about the art performance:
Audio piece contains songs of kabir in the voice of folk (Malwi) singer from Madhya Pradesh (India), Sh. Prahalad Tipaniya. I see him as an inspiration for conceiving this work. I would also like to express gratitude to Kabir project (Bangalore) for reviving Kabir’s mystique poetry & Ms. Shabnam Virmani for her extensive work around Kabir in form of documentary film-making, holding on film premiers and publish text and audio releases to make sure many gets truly stirred.
Participants are attracted to this installation through a free cup of tea. Sugarless tea served on the other hand ensures interaction with the work by picking up a cube or more of sugar from the installation.
The installation structure is a paddled-rickshaw which can be taken to places by manual driving. It’s because of this and its quality of transforming its immediate surrounding and their inhabitants into performers & so is given the name ‘space charger ’to it.
When the viewer of this performance scene decides to take a tea-break , then it becomes obligatory for him to actively participate & become performer himself. This is kept as policy for attracting & inviting maximum possible participation then converting them into victim performers.
The sugar cubes are placed in a pattern that it becomes a sentence; a part from one of kabir’s doha:
ऐसी वाणी बोलिए, मन का आप खोये
Translation:
Kabir, in this Doha (couplet) crystallizes the power of the spoken word. He teaches us to speak in such a manner that keeps us harmonious and composed thereby making the listener feel a sense of joy in the communication.
***
"कबीर की चाय"
This work essentially generate performers transforming the space to a creative zone where words of saint-poet kabir are spread in the air. Kabir Dohas are two-line verses. In just two lines, Kabir is able to reveal Love, Philosophy, Mysticism and his unbending love for the Supreme.
Audio piece contains songs of kabir in the voice of folk (Malwi) singer from Madhya Pradesh (India), Sh. Prahalad Tipaniya. I see him as an inspiration for conceiving this work. I would also like to express gratitude to Kabir project (Bangalore) for reviving Kabir’s mystique poetry & Ms. Shabnam Virmani for her extensive work around Kabir in form of documentary film-making, holding on film premiers and publish text and audio releases to make sure many gets truly stirred.
Participants are attracted to this installation through a free cup of tea. Sugarless tea served on the other hand ensures interaction with the work by picking up a cube or more of sugar from the installation.
The installation structure is a paddled-rickshaw which can be taken to places by manual driving. It’s because of this and its quality of transforming its immediate surrounding and their inhabitants into performers & so is given the name ‘space charger ’to it.
When the viewer of this performance scene decides to take a tea-break , then it becomes obligatory for him to actively participate & become performer himself. This is kept as policy for attracting & inviting maximum possible participation then converting them into victim performers.
The sugar cubes are placed in a pattern that it becomes a sentence; a part from one of kabir’s doha:
ऐसी वाणी बोलिए, मन का आप खोये
अपना तन शीतल करे, औरन को सुख होए
Translation:
Speak such words, sans ego's ploy
Body remains composed, giving the listener joy
Body remains composed, giving the listener joy
Kabir, in this Doha (couplet) crystallizes the power of the spoken word. He teaches us to speak in such a manner that keeps us harmonious and composed thereby making the listener feel a sense of joy in the communication.
The work functions on various levels. One is obviously to promote Kabir’s ideology; linking him with popular; fashionable & taking him to consumer. Second is to check that these ‘words ‘should not be just heard, said & forgotten but gets absorbed in its full sense & done (by placing a live monitor). Another is by demonstrating that how does taking these Doha’s in part (words written with sugar) can be politicised for once own selfish greed’s & deeds & that becomes it critique & risk, which is true to knowledge as such.
Everything has been served here on this “space charger” & it is the individual who judges it, I have tried to not force any conclusions to the work & hence, this live art piece may conclude itself. Experiment yourself and rediscover the power of the spoken word
Everything has been served here on this “space charger” & it is the individual who judges it, I have tried to not force any conclusions to the work & hence, this live art piece may conclude itself. Experiment yourself and rediscover the power of the spoken word
***
Acknowledgments:
Kabir
The Kabir project
TheKabir Festival
Shabnam Virmani
(film maker/director, The kabir project, Bangalore)
Prahald Tipaniya
(folk singer from Madhya pradesh)
For arrangements & support:
Artist friends & Family
ArpanaChowdhary
Rakesh Ratan Nath
Debasish Mishra
Gautam Sahoo
Paribartan Mohanty
Richa Negi
Sujit Mallick
Sumit Sharma
&
Swarna Sagar
Sincere thanks to:
Construction labours at work in College of Art, Delhi for providing their paddled-rickshaw.
Sincere thanks to:
Inder Salim (India)/ Seiji Shimoda (Japan)/ College of Art, Delhi (India)
***
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