Digital To Performative Practices In Contemporary Art

 WICCI KARNATAKA ARTS LEADERSHIP COUNCIL

Presents

Digital To Performative Practices In Contemporary Art

With Rekha Rao, Senior Artist and speakers - Dimple Shah, Performance Artist, Jasmeen Patheja, Founder/Director Blank Noise and Tanya Mehta, New Media Artist

The webinar discusses issues related to gender, identity, body, and self in contemporary art practices located amidst socio-political, and larger humanitarian contexts. Women-centric narratives and empowerment lie at the core of the three artists’ practices. Dimple Shah and Jasmeen Patheja rely on performative devices to catalyze social change and transformation, while Tanya Mehta explores new media as a tool to construct alternate realities which discuss the placement of body and self in a surrealistic landscape.

Dimple B Shah is a practicing multidisciplinary artist from Bangalore, studied at MS University, Baroda; her art practice has developed in Painting, Printmaking, Installation, and Performance Art. She has worked in various residencies like The Art house UK, Villa Welbreta, Germany, Space Studio, Baroda, Glasgow Print Studio UK, Printmakers Studio Mumbai & Baroda, and Karnataka Lalit Kala Academy. She has been honored with National & International Awards among them ROSL International Residency UK 2019, Villa Welbreta Residency by Municipal corporation of Munich 2017, India Foundation for the Arts grant for project 560, 2014, Afiriperforma International Residency, Lagos, Nigeria 2013, First Gold Prix in 7th Engraving Biennale, Versailles 2009, National Award, LKA, Government of India 2008, Commonwealth Arts & Crafts Award, UK 2005, Arunawaz Award 2004, Junior Fellowship, HRD, Govt.2000/2. She has widely performed at International biennale and performance festivals across the continents in Africa, Europe, and South Asian Countries.

Jasmeen Patheja is an artist in public service, committed to ending violence against women, girls, and all persons. She founded Blank Noise, (2003) in response to the global silence surrounding street harassment. Patheja facilitates building testimonials of sexual violence and victim blame. She works with communities and designs interventions to shift public consciousness. Her practice rests on the power of collaborations and feminist solidarities. Projects include I Never Ask For It and Meet To Sleep. Patheja is the recipient of the Visible Award, for socially engaged art practice and the International Award For Public Art. BBC listed her as one of the 12 artists changing the world in 2019. She is also a TED and Ashoka Fellow and a TED speaker. Patheja is an artist in residence at Srishti Institute of Art Design and Technology.

Tanya Mehta is a new media artist who has exhibited both nationally and internationally. Born in Bombay, Tanya Mehta completed her MA in Goldsmiths College (London) in Photography (The Image and Electronic Arts). She works with new mixed media, photographing everyday objects and turning them into alternate realities through collage and digital painting. Her production sees her working closely with various modern technologies. The philosophy of her work explores the gaps between our different constructions of knowledge – philosophy, art, science, the metaphysical – and finds, in those gaps, bridges. She hopes to take the audience over those bridges to move to the singular reality or truth that exists for all of us. The key is imagination.

Rekha Rao studied painting under her eminent father K.K Hebbar. She has a postgraduate degree (History) from Bombay University. She has held several solo shows at Jehangir Art Gallery, Mumbai. This was followed by several solos, group shows, and art camps in India and abroad. Rekha is a colorist. In her paintings, the interplay of visual experiences is gleaned from her surroundings. They are a conflation of association. The search is for a grammar of colors that effectively illuminates her response towards events and happenings that serve as a trigger. She works on paper and canvas. Rekha’s works are in the collection of NGMA Mumbai, Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi, Singapore National Museum, Fukuoka Gallery Japan, Venkatappa Gallery, Bengaluru besides several private collectors like WIPRO, MSIL, Mogae Pvt. Ltd, SBI, and many more. She has participated in the 1V Triennial India, Asian Biennale Dacca, and many charity auctions conducted by Sotheby’s, Asprey’s, and Christie's (by invitation). Rekha Rao lives and works in Bangalore.

All images and videos presented by the artists belong to them

#arttalk #genderviolence #socialcause #artperformance #newmedia #digitalart #photography #contemporaryart

https://www.facebook.com/nalini.malaviya/videos/359030002258504

httpshttps://www.facebook.com/nalini.malaviya/videos/359030002258504eos/359030002258504

Evil O - Conversation Between Dimple B Shah and Waswo Waswo X

 

Watch the Interesting Conversation

 between

Dimple b shah and Waswo Wasow X

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ASf8wV9tyAU

Prayers of Shaman -Invoking Healing Goddess

Magdalena:On:line
Bodies:On: Live

Performed Live on 25th June 2021 

https://onlinefestival.themagdalenaproject.org/

Prayer of Shaman –Invoking healing goddess is performance, shamanistic ritual act. It is to establish an image of the pandemic goddess who is a healer. Performer attempted to embody the body through a ritual turning into the Goddess of Pandemic. The performer's body facilitates transmuting the message to her and in the process becoming Goddess herself. 

I  carried on my head the image of the goddess which was a 'Mirror' that would reflect the image of the audience who is interacting with the goddess and there the transformation happens where the audience expects to see the image of a goddess instead they see their own reflection. here the audience takes the position of the goddess and I think everyone has the ability to achieve that state of sacredness and I facilitate to make it visible to my audiences.

The healing happens through various herbal healing plants. The performance deals with my audience through online interaction it will have an impact since every individual has their own psychological and emotional and physical concerns. My work is to build and inspired by the goddess image from my cultural roots but not directly portray it just hinting at my connection. Seeing pandemics from the past one and half years and the critical situations in India I feel like recreating this act again with one more version. This performance was cathartic and transforming not only to the audience but also to me as a performer. 

'Nature is a healer' forms a very integral part of my performance and I  used natural alchemical and medicinal plants  Sacred Plants which are curative and have a lot of health benefits like  Ajwain, ajowan, or Trachyspermum Ammi—also known as ajowan caraway, thymol seeds, bishop's weed, or carom, Neem Leaves, (Tulsi) Holy Basil (Ocimum tenuiflorum), Kama Kasturi l ( Ocimum basilicum). Tumbe plant (Leucas Aspera) and as part of invocation ritual I sowed Seven Scared grains for goddesses. These grains constitute Goddess's. It is an offering to evoke her to invite her to our ritual.  Prayer was offered to form a secret exchange in form of voice modulations. It was an experiential to both me and my audience a kind of spiritual and healing journey. 

In my performance, I had incorporated symbolic object which can metaphorically represent the goddess image but not a religious symbols. It is an artistic exploration to fight this pandemic, to experience catharsis, and create a healing space where both audience and myself can undergo transformation. I shared a  recipe to prepare a tea portion that has medicinal benefits and heals. Dimple B Shah 11 May 2021 Please note it was a different version from the earlier created work.

Dimple B Shah  25th June 2021 

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.

Visit our website https://onlinefestival.themagdalenaproject.org/

For DONATION just visit the link, open your wallet, find the card and insert some money to https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/bodiesonlive

#TheMagdalenaProject #MagdalenaOnline #BodiesOnLive

#teatrofeminista #festivalinternacional #mujeresartistas #elarteesfundamental #consumecultura #performance_online #contemporareytheatre #womenintheatre #performanceonline #onlineperformance #onlinefestival #women_on_stage

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