French marriage contracts, wedding menus, a dress from 1950s and photographs taken by the French photo journalist Christian Sarramon are part of a unique art show that traces significant changes in the wedding rituals of France.
French marriage contracts, wedding menus, a dress from 1950s and photographs taken by the French photo journalist Christian Sarramon are part of a unique art show that traces significant changes in the wedding rituals of France.
Titled, "Mariages La Franciase Shifts in cultural grammar", the ongoing exhibition provides view on transformations of the French marriage from a predominantly Catholic Church ritual to a civil ceremony.
"French weddings are very coded and structured. I experienced it first hand with my own wedding in France. The exhibition grew naturally out of my interest in French social practices and seeing how family dynamics work in France, especially when it comes to events like marriages," says Arundhati Virmani, the curator of the show.
Virami has collected several significant components that go in a French wedding, including family albums and marriage globes (glass jars in which the bride's crown of flowers is preserved after the wedding) that used to be placed in the couple's bedroom during the second half of the 19th century.
The art show, being held at India International Centre here, also showcases historical and legal texts along with traditional chamber pots which are now used to serve champagne and chocolates to the new couple.
"The antique dinner plates displayed in the collection, and the Catholic letters of marriage were bought from antique shops. Some prints were lent to me by MuCEM (Museum of the civilizations of Europe and the Mediterranean)," says Virmani.
The photos trace the changes in fashion, design, the complexity of the rituals while also addressing the demise of marriage as the foundation of the family unit.
"The secularisation of marriage in France was not as is commonly thought a unique result of the Revolution. The French Revolution brought about a drastic change by undertaking the dechristianization of France.
"In 1791, civil marriage was written into the Constitution. Marriage became a simple civil contract and therefore also opened the door to the right to divorce," says Virmai.
Texts of major French authors, such as Gustave Flaubert, Honore de Balzac, Guy de Maupassant who have presented interesting insights into the psychology of the couples embracing this institution have also been included in the exhibition.
The exhibition is set to continue till Feburary 28.
(This article has not been edited by DNA's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)
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