written by: News Desk
An Artistic Journey in Thakurgaon Explores Nature Conservation and Coexistence
Bringing together the materials of folk art, local creative practices and concerns for environmental conservation, the Gidree Bawlee Foundation of Arts has organised an art initiative in Balia, Thakurgaon, Bangladesh. Held during the Durga Puja festivities, the project features large-scale animal puppets made from bamboo and fabric, drawing attention to the biodiversity that inhabits the country’s surroundings but is increasingly under threat.
Running from 16 to 20 October, the programme takes place daily from 7 pm to 8 pm. The puppets depict a range of creatures, including kraits, Asian palm civets, lesser adjutants, mongooses, dragonflies and fish. Presented in an open rural setting rather than a conventional gallery, the works bring art into a shared public space, inviting audiences to reconsider the relationship between local environments, human communities and other forms of life.
A defining aspect of the initiative is the active participation of local residents. The animal forms have been constructed using readily available materials such as bamboo, fabric and twine, with villagers contributing to their making. Through this collective process, familiar materials and traditional modes of craft acquire a renewed expressive dimension. The monumental scale of the puppets highlights the possibilities of local craftsmanship while demonstrating how community participation can become an integral part of contemporary artistic practice.
Kamruzzaman Swadhin, president of the Gidree Bawlee Foundation of Arts, said that many animals are disappearing from human surroundings because of environmental pressures. Drawing on local stories and traditional knowledge, the artworks reflect community concerns about the decline of these species. The project, he explained, seeks to renew public awareness of the relationship between animals and the natural world.
Within the exhibition, the animals function as more than recognisable representations of wildlife. They become markers of ecological balance and coexistence, bringing questions of changing human practices, environmental transformation and habitat loss into the language of art. Encountering these enlarged forms in a familiar public setting encourages viewers to pay closer attention to the living species that share their surroundings. In this way, the installation communicates environmental concerns while underscoring the interdependence of human and non-human life.
The Gidree Bawlee Foundation of Arts has placed local culture, the experiences of marginalised communities and collective creativity at the centre of its artistic practice. Based in Balia, Thakurgaon, the initiative connects regional traditions and community participation with broader contemporary artistic concerns. In this project, the collaboration between artists and residents transforms the village’s public spaces into sites of artistic expression, where folk traditions, ecological awareness and contemporary social questions intersect.
Staging the project during Durga Puja offers an opportunity to reach audiences beyond established art spaces. By bringing concerns about biodiversity into a period of public celebration, the initiative extends the experience of art into everyday communal life. Its significance lies not only in the visual encounter with the puppets but also in the questions they raise about humanity’s relationship with nature and the need to protect vulnerable species.
Through this initiative, the Gidree Bawlee Foundation of Arts brings together the material traditions of folk art, community-led creativity and environmental responsibility. The bamboo-and-fabric creatures are not merely puppets; they offer an artistic means of redirecting attention towards a threatened natural world. By placing local heritage and biodiversity within a shared public experience, the project invites audiences to reflect on coexistence, ecological responsibility and the value of the life forms with which humans share their environment.
