A Ritual of Transcendence –Finding a Divinity Within

Virtual Matter(S)

Performance Art  Online Series

Curated by Kathie Halfin

Hive Art Community, Newyork USA
Jan 16th, 2021

My Performance was selected for Performance Art online series and it was second lined up after Susan Luss and Kate Quardfort and followed by Patricia Correa
I performed 'A Ritual of Transcendence –Finding a Divinity Within'  on 16th early morning at 6am India Time 2021

The idea was to bring transforming experience in others even if it one a true performance act when we initiate and transform and one to experience and transcendence make an experiential provoke thoughts emotions with our body action. During this pandemic period, it is become difficult to have intimate and close interaction with our audiences and thus making it difficult to make it physically experiential. I feel there is still a potential of transforming through online interaction and make it experiential work although it is difficult but not impossible. The approach to this transformative act will change a bit for an online audience. The Pandemic has forced people to cut out from social gatherings and spaces, having an adverse effect on the psychology of human beings. We being a social animal it is vital to have to connect the outer world get support both morally and Psychological during this difficult time. For this project, my idea is to bring in the divine element in the central perspective which is cathartic healing and transforming.

Many pre-pandemic works have been one-to-one interactive performance work share ritual and shamanistic practice with my audiences. I have done several experiments in the whole of 2020 with online performance with this experience I have a grasp-in bringing experiential elements through my ritual acts. I have done several performance interventions responding reacting and contemplating the immediate situation encountered both psychologically and philosophically. Finding contemplating space within these territories of everyday rituals transcend both physical and mental space by finding deeper meaning in the ritual act of filtering both conscious and subconscious mind.

I come from Jain and Hindu family that follow several rituals to introspect within us and find the divinity within us for much peace and healing. These rituals are engrossing in the act and Cathartic and healing in nature, even if one who watches it can enter that state. I metaphorically use the same philosophy to see doing Ritual act transforming the space and time and beyond. I usually build my workspace for each performance to enhance and make it more engaging and experiential to attain that particular state for my audience.

For this performance Also I built my own space which created an ambiance for contemplation. it was an attempt a performative intervention that brought varied layers in these spaces of folding and unfolding both Conscious and subconscious states of mind. it was a sound-based performative work for a 15 minutes online performance.

With New normal people are persistently spending most of the time in virtual spaces, Losing contact with oneself by which forget to find divinity within. We get lost excessively in information and online material of entertainment we lose touch with ourselves and my attempt through performance was to see the life and spirit within with a positive attitude and seeing Divinity within.

Dimple B Shah Jan 2021

A prayer for a Dead tree – The Scent of African tulip

 

3rd Global Be-Coming Tree online event
Performed on 9th Jan 2021

A prayer for a Dead tree – The Scent of African tulip

My heart is heavy, still cries for a dead tree sacrificed in front.

O! Big African tulip tree which was in front of my house.

Where cuckoos were singing bumblebees were murmuring had their home.

The Squirrels happily enjoyed jumping around from one branch to the other branch.

The monkeys, playing and happily stealing papaya from homes used to sit on branches and eat them.

The tree used to change colour and shed the leaves which were difficult to clean at a time. African tulip tree which I loved the utmost, was cut in front of me fear of falling one on of the house. Another African tulip tree next to this big tree had collapsed, due to heavy rain, that had created the fear in the minds of people who had home in front of it and they started working towards cut the tree one day!

O! Big African tulip the tree I miss you so much

The fire of your blooming flower sparks flame in my eyes

The remains of your body preserved in my home

The home of bumblebees is still with me empty deserted like ruined spaces.

O! Big African tulip tree

Nobody misses you they are happy that you made way for parking Lot,

I miss you

With my heavy heart, I offer you prayer s

Prayer to meet you in my next Life

I offer prayers to thank you for giving a stupendous memory to remember spirit.

I send prayer through the wind,

I offer you the scent which you gave it to me once

O! Big African tree I Miss you so much

Poem by -Dimple B Shah 17th Dec 2020 

 

Breathing Future- Crossover 2020-2021

Crossover 2020-2021 全球跨越 2020-2021 

Performed on 6th January 2021  Live Zoom Performance 

Indian female artist Dimple B Shah, dressed in a white lab coat, was conducting scientific research by holding a magnifying glass. In the white gauze cloud surrounded by layers, she blows white balloons one by one (the balloon shows the word "Extinction"), Blowing, squeezing, kinking, deforming, some swelling and exploding, some half-way frustrated with a desperate cry, and some make an unbearable cry of heart-cracking, and finally a warning appears The red balloon expanded, the warning lights flashed, and the red crisis filled the entire space, as if the universe was about to burst, suffocating people. .... Everything went back to zero, cows, sheep and plants appeared, and the only remaining human nature was stored in the closed and transparent Noah's Ark. At this time, amidst the mist-filled vast waste and almost invisible objects, a closed space capsule maintained the only remaining green plants, implying that human beings can only live in a closed environment with oxygen in the future. The situation set by the artist Shah, and the in-depth expression of human beings facing the plight, is intended to continuously arouse our current human thinking and concern about the future. 

Cai Qing Jan 9. 2021

印度女艺术家Dimple B Shah, 身着白色服装严然一个科研人员手持放大镜，在层层环绕的白纱云雾中，她一个接一个地吹着白色的气泡（气球上显出“毁灭”的字样），吹起、挤压，纽曲、变形，有的澎涨而暴炸，有的半路泄气发出绝望的呼声，更有发出令人不堪忍受的嘶心裂肺的叫声的，最终出现一个警示的红色气球，它渐渐大起来，警灯闪烁，危机涨满了整个空间，如同宇宙即将破裂，让人窒息。.....一切归零，出现牛、羊和植物，将人类仅存的自然存放入封闭透明的诺亚方舟。这时，在雾气弥漫，几乎看不见物象的苍茫的废虚上，一个封闭的空间胶囊中，维护着仅存的一点绿色的植物，寓意人类今后只能在封闭的环境中有氧可活。由艺术家Saha设置的局，和不断深入的，面对我们人类面临的困境的表达，意在不断地引起我们当下人类对未来的思考和关注。