SEVA
SEVA
Seva is the Sanskrit word for the act of service - to give back - an expression of compassion for others and a genuine desire to uplift those around you. This felt like the perfect name, and the Aanu Seva project was born.
PROJECT MISSON
AtelierAnu founder Anu Nagaraj sat carving and kneading, lost in her thoughts, she had a realization about how healing the process of working with clay has been for her, and that she wanted to share that creative freedom with those who otherwise wouldn’t have the means.
She first came across the subject of human-trafficking when she worked with refugees arriving in Greece in January 2016, and here dark stories emerged about missing people being trafficked for their organs. As she investigated the subject further she knew these were the marginalized people she wanted to work with.
Creative expression shouldn’t be a privilege. Providing those without access the potential to create, offering an alternate perspective outside of their everyday realities is the aim of the Aanu Seva project.
ETHOS
Working with clay has a real duality to it. There are parts of the craft that are extremely challenging...even stressful actually. It often feels like taming a wild beast, but the desire to conquer the medium pulls you back. But there is also another side, where the simple contact with the material feels soothing and grounding.
I can see real value in the healing that it's brought me as I put all of myself into the pieces that I make. My thoughts, my anxieties all get channeled through my hands, into a unique physical entity that is literally made from the earth. Something new is born, through this transference of feelings. This is where I see so much opportunity for therapy through this art-form. And this what I want to share with others.
- Anu Nagaraj xo
FUNDING TRANSPARENCY
Funding will help to cover the tools and materials needed for the workshop; studio, firing and glazing costs; transport expenses; exhibition setup, my flight home, accommodation in a flat share, and to support logistical hurdles as they arise. All remaining funds at the end of the mission will be donated to the organization we’re working with at the time.
Thank you for your support in making this happen!!