THE BODY HOUSE OF AN ACTOR

A Disposable Theatre text: Samudra Kajal Saikia
Photo Courtesy: Anuradha Upadhyaya

1

surveillance

The roof of Kankhowa’s house leaks

Thousands of eyes from the evening sky

Keep staring at me

I cannot go out

I cannot stay in

2

I am an actor

image from "Ghar Katha", The Body House of an actor part

I am an actor. Very limited my abilities are.

Long ago I left my home in the name of further studies.

I know, most of you have the same story.

But as an actor I dwell in this particular body.

This body of mine is my house.

Wherever I go, I carry this house with me.

Or, say, this mobile house brings me within it.

I cannot go out of this house.

If I do, I’m no more an actor.

Sometimes I feel neither can I enter in this house of mine.

It seems to be ridiculous, but, such thoughts come to my mind most often.

If acting is an art, I transform this very body to an art object,

and present it in front of you.

Dear audience, see, look at me, I am doing the same at this particular moment.

This time I cannot go out of this space

and take a nap.

I cannot have a cup of coffee.

3

Buy me. Purchase me.

Sometimes I wish if I could cut your hair and make money.

I am an actor with limited abilities.

I know very little things, very little things I can do

I can’t fly a kite properly; I don’t know how to drive a car

Neither do I know how to play the dotara

I love you so much without even knowing you

how much would I love, after seeing you, I rarely can assume

I can't write a poem.

It was better if I were a farmer. A cloth marchant.

To sale my goods and make money.

Buy me. Purchase me. I am for sale.

It was better if I were a painter.

I would have made a painting and sale it and make money.

But I’m a performer.

I turn my body to an art work. I don't make art. I am the art.

Buy me.

I want to make money.

Purchase me.

I don’t have a house to sale out and to make money.

I cannot rent a house to dwell in.

I carry on a house, my body, all the times

4

I am an actor.

Before and after being an actor, I am a spectator.

I see things. I can see things.

I have to see things. I have to see other people seeing me.

So, if I am an actor,

there are many spectators inside me, dwelling inside my house.

As a result I get confused, how many people reside inside my house.

I lose myself, inside my house.

As my house is overcrowded I cannot enter in the house.

I remember Lalon Fakir. I remember Kabir.

5

I enter out I exit in…

There is somebody else dwelling inside my house.

Neither I can see nor can I touch, beyond of my knowledge.

Though I hardly know his name, I can feel his grief.

We’re in the same house, yet an impassable chasm between us.

No postman ever came, in search of him.

The telephone never rang for him.

I mostly buy vegetables for him as well

When I do it for me, I care for him.

He never comes out of the house, and for that

I cannot put a lock at my door when I go to the office.

(As if suffering from asthma trouble) he does not sleep at night.

Mostly I also spend a sleepless night, listening to the mice.

I play the ektaara, and you pick up the percussion

But who spoils the rhythm, I can’t guess.

You prepare the color and I paint the canvas with passion

But who is there to make it a mess? 

In search of him again and again I enter in and I come out

I enter in the house and come out of the house and in and out…

And thus at a time I get confused, I’m in or actually I’m out.

I enter out me exit in, I exit in I enter out…

6

HOUSE INSIDE THE HOUSE

 

Dear,

Amongst the crowd I do search for you.

There is a house inside the house

And inside the house inside the house there is another house

And inside the house inside the house inside the house there is another one

And inside the house inside the house inside the house there is another one

Which is inside the house, and…

and

then another house inside the…

I don’t know inside which one you inhabit.

I enter here in search of you, and you go to the other.

If I go there, you simply move to another one.

My days are passing just like that only.

For long days

I’m neither inside the house, nor outside actually

I don’t know how many houses are there

Inside my house

Neither I know who the rascal built it

One thing I know only is, you are there somewhere

You are there.

With a constant stare.

 

Photo Courtesy: Anuradha Upadhyay





Notes:


THE BODY HOUSE OF AN ACTOR
was partially performed in Ghar Katha, a disposable theatre experience
as a part of the 75th anniversary of Baroda Ameteur Dramatic Club
Manjalpur, baroda, 28th Aug. 2010

As an artefact the body constructs its viewers (and their expectations), while viewers' expectations construct a body's contours.

Anuradha Kapur, "Actors Prepare",

Theatre India, National School of Drama's Theatre Journal,

May 2004, Number Nine, ed. by, K S Rajendran, pp. 8

Actors are probably the only art makers who can be told (in response to gestures they make with their vocal and physical apparatus, their own attributes and their responses) by an observer that what they have palpably executed is not real or truthful.

Anuradha Kapur, "Actors Prepare",

Theatre India, National School of Drama's Theatre Journal,

May 2004, Number Nine, ed. by, K S Rajendran, pp. 9

   

Storied House: an interactive stop motion animation project in public realm

Storied house

An interactive stop motion animation film by Mahan J Dutta in public realm

As a part of the Public art project by Samudra Kajal Saikia: 

Disposable House, The imagery of HOUSE in individual and collective memories

Around the concerns around “House” two proposals for ‘Public Art’ were developed. One was making of a public-wall-painted-animation film and the other was performative activity oriented project – “Disposable House”. During the discussion with the juries of FICA Public Art Grant there was a suggestion if I could combine both the projects into one. However, we partially tried to inculcate both the ideas.

I discussed my concerns and my interest with Mahan Jyoti Dutta and he took up a relatively smaller project in Ahmedabad. Mahan did his BFA in sculpture from Kalabhavan, Santiniketan and diploma in Film and Video making from NID, Ahmedabad. He already had interest in such an interactive process of film making. So we discussed and developed an interactive stop motion animation film making  project in the old city of Ahmedabad.  In a much lesser time span and expanses Mahan developed and executed the idea in his own way, which we title as the “STORIED HOUSE”.

The artists involved into this project are: Mahan Jyoti Dutta, Niwesh Gurung, Amit Kumar Das and Saheb Ram Tudu.

"It is inside the Pole near Manek Chowk in Ahmedabad. When I had the first view, I almost made up my mind to set the film at that location. The place is like an uplifted courtyard (Aangan) at the centre of the locality. On the opposite side of the main wall there is a temple. That whole area was actually a huge Haveli which was destroyed in the Gujarat earthquake. The remaining of the Haveli (like, remaining of doors, windows, pillars etc.) still lingers the space. Now the space is used for community gatherings. The fact that the space which used be a haveli (palace) and now a courtyard for the community living in that area was quite inspiring to do this WALL animation on the theme of HOUSE (disposable house)", Mahan Jyoti Dutta says.

"Like any other Pole in the old city of Ahmedabad this location too was very crowded, dingy, chaotic place surrounded by old buildings. The people were Hindu. 

After we all came up with the initial idea about doing a wall animation me and Niwesh looked around for location in the old city of Ahmedabad. Ahmedabad is well known as a city of walls and gates. Incidentally we saw this huge wall inside a pole which seemed to be perfect for our purpose due to the wide open surrounding, light condition, the remaining of the broken haveli and other elements all around the space. The space was very convenient for animation and its shooting. So from the next day itself we started shooting.

"We didn't face any difficulties in getting permission for such a work in that particular place. In fact the owner of that space, who use to stay in the next house, and the other people within the locality were very much cooperative and interactive with us throughout the process".

About public reaction: "Same as above. At first the people were very curious to see and know about what we were going to do because they didn’t have any idea about stop-motion animation. But after shooting for quite some time we played it back on the camera itself and the small crowd gathered at the spot were very excited to see how an image moves".

"The biggest and the best “accidental circumstance” is the animation itself. I had a complete different story in my mind on the basis of the original concept by Samudra Kajal Saikia and I did make a storyboard for that. But the moment we started our work we threw away storyboard and only on the basis of the original concept we went on a complete spontaneous animation making use of the space (its location, structure, properties around and the changing light pattern)".

"The whole process of making was quite fun and as we all four are very good friend we were cracking jocks, pulling each other’s leg and enjoyed working with paint stains all over our body, dust and dirt and the scorching sun of Ahmedabad".

What could happen if you didn’t do this event in this particular location, but in some other location?

"As you have understood from the earlier answer, if it was some other location it would have been a completely different piece of work".

1. How this project may address the larger public or larger issues?
2. Tell me about your engagement with film and video and animation. Comment on the contemporary “media-entertainment industries” from a working artist’s perspective.

Well, we always have to consider the fact that we are painting a wall which is at a public space. And we all realize the fact that walls are not just made with concrete and bricks. Therefore, when rebellious artist paints graffiti it is not at all same like making a painting on a sensitive political (or any other) sensitive issue which would be seen in art exhibition or gallery. It is like a slogan in a protest march which one can’t ignore.

Even animation, which is generally a studio based, indoor activity make the similar kind of impact when it comes out to a larger public space.

Animation we see on our television, computer or sometime even on bigger screen. But wherever we see we see it as a complete film and not the key-frames. When an image moves on a public wall, it not only draws the attention from the audience of the animation film (which actually comes out through digital media much later the process of painting, animating, editing and effects) but the people witnessing the performance of painting itself. And even after the painting is finished it remains for certain time at that place, unless it is destroyed/ removed for certain reasons.

Here, I don’t want to discuss or say how it is technically difficult or different to make an animation on a public wall from a studio production. But during the process/ production one thing I have noticed that when art comes out of studio, the reactions of the audience change drastically. Let me explain the point in a clearer way. We see films (live action/ animation) in theaters or on TV. All these films mostly fall under the category of commercial films. But there are “other kinds” of films too; which are not easily available, excisable for “common audience.” These films are generally seen in film festivals, certain organizations, private screening, and personal collections. Not to mention, common people try to stay aloof from these “art films” because this is a common myth that “art films” are mostly abstract or difficult to understand. Considering this myth people choose to stay ignorant about it and do not want to enjoy an abstract form of art, painting, animation, films etc.

This is my personal view that I realized during the production that, when we were painting THEIR wall in spite of the certain abstraction in imagery and concepts people were taking part in the process as an audience and enjoying it too. The process of painting/ animation too was quite spontaneous as I mentioned earlier. But I realized that the reason behind it was mainly the fact that WE CAME TO THEIR SPACE which is a public space. Here art, artist, public nobody can ignore the presence of each other.

In India, animation is still limited in a very small circle of cartoonish, comedy or shot of advertising and promotional films. Even mainstream film-making is also overshadowed by commercial Hindi, Tamil or other bigger regional film industries. Popular culture always has a large impact on the contemporary art practice.

Being a part of this big entertainment market, I prefer not to project this entertainment industry in a negative manner. Because of the big growth in entertainment industry and media technology it is allowing the independent film makers and media artist to take up alternative ways. Especially the digital revolution made film making a more democratic and public medium.

It is often considered that the subversive forms and mediums are not commercial or if the subversions come to the mainstream it won’t remain alternative to the “mainstream media” anymore. To a certain extend it is true. But main-stream media is a diluted form with a complex mixture of thousand forms. Therefore, in the bigger picture we see that “mainstream media” gets enriched and enhanced with the supplements from all the alternative mediums and vice-a-versa.

I personally do not agree with the fact that subversive mediums cannot be commercial because they are made for niche audience; neither have I believed that alternative mediums are not commercial because they are niche. In a country of more than a billion even a certain amount of audience can be a very promising consumer to let it grow commercially. Alternative can grow and sustain in its own independent zone with commercial value. That will be even more a powerful force.

To be very specific to a medium like wall animation I would like to say that it does not stay within the aspects and limitation of a film-making or painting. It can go far beyond. As a medium, it deals with physical involvement in a particular space which can be a public space sometime. Because of this it can also be presented as a performance. It also opens possibilities for interaction of the artist with the “public”(people) around through this medium. In my next project I have plan to take this medium to a level of performance and interaction.

http://vimeo.com/21745846?ab