This Strange Eventful History: Retracing the Poetic Memory of the Indo-American Ice Trade of the 1800s
Location
Bunch Library Multimedia Hall
Start Date
4-3-2020 3:15 PM
End Date
4-3-2020 3:30 PM
Publication Date
Spring 3-4-2020
Description
I have been visiting Calcutta to retrace the poetic memory of the almost-evaporated history that was once the Indo-American Ice Trade, the subsequent domestic production of ice in Calcutta, and the modern-day indoor snow-themed parks of India. In 1833, ice was harvested from Walden Pond and a few other ponds in New England, placed on a ship called the Tuscany, and sent to Calcutta by ice entrepreneur Frederic Tudor. No one in Calcutta had ever seen anything like it. Some, upon touching the ice, felt like their hands were burning and ran. I have been developing my work by documenting the loss of the collective memory of the 19th century ice trade and the enduring allure of cold and ice in India. The resulting artwork will convey connections between global and regional aspirations, and within the relevant context of a warming planet, will resuscitate memories that highlight the optimism and limits of photographic seeing.
Recommended Citation
Rogers, Christine, "This Strange Eventful History: Retracing the Poetic Memory of the Indo-American Ice Trade of the 1800s" (2020). enLightening Talks. 7.
https://repository.belmont.edu/enlightening/Spring_2020/multimedia_hall_spring_2020/7
This Strange Eventful History: Retracing the Poetic Memory of the Indo-American Ice Trade of the 1800s
Bunch Library Multimedia Hall
I have been visiting Calcutta to retrace the poetic memory of the almost-evaporated history that was once the Indo-American Ice Trade, the subsequent domestic production of ice in Calcutta, and the modern-day indoor snow-themed parks of India. In 1833, ice was harvested from Walden Pond and a few other ponds in New England, placed on a ship called the Tuscany, and sent to Calcutta by ice entrepreneur Frederic Tudor. No one in Calcutta had ever seen anything like it. Some, upon touching the ice, felt like their hands were burning and ran. I have been developing my work by documenting the loss of the collective memory of the 19th century ice trade and the enduring allure of cold and ice in India. The resulting artwork will convey connections between global and regional aspirations, and within the relevant context of a warming planet, will resuscitate memories that highlight the optimism and limits of photographic seeing.
