Indian Odyssey 2016
by Janice Thwaites
Sculpture (Sitar, resin angels wings, on painted base board)
| w. 86 x h. 165 x d. 23 cm |
£2050.00
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Description
Indian Odyssey (2016) forms part of Janice Thwaites' Silent Music project, a body of work exploring the physical presence of instruments when their sound has been silenced. In 2016, the project particularly addressed music rendered silent by war, political oppression and cultural suppression.
At the centre of the sculpture stands a traditional sitar, its finely crafted wooden body evoking the rich heritage of Indian classical music. Extending from either side are large resin angel wings, textured and softly distressed, transforming the instrument into a symbolic, almost devotional object. The wings suggest protection, transcendence and the enduring human spirit — elevating the sitar from instrument to icon.
Although the sitar cannot be played, it powerfully embodies resonance and memory. Within Silent Music, silence becomes charged rather than empty — a space carrying the weight of absence, loss and resilience.
The 2016 works were deeply influenced by the BBC2 programme Leningrad and the Orchestra that Defied Hitler (2 January 2016), which recounts the performance of Dmitri Shostakovich's Symphony No. 7 during the siege of Leningrad, as well as by Julian Barnes' novel The Noise of Time. Both works profoundly affected Janice, highlighting music's vulnerability under tyranny, but also its extraordinary power as an act of defiance and survival.
In this context, Indian Odyssey can be understood not only as a meditation on cultural journey and spirituality, but also as a quiet statement about endurance. The silenced instrument, given wings, becomes a symbol of music that cannot be extinguished — a visual hymn to resilience in the face of oppression.