"In Desi Oon, the Indian animator Suresh Eriyat gives voice to an unlikely narrator: the wool of the Deccani sheep, long central to the livelihoods of communities across the Deccan Plateau in India. This wool, which provides both income and material for a wide range of everyday items, is increasingly under pressure as shifts in the economy and land use disrupt traditional systems. Although India produces large quantities of fleece, much now goes to waste in a market dominated by imported wool."
"This musical stop-motion film, animated entirely from the wool itself, highlights the cultural, ecological and economic significance of the fibre and the lives it sustains. At its heart is Balumama, a devoted herder whose life embodies generations of pastoral knowledge. Developed over a year, in close collaboration with herding communities, the film is playful yet deeply reflective, weaving song and texture to reveal the fragile beauty of a way of life under strain."
The wool of Deccani sheep has long provided income and materials for everyday items across the Deccan Plateau. Economic shifts and changing land use are disrupting traditional pastoral systems and putting the fibre under pressure. Despite substantial fleece production in India, much wool goes to waste because imported wool dominates the market. A musical stop-motion film animated entirely from the wool itself foregrounds the fibre's cultural, ecological, and economic significance and the lives it supports. The film centers Balumama, a devoted herder embodying generational pastoral knowledge, and was developed over a year with close collaboration from herding communities.
Read at Aeon
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]