Sound

Since 2003, when she moved to Delhi from London, Rashmi Kaleka has recorded the pheriwallas — the vendors who do the rounds of a residential area, stopping only at a few places, each with a call of their own. More than two thousand recordings over fifteen years, arranged in the studio in the form of a choir.

“I’m just sculpting their sound as a form of space.”
“It’s invisible labour. They will disappear soon.”

A Place for Hawkers Hawkers Ki Jagah · sound installation

The cries of twenty Delhi vendors, sculpted into a single chorus. Shown at the British Council, New Delhi, in 2009, during the India Art Summit. A new edit was completed in 2025.

Chhota Paisa Small Change · 2012 · surround-sound installation with video

Early morning on the roofs of Delhi, filmed, and the calls of the waking city. Commissioned for India: Art Now, ARKEN Museum of Modern Art, Copenhagen, with the support of Pro Helvetia. A later version was made with the musician Hans Koch in 2016.

Hawker A Day

Recordings of the vendors of Mehrauli, released one a day, and carried on mobile phones for the India Art Fair.

From the archive

Artwork as Living Form BMW Artist Film with India Art Fair · 2024

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On the farm, the termites and the work. Farm8 ↗