Interview: Jake Bullough
After Jake Bullough's exhibition at India Art Gallery, Pune and debut launch of his "Curious Companions", correspondent Saiyona Ghosh caught him for an interview.
TheTossedSalad: What inspired you for the Bicycle Trip?
Jake Bullough: I love traveling. Exploring new places, cultures and people gives me a different high altogether. I had thought about the journey a few years back and was inspired by an Irish Lady, Dervla Murphy who had undertaken a similar journey sometime in the 1960s. It was a both a mental and physical journey for me.
TTS: What was the experience like?
JB: It was a huge challenge for me. The very fact that I had to motivate myself everyday to travel more or less 140 kilometers everyday was a big task. Everyday seemed new as well as monotonous. New because everyday it was a new place and new people and monotonous because it was the same old routine of getting up in the morning and cycling throughout the day. There were good and bad times both and with every new culture I came across, my mood changed similarly. The biggest challenge was getting over the boredom and motivating myself to go on further.
TTS: Which was the best country and why?
JB: My favorite place would lie in between Turkey and Iran. People in Iran were very hospitable, warm and friendly. They treat you in a way which makes you feel honored. In Turkey I simply fell in love with this place called Cappadocia. The scenery is different and colorful and kind of cheers you up.
TTS: Were the people you met throughout the journey more friendly or hostile?
JB: Well, they were more of friendly. It was like 5 percent of them were hostile but you cannot blame them for it because not everyone thinks positively before befriending a stranger. Its kind of a shield for their safety but wherever I found people a bit negative, I myself walked towards the other direction because after all such negative vibes do affect your motivation and I didn’t want such stuff hampering my mind.
TTS: Did you face any specific problem during the journey?
JB: There was not just one problem in specific but then yes there were a few problems which I faced. Once there was this guy who tried to rob me and then there was this one place where I was chased by dogs. The weather in Turkey was also very harsh. It was really chilly.
TTS: Why did you choose the bicycle as the mode of transport?
JB: According to me the bicycle is the best mode of transport. It is neither to fast nor too slow. It gives you the access to physically touch the surroundings. Besides the whole meaning behind the effort of riding it seemed very meaningful and the bicycle is a pollution less vehicle and hence I felt I was contributing towards reducing the global warming.
TTS: Did you know that you were going to write a book based on your journey?
JB: No, there was no plan as such. During my whole trip, I used to maintain a journal regularly. When I got back to India, I showed it to my friends and family members and the response I got from them motivated me to write the book.
TTS: What other projects are you working on at the moment?
JB: I am off to China this month, although I haven’t really decided as to what I will be working on in particular. Maybe, I’ll just go in for photography project or else maybe paintings. The moment to pick the topic will arrive only once I reach there.
TTS: Being an artist, how easy or how difficult is it to sell your work?
JB: It is both difficult and easy. When you make a painting, you cannot make a duplicate of it and keep it with yourself and hence it pains every time you have to give away your work; even though a certain sum is charged for it but then when you see that there is someone else who appreciates your work to such an extent that he/she is ready to pay so much for it, it eases me out as I feel nice when I see that my work brings a certain amount of joy to someone else.
TTS: What gives you the ultimate satisfaction – Painting, Sketching or Writing?
JB: All of them are so different that I cannot really measure the satisfaction each of them gives me but all of them gives me immense joy and self satisfaction.
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