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nothing without intention.
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TEJASVA /tay-juhs-v/
TEJASVA SHARMA is a designer, illustrator, editor, and writer His work engages with complex themes around inclusion, social justice, and equality, and uses art to push beyond social norms Through thoughtful blends of design and the written word, he challenges the idea that objects of importance are confined to particular moulds He aims to find and celebrate the nuanced, real beauties of this world, and use his creations to provoke positive change He wrestles with the complex themes of ugliness and imprefection in order to reveal novel and whimsical perspectives, and to elevate the beautiful truths underneath Learn more about the artist at www.iamtejas.co
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L E V I TAT I N G BODIES (page8)
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Levitating Bodies,
to me, is a way of asking back the legacy taken. To ask questions head on, about misinterpretation of bodies Throw some sunlight and sex your damn self. There will be too much of loveliness and everything gleaming, gleaming. Here. Where magic buried itself and allowed it to become an anthology. This is an ache, a relief and a sigh. This is also evolving. This is a collection, illumination. This is pulling out the rot and the decay from our skin. This is music of bones. Expanding and levitating.
Levitating Bodies is a bold, bracing collection of works from across the body positivity movement,
giving voice to unsung hymns and paying due attention to the multitudinous beauties of the human form. This collection is an expansion of the classical print anthology, including visual and multimedia art pieces that are intended to provoke thought and ground the reader deep within each piece.
Levitating Bodies approaches the notion of beauty from a decidedly feminist angle,
and pays special heed to the abundant beauties of bodies that deviate from the arcane standard of conventional desirability.
This book shares many voices, not a singular definition of ‘how to be beautiful.’
It’s not about being right. This is a book I dream of becoming. Those whose works are presented here are kind, dignified, and overflowing with talent.
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In a world where classifying bodies is always up for debate, I have witnessed the blossoming of explosive bodies through their work. And now, the journey is yours to take.
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levitatingbodiues.com - Microsoft Internet Explorer
www.levitatingbodies.com
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This project was motivated by the societal rejection of “deviant” body types in definitions of beauty and desirability. First, I wanted to understand the range of reasons why the mainstream’s concept of conventional beauty had become so narrow and exclusionary. I conducted historical research regarding representations of diverse body types in global media. Then, I investigated the philosophical questions behind how beauty standards are defined, and by whom. This led me ultimately to the conclusion that changes in perspective are often driven by increases in visibility of suppressed/under-represented communities. I therefore decided that an anthology celebrating the varied and remarkable lived experiences of people across a spectrum of body types would be a suitable direction to pursue. I sought out artists and writers from many walks of life, and built a collection around their unique works that celebrate bodies in a multitude of forms. In addition to the contributors’ works, I have also composed and illustrated several pieces for the collection based on my learnings and inspirations over the course of this project. The media has been instrumental in constructing flawed standards of beauty throughout the generations. By the late sixties, the obsession with ‘thinness’ drew the attention of adult women as well as children, where they began absorbing the humiliating qualities of our culture associated with “fat shaming” at the dinner table. It is my hope that this collection will bring you intimately close to uncomfortable ideas, and provoke you to question how we’re taught to perceive beauty so narrowly in a world so full of richness. The works gathered in these pages taught me to dance wildly, fearlessly when I was so used to locking my limbs. They taught me the language of self love; that, too, is a form of magic. I wish people carried more resilience in their bones, and I hope that as you turn these pages, dear reader, you feel the same sense of urgency and liberation that I do. Levitating Bodies is a mixture of poetry, prose, visual art, and essays that will crawl in an out of you, as it very well should. We all are living in bodies. Bodies, which are powerful and frightening, and that’s the beauty of it. The patriarchy has dictated that we cannot be eroticized if we don’t “fit the mold,” and so these pages are a part of a growing movement to create a new mold, one in which the definition of beauty contains as many multitudes as there are bodies on this Earth.
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w h a t women a
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What Women Are Made Of
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experimental typography is all about testing the boundaries of written language, and adding layers of unknowns to things that we assumed we already knew. in this exploration, i sought a fresh perspective on one of the most instinctive forms of communication: body language. set to a groundbreaking poem on the subject of femininity and coloured body by bianca lynne spriggs, the characters crafted here emote postures of pride and human vulnerability at a nexus where written and lived languages intersect.
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We are all ventricle, spine, lung, larynx, and gut. Clavicle and nape, what lies forked in an open palm; we are follicle and temple. We are ankle, arch, sole. Pore and rib, pelvis and root and tongue. We are wishbone and gland and molar and lobe. We are hippocampus and exposed nerve and cornea. Areola, pigment, melanin, and nails. Varicose. Cellulite. Divining rod. Sinew and tissue, saliva and silt. We are blood and salt, clay and aquifer. We are breath and flame and stratosphere. Palimpsest and bibelot and cloisonnÊ fine lines. Marigold, hydrangea, and dimple. Nightlight, satellite, and stubble. We are pinnacle, plummet, dark circles, and dark matter. A constellation of freckles and specters and miracles and lashes. Both bent and erect, we are all give and give back. We are volta and girder. Make an incision in our nectary and Painted Ladies sail forth, riding the back of a warm wind, plumed with love and things like love. Crack us down to the marrow, and you may find us full of cicada husks and sand dollars and salted maple taffy weary of welding together our daydreams. All sweet tea, razor blades, carbon, and patchwork quilts of Good God! and Lord have mercy! Our hands remember how to turn the earth before we do. Our intestinal fortitude? Cumulonimbus streaked with saffron light. Our foundation? Not in our limbs or hips; this comes first as an amen, a hallelujah, a suckling, swaddled psalm sung at the cosmos’s breast. You want to know what women are made of? Open wide and find out.
bianca lynne spriggs
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sky full of paper b i r d s (page32)
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a sky full of paper birds
a sky full of paper birds is a poetry book and digital storytelling experience that reflects on the tragic and systematic oppression of transgenders in indian society. this project including the poetry was conceived, written, and illustrated in full by me.
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i drew design inspiration from the classical indian pattachitra form of epic poetry, and combined those elements with concepts from contemporary graphic noveling to create a product that is artful, thought provoking, and culturally enriching. the dramatic inspiration was drawn from the artworks of Ellen Von Wiegand
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through my illustrations, i aim to deconstruct main stream perspectives on culture, tradition, beauty, and sexuality, and reassemble them as provocative graphics that bend the status quo. many of my illustrations tell the awkward and uncomfortable stories of day- to-day interactions that many of us choose to ignore or embellish. as a career illustrator and designer, i intend for my creations to unapologetically promote inclusion and self-worth in whatever context they are applied.
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an excerpt
01
like twisting snakes hissing and cackling they smeared renu’s soft surface turning it sour blind to the sugar tucked inside, they invented an ugly thing and slung it upon renu and all those sisters whose bodies yearn desperately to mirror the heart within
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a sky full of paper birds
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excerpt
“she dances like electricity,” said sapna while her eyes swayed with renu in the midst of the marketplace. she opens herself to new possibilities she is loud she commands her mind to break in two and the excuses eat themselves.
“pushkar is this beautiful giantess, a mother and a home she is deep rooted and has lifted the foundations of possibilities on her belly. her arms were never insufficient she is this beautiful woman wrapped between the myth and the waters folded in suns and moons and has embraced all of us.”
a prowling tigress swift and directed eila glides to the band utters a quiet cue and the drummers’ tempo coincides with her heartbeat rythym eclipses the body and exposes the soul she sparkles, knowing that the stage is hers
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“eila, you’ve come so far and have finally opened yourself for the blooming. you have welcomed nothing but prosperity.”
renu fondled the paper bird sitting sweetly at the window she looked outside into Pushkar’s womb and saw in it the sparkle of many daughters “she’s lovely, isn’t she?” and eila smiled feeling in herself the many delicate folds creating strength from weakness “my child, little bird, the sky is yours.”
a moment’s sorry glimpse ruptured that sacred fabric which bound renu to her daughters. in a single instant her feminity, denounced, rotted to bear the more and less man-ish, protruding parts staining her boddess blackening her soul.
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at home, the art had fallen into an earthly hell coins and bread depleted pieces of their souls strewn about and tired they call for help with eyes wide open and yet are so blind forgetting their mother who lifted them toward the giantess and declared their worth renu, eila thought, had brought art to them and the art, she hoped would bring them to her again
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the corridor fell into funk and disarray and the floors of the house began to grieve the sun knelt and the moon begged while pushkar, she cried
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front cover
back cover
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for the web version
www.paperbirds.in
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Summary
sky full of paper birds gives birth to a new perspective on motherhood and divine femininity. This is a sensational, dramatic piece with exaggerated characters that provoke the reader to reconsider how a person’s bodily experience aligns with their unique soul within. Sapna, a girl born into the depths of poverty in the heart of Jaipur, was a creative soul crushed by the monotony of a forgetful city. She found herself at a crossroads when she encountered Renu, a dancer from Pushkar, in the local marketplace. Discovering a natural chemistry between them, Renu told Sapna of the many splendors and freedoms of her community of dancers. Enticed by the prospect of freedom, Sapna flees to Pushkar and starts a new chapter of life as a performer. She melted into the comforts of her new sisterhood, and shed her old skin in favor of a new identity - Eila, meaning earthly, with the promise of establishing proper roots for herself at Renu’s side. Warmly in the bosom of Pushkar, Eila prepares for her debut performance. An accident in the girls’ corridor exposes Renu’s deep secret - she is transgender. The dancers turn against Renu, intoxicated with prejudice and a the blind notion that Renu was deceptive and unworthy of their trust. With Renu shut out of the community she herself built, Eila takes it upon herself to make the girls see her for the mother that she is. After losing sight of her self-worth, she reconnects with Renu, who reminds her that a person’s individuality is their strength. As the girls’ livelihood takes a turn for the worst, Eila and Renu devise a plan to break the community free of their prejudices, and reunite the Pushkar family that they cherish above all else.
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Formation
At the most fundamental level, o ur c ollective existence i s underpinned by o ne thing interaction. W e communicate w ith e ach other, we share resources, w e exchange w ith the natural world, and we all play roles in sculpting the fate o f our many c ultures and the future o f our Earth. Our interactions feed a much b igger c onversation of a ppropriation, ownership, and protected spaces. Formation i s a history o f identity that digs deep into human interactions, using space as a narrative back- bone for exploring the innate sensations of unboxing. It i s a celebration o f culture, a c onfrontation with technology, an embrace of nature, a commentary on the liberation of oppressed bodies, and a testament of the incomparable power of community a s a driver o f the h uman e xperience. Formation reflects on what gets left behind as we e xperience n ew things, l earn from them, grow from them personally, and evolve a s a society with time. These pieces shed light on interactions that are n ot merely aesthetic, b ut that signify who we are at the core, and amplify the collective voice of today’s youth.
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B RA N D -
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project: 01 Tarash by Priyanka. Tarash boasts an exceptionally talented staff of craftsmen and artisans, who make use of top of the line facilities to create furnishings and interior design elements with exquisite taste and sophistication. Guided by Priyanka Mishra, a trusted, award-winning resource and inspiration for interior designers across India. With her expert design skills, Tarash designs and hand-creates custom teak wood furnishings featuring the highest-quality materials sourced from around the world.
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- created an online presence of creative graphics and branding resources about their products. - branding and advertising on social media and developing eye-catchy creative illustrations. - editorial lead and graphic designer on designer’s furniture catalogue and 2020 edition Look Book. “Tejasva Sharma is proficient on all of the latest versions of the most cutting edge design software and is always eager to learn new skills. I have been impressed with his range of knowledge, his ability to meet tight deadlines and the excellent quality of his work. He has out-of-the box approach for every design situation with excellent communication skills.” - Priyanka Mishra (Interior Designer)
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01
No. 5, Press Complex, M.P. Nagar Ph. No: 9907441237 Email: designer.mishra@gmail.com Bill To: Client Name: Mrs. Geetika Giani Phone: 9009390459
Invoice Date: 25/ 05/ 2020
Product Name
Sr No.
SpecificationP
Bawse Winged Chair (with arms) (excluding cushioning)
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Chippendale (with arms) (excluding cushioning)
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Visitors chairs (without arms) (excluding cushioning) 24,500/- each
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The Neo Renaissance Desk
96,500/-
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Oval Centre Table
32,500/-
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Revere Side Table (Dia. 20”)
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Pearl-White Tufted Sofa
33,500/38,500/2 chairs x24,500
Eclectic Design, Our Mother Brand wwww.eclecticdesigns.in
(invoice template)
46,800/3,16,300/-
Thank You For Your Business
02
49,000/-
19,500/6’x2’6”
Total
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a brief description about the product.
created @instagram presence
a suitable product name.
created graphics and written material
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creative eye-catchy visuals
putting emphasis on details
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D I G I TAL A R T WO R KS (page68)
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Little Help
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Constellations
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HIBERNATION a series
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www.iamtejas.co tejassharma312@gmail.com Set in Adobe Caslon Pro and Times New Roman Helvetica Neue Bold & Light