31 march. 2016 /
duration: 20 minute (According to plan)
As the misshapen at University of Hyderabad on 22 march
2016, where Students were brutally bitten up by the police when the students try to protest against the administration regarding the students movement about Rohith Vemula. I think, I don’t
need to explain this situation again. I got the inspiration from this
suppression, fear, violence created by the power structure. And it is also in
solidarity with those students who were brutally bitten up by police.
I want to create a psychological space including the audience where a
person suffers from the suppression. Some photographs from the incident of 22nd
march in University of Hyderabad including another part of India such as Jammu
and Kashmir as well as from northeast had pasted on a structure and installed
in to the performative space. Also there was a red chair and a lathi installs
in front of the structure.
My body was silent, helpless and a leather belt tied at my neck
performs like a painting, entitled “The sleep of reason produces monster” by
Goya. And my body will half bare and half black metaphorically it does relate
the identical conflict. My gesture, counter gaze directed to the viewers
provoked them to think about the issue. I want to create the void, fear,
suffocation, suppression etc with the help of installing materials and
photographs which was transformed in to a delusional/ illusion of psychological
space.
Through this performance I would like to provoke the monstrousness in
the human psyche (viewer) and how he/she react in the created space. Indeed,
somehow the viewers become performer and performer becomes observer. It is very
important to observed viewer how he reacts in to performative space. The
collaborative act or the performativity enhances the violence and fear in the
psyche of both figures which I want to produces through this performance.
Basically, my aim is
to focus on the fear, void, violence which was formed in the psyche of student
of this University because of 22nd march 2016. I believed that this suppression
has increased unconsciously and it leads us to become monster. Here I can
relate the writing of Rohith Vemula, “I feel growing a gap between my soul and
my body. And I have become monster.” (This is the line from his suicide note,
also this line inspire me to do previous performance). Through this performance
I want to release the monstrous psyche from me and also realize them (the
viewer) to the monstrousness.
I was giving some chalk pencil before the performance started. After
finished my performance the viewer started writing on the floor what they feel
or suffer on that issue. I was not suggesting anything that they can write
whatever they want. When I finished my act and I went to tea shop for having
tea like a student of University of Hyderabad but the viewer extended my
performance to almost one hour. They started writings/ drawings in their
vernacular language which is extended my performative space and enhances the
theatricality. Also now the viewer becomes performer.
By Anupam Saikia, Assam
#performanceart #performanceartinindia #anupamsaikia #justiceforRohithvemula
No comments:
Post a Comment