Shrine Empire presents, Multiple Legs of a Historically Wing-Chopped Bird, which explores how Rubber, an elastic, tough substance, revolutionised the world. On plantations spanning the imperial world of the late 19th century, its manufacture on an industrial scale introduced a product that was crucial and also cruel. Applied to transport and communication infrastructure, it brought people closer together. It equally pulled communities further apart in the way it cemented social strata in a production process that was not only gruelling but also co-opted large swathes of land. The weeping tree, a resilient species of rubber, shaped Kerala’s economy, culture and typography. An arboreal immigrant, its seeds were first smuggled from Brazil to London’s Kew Garden’s —a botanical treasure trove overflowing with specimens trafficked by colonialists— from where they were shipped out to Ceylon before arriving on Indian shores.
