Work In Progress
A NATIONALISM PROJECT
“Our difficulties I say is not about the ultimate future, our difficulty is how to make the heterogeneousness that we have today, take a decision in common, and march in a cooperative way on that road which is bound to lead us to unity.” – B.R. Ambedkar
‘Work In Progress: A Nationalism Project’ is suggestive of an enormous construction that critiques the foundation of monolithic nationalism. The performance evokes a sense of multiplicity in terms of the plethora of tools used in building a nation brick by brick. The speeches of B.R. Ambedkar and Jawaharlal Nehru revive the promise of a plural nation and a Constitution which renders us the right to demand. The performance is a critical take on the idea of nationalism which has always been the agenda of any monolithic state power. The narrative is shaped by how the performers engage with the space, its materiality, its soundscape and how it eventually transforms the experience of the spectators. It strives to engage the audience through a narrative that is fractured and fragmented. The various elements of the performance piece come together to create a stark and disturbing picture of the current polity. This performance is designed to give the audience a vivid and immersive experience of construction, both literal and figurative.
This performance is a very direct response to the rise of intolerance within our political discourse. It is a durational performance in which the performers are engaged in constructing the word ‘NATIONALISM’ with bricks and cement while a large red inflatable cloud/bomb hangs ominously above their heads. The performance has a very fragmented narrative and the dramaturgical structure which is peppered with a live band playing broken pieces of music and a glossary of images inspired by the current political milieu that is held together by a speech on the ideals of a pluralistic society.
I was invited to join the performance as a performer and production assistant (set fabrication in charge), although the nature of the show did not differentiate between the two. This performance is very labour intensive and required more planning than rehearsals. After several small scale improvisations and brainstorming of ideas, objects necessary for the performance were gathered and constructed. Scaffolding structures and barricades marked the boundaries of the site, allowing the audience to be seated on or stand behind them to watch the construction unfold. When the performance travelled to 31, ULICA International Festival of Street Theatres, 2018, my work also included transport of set material/properties and video editing (trailer). In this work particularly, the lines between production and performance blurred.
Performed at:
Ambedkar University Delhi
ULICA- International Festival of Street Theater, Krakow, Poland
Produced by:
P.S Collective
Director and Designer:
Deepan Sivaraman
Text:
Purav Goswami
Urvi Sirkek