Exploring the Poetics of Space with “an unofficial and contentious epic called NOW”

Theatre Adda : Park Street sessions presents an experimental performance called “an unofficial and contentious epic called NOW” which is loosely connected to an official ancient epic.

In approaching the performance we are experimenting with the space, traditional and contemporary (time) modes of performance emerging from varied sources, as also with different artistic forms including the (un) categorized, as we trace our relationships with an ancient epic/epics and how it shapes our (mis) perceptions and relates to the NOW !

A performance doesn’t start or end . It is a continuous process of making sense of the self, the environment and the collective through witnessing. The new is forever becoming, from the memories to futures. There is not much scope of being a curious or indifferent onlooker, not even being an engaged audience. It is time to renegotiate our position in this epic called NOW.

We started off with a very short film titled “Taking Root The Vision of Wangari Maathai” to pay homage to this inspirational figure in the environmental movement & also to bring in to focus the COOLeaders initiative of Masterpeace Global.

“It is the people who must save the environment. It is the people who must make their leaders change. And we cannot be intimidated. So we must stand up for what we believe in.”

Wangari Maathai

Here is the full documentary.

Intuition of the Instant

Moments from the performance titled ” An unofficial and contentious epic called NOW ! ” where we also explore the philosophy of Gaston Bachelard.

The phenomenal vs the noumenal.

Solutions often emerge from the myths we invent to navigate space and time. The cognitive function of the imagination requires attending to phenomena in a manner synonymous with the existential function of the imagination. The practice of both functions of the imagination manifest in sacred experiences that transcend time and space. 

The question of faith.

Upon entering the domain of such prophets of the abstract, time is hence reduced to a simple algebraic variable — the variable par excellence — better suited to the analysis of the possible than to the examination of the real. Continuity is indeed a schema of pure possibility for mathematicians, rather than an essential character of reality.

Gaston Bachelard 

Constant renegotiation of the epic trauma as a woman.

Past, present and future give the house different dynamisms, which often interfere, at times opposing, at others, stimulating one another.

Gaston Bachelard

The image is language .

For him imagination was at once receptive and creative – an acoustic of listening and an art of participation. The two functions, passive and active, were inseparable. The world itself dreams, he said, and we help give it voice.”

Richard Kearney

On Friday the 30th June, 2023, at Alliance Française du Bengale from 7 pm.

Performers : Rahul Bera, Pradip Chattopadhay, John, Bibhas, Janardan Ghosh & Sudipta Dawn, Puja Dutta & you .

Video installation: Edges of an urbanized river by Josh Jung & Baisampayan Saha.

Theatre Adda are sessions of experiments in performing & performance art practices and is organized by Alliance Française du Bengale and Culture Monks which are held once every month since October 2015 with a break of a few years of COVID & otherwise.

Theatre Adda is part of the Masterpeace COOLeaders program. The Masterpeace COOLeaders is a global program which seeks to instill care for the environment (natural & cultural) and encourage climate action by individuals in their communities. COOLeaders is working towards empowering actions for climate change mitigation and adaptation around the world.and uses arts, music and sports to mobilize and engage COOLeaders.

Blog written by Sudipta Dawn

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