Prayer of Shaman - Invoking Healing Goddess

Bodies :on: Live
Magdalena :On: line 2021

From 24th June to 27th June 2021 

Prayer of a Shaman is a performance shamanistic ritual act. It establishes an image of the pandemic goddess who is a healer. The performer attempts to embody the body through a ritual into the goddess of a pandemic. The performer body facilitates transmuting the message to the goddess and in the process becoming goddess itself. The healing is done through various herbal plants. Usually my performances deal with my audience through one-to-one interaction since every individual has their own psychological and emotional and physical concerns. My work is inspired by reference of goddess image from cultural roots but not directly portrayed, it just hints to the reference of my cultural roots.

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THE HEALING TOUCH OF BAMBOO: SOUL, MIND AND BODY

FOR  4TH GLOBAL ONLINE EVENT  OF BE-COMING TREE https://becomingtree.live/

The scent of dried bamboo leaves slowly merging inside. 

I wished there was sound to be heard of these leaves, deep earthy scent

 I go deeper and deeper the scent draws me closer to it.

 I want to sleep within this mound of dried bamboo leaves, o bamboo tree! 

What a gift o bamboo leaves I can contemplate with you for hours .... you are healing ...

Kalpavirkha a Divine Tree
 

In Becoming tree session 4. Before Lockdown announced I  had planned to work with the bamboo tree and its leaves which is found in abundance on-studio campus, Art village in Bangalore, and wanted to reconnect to this Divine tree which has great power of healing Soul Mind, and Body.

But weekend lockdown announced and no vehicles were to reach but I had planned to do a performance in an Indoor space in my home which is also my studio. The situation in India was very critical then and now there is no beds, no oxygen, and no Ventilators. it is very critical at present. So I planned to get three huge bags of Bamboo dried Leave from the artist's village studio, So on performance day, I created a whole backdrop suitable for performance and I  performed with dried leaves. 

 

It is a common belief in several Asian cultures that humanity emerged from a bamboo stem. In some parts of India, bamboo is also called Kalpavirksha (divine tree in Indian mythology fulfilling all the needs and desires) due to its numerous uses in daily life in physical as well as in spiritual form. The first direct reference to bamboo Indian literature is in “Rig Veda” (5000 BC) “Bestow upon us a hundred bamboo clumps”. Bamboos are symbolic of constancy, fidelity, integrity, and purity (Farrelly 1984) and also inspire the emotional and spiritual life of many people.

#becomingtree #duratioanalperformace #liveforcamer#jatunrishaba #dimplebshah #liveart #performanceart Jatun Risba Be-coming Tree

Dimple B Shah  5th May 2021 

Public Performance Symposium- Out of Site Chicago

A Lecture by 

Dimple B Shah 
Live Art in Bangalore ( Karnataka, South India ) 

Formation, Development, and Expansion 

https://www.flowsymposium.org/lectures 

The talk focused on performance art/ live art its initial years of developments from Installations, experimental movements in public spaces with social concerns as a major area of concern it matured state, and expansion over the span of two decades. 

The Performance art scene in Bangalore (Karnataka) became visible and grew organically since 2000. Bangalore in Karnataka has become the nucleus for Performance Art in India. The Bangalore art scene has always been known for its experimental approaches be it Installation art, Performance Art, or New Media art, It is pioneered as the most happening place in India. we could observe a good deal of groundwork and mature evolution of the performance art scene in Bangalore. With numerous experiments in public spaces, those were based largely on social issues as a core concern. Many artists participated in these events doing both interactive and installation work. Bangalore has made a major contribution to this field right from its early period. These attempts resulted in bringing forth new materials, forms, language, and space. Individualist, collaborative, and connecting with land, communities, and public spaces – artists of Bangalore with determination and restlessness responded to their inner calls. Not only installations but also Performance and Sound art found expressions here in those early times.

Dimple B Shah 23rd April 2021 

Negotiating Rituals- Power of Feminine Energy and Body Practice Based Performance Workshop

Negotiating Rituals -Power of Feminine Energy and Body

A performance Workshop in Three sessions  

 

https://www.flowsymposium.org/workshops/dimplebshah

From Devi-Mahatmya:

By you this universe is borne, By you, this world is created, Oh Devi, by you it is protected.

From Shaktisangama Tantra:

The woman is the creator of the universe, the universe is her form; a woman is the foundation of the world, she is the true form of the body.

In woman is the form of all things, of all that lives and moves in the world. There is no jewel rarer than woman, no condition superior to that of a woman.

This performance workshop was a quest to understand and identify the power of Feminine energy /Shakti. The performance workshop will be a process of mind, body, soul to evoke, emerge, and contemplate the feminine energy. Attempt and understand the image of the feminine in our structure of society conflicting state of feminine energy present in both sacred and no sacred state/space and finally arise to one single form of the identity to the feminine Energy. It is a psychosocial paradigm shift present and past how this supreme female energy which is Reflected nurtured to fit the need of society at point placing in most sacredness and other level abusing in a non-humanistic way. It was to study and analyze how this ‘feminine energy' fitted in the cultural/religious context over the period. In what way it emerged, associate, and fit in cultural and religious rituals.

Re-questioning the appropriation and augmenting. To recognize and to celebrate this Feminine form in a psychological /spiritual /body-mind parameter. The workshop will metaphorically connect to yoni /Garbo (womb), where the ritual directly connects to celebrate the power of feminine energy.

The making of the Durga idol starts from collecting clay from prostitutes' place. It is one of the signs where feminine energy is respected and revered in all form sacred non-sacred forms. Different parts of India celebrate this feminine power in different ways. As per the mythological stories, the feminine power /Shakti has 53 0r 108 Shakti Peetha's (Shakti Temples spread across India where each part of a body of Shakti fell when she was cut by Vishnu each body part now becomes the place of worship called as Peetha's. There is a various manifestation of these feminine energies like Durga, Bhiaravi kali Lakshmi Saraswati this feminine manifestation celebrated in their divine forms. The feminine energy becomes the central force of creation visible in the form of Nature and earth.

Dimple B Shah 2nd May 2021

In Search of Antidote- Intercepting Psychosis

New P.E.P.A. Pequeño Evento de Performance Art ONLINE on Sunday, January 31 at 7 pm Madrid Time (1 pm NY Time) with the participation of invited artists:

DIMPLE B SHAH in Bangalore (India)

FAUSTO GROSSI in Bilbao (Spain)

SANDRA CORRIGAN BREATHNACH (Ireland)

After the performances, we will host a Q&A, in ENGLISH, with the invited panelist ANDRE STITT, moderated by VERÓNICA PEÑA and ANALÍA BELTRÁN i JANÉS, curators and organizers of P.E.P.A. ONLINE.

P.E.P.A. ONLINE is offered by P.E.P.A. Pequeño Evento de Performance Art (Madrid) and P.A.O.C. PERFORMANCE ART Open Call (New York City) with the collaboration of Acción!MAD, and Pedro Déniz.

In search of Antidote-Intercepting Psychosis was proposed work for PEPA it was about it is a process to find an antidote understanding the subconscious thoughts through various ritual processes. These rituals inspired by my cultural shamanistic practices which are incorporated in my work with profound metaphoric connotations. The idea is to undergo an experiential cathartic effect on both my audiences and me.

Catharsis, Purification, Healing, Filtration, and Condensation & Extraction of Pure Self are essential elements in my works. Through various approaches which are Ephemeral, Spontaneous & Interactive in Nature. Key areas of my concerns have been Humanitarian, related to War, Crimes, Migration, Women's issues, and Socio-political, Psychological and Philosophical aspects. All these thoughts go in the process of Distillation (psychologically/ physical) relating to concerning issues. Collect the research material and the sources to finally, extracting a purified element out of it. It helps in the process of healing.

 My work encapsulated with Process of Distillation metaphorically may be applied to all areas of concerns/ issues addressed in works like socio-political, Ecological, Environmental, Psychological, Philosophical and Existential questions about Life &Humanity.

 As an individual who is part of a social structure, a self who has to navigate through repercussions of socio-political upheavals, develop perspicacity on related human issues, and on a personal level of existence coping with an emotive response of alienation, insecurity, fear, the by-product of our "Post Modern" era. The duality of exploration reflects the concepts underlying in works. I outline my art practice as Multidisciplinary as my art practice has evolved through practice in various mediums like Performance, Printmaking, Painting. My focus has been to blend this medium of art into an interdisciplinary language.

Dimple B Shah 21 January 2021

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