pi ke puht

Haviland & Colagiovanni traveled to Varanasi, India in the winter of 2014/15 to film the breaking of the local earthenware cups called bhar. They participated in an Artist Residency program at Kriti Gallery for a month. Using Kriti as a home base the artists scouted the city for filming locations, acquired bhar from local craftspeople, filmed them breaking on location, and began editing the video and sound footage. Bhar are sometimes referred to as pi ke puht—pi ke meaning ‘to drink’ and puht referring to the sound they make when they hit the ground. “pi ke puht” captures bhar at the end of their use—falling and breaking. The “pi ke puht” videos elevate these quickly made and basic earthen cups, releasing something unique in the common rhythm of their breaking.