Sari Forest: Feedback
Laura Page: I attended the Sari Forest PV I found it to be incredibly beautiful. It felt like a warm, supportive space, giving opportunity for connection and open conversation. I found your presence to be peaceful, confident and trusting. Personally, I have a complicated relationship with cameras, so I didn't participate as freely as I would if it hadn't been filmed. Very grateful to have found Sari Forest and looking forward to seeing more of your work.
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Image courtesy of Artist
Sarthak Sharma : The Sari Forest was honestly one of the most magical events I’ve been to in Liverpool. The way the saris were hung and arranged....it felt like walking through a dream. It wasn’t just beautiful, it was meaningful. I loved how it brought art and culture together in such a unique way. Komal’s passion really shone through. You could tell how much heart she put into creating something that brought people together. For me, it was more than just an installation.....it was a reminder of how powerful art can be when it’s rooted in authenticity and community. It made me pause, take it all in, and just appreciate the beauty of being present. I left feeling inspired, and honestly, just really grateful I got to experience it.
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Video documentation courtesy of Mitra Ziaei.
Mariana Sequera Dorronsoro : I often feel the need to find a hiding place. The world and people tend to be too much for me, demand too much and the Sari Forest offered many hiding places behind the long saris hanging. Sometimes other people were hiding there already, which meant that they were vulnerable as well. This made me feel safe, an unusual feeling. Within that realm the audience and participants were asked to connect with their voices in different ways through workshops, performance, music, even through VR.
There were layers to the exhibition. Komal Madar didn't only offer this beautiful, safe, nutritious space but she also shared her heritage with the visitors and collaborators, which helped us learn more about her background through the music and saris that shaped her early and current life.
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Image courtesy of Artist
Soph Donovan: I visited the Private View of the Sari Forest and was transported into an ethereal experience, where the simple sari - meticulously suspended - became a jungle of movement, light and transparency. You were encouraged to walk among the saris, to become one with the saris. Visitors touched, felt, enveloped themselves and caught glances of each other in between the fabrics, each immersed within a playlist crafted by Madar. The Sari Forest was much more than just fabric and thread, or even an interrogation of the sari as form and material. It was an invitation into an exploration of music, dance, meditation, and connection. Through artist and musical performances, workshops, VR and the exhibition itself, Madar has masterfully combined audience engagement with material storytelling.
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Image courtesy of Artist
Denisa: I was lucky enough to spend some time in Komal's Sari Forest, not only as a participant, but also having it as a backdrop to workshops on traditional Madhubani painting and a creative writing workshop. Each time I walked out feeling calm, but energized, and happy. The Sari Forest brought out memories, triggered ideas and I feel it brought people together in a very unique way. I guess that's what fabrics can do. I can totally imagine Sari Forest moving around and making others happy:)
The Madhubani painting workshop was done in a very clear, calm way and made me focus on being more mindful and perceptive. Komal is a very easygoing and patient teacher and peppers her instructions with interesting stories.
I also loved the creative writing workshop by Poonam, who made the Sari Forest part of connecting with our creative self and channeling that into writing and reflecting.
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Image courtesy of Artist
Maxine Sharples: Feeling blessed to have collaborated with Komal Madar for Sari Forest this weekend, a tactile, sensory exhibition blending donated saris with movement and sound. I delivered a movement class as part of the weekend programme, exploring texture, flow, and shared experience through fabric and form.
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Image courtesy of Artist