glisten. I remember the chill in the air and the way that fog once infiltrated our classroom through broken windows. On cold nights we would gather, ten to one fan-heater: a makeshift hearth. I long to go back, to stand at the mercy of the Great Himalayas. I long for those nights I would sit on a bench in the field and stare up at the stars, taking in my last couple of weeks there. I long for a place where I did not want to stay. I muse at the memory of the place from which many stories came. One day I will go back and once again walk the foothills of the Great Himalayas. Himachal explores the attachment we create with places, invoking sentimental bonds, and how memories are activated through storytelling.
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Maya Worsfold is a Sydney-based artist whose practice has explored both photographic and sculptural expression. In her formative teenage years, Maya spent time boarding in a school that resided in the foothills of the Himalayas in India. Her time there has inspired her to integrate anecdotes in her work, invoking storytelling based on memory that extends beyond her own experience.