In December 2015, documentary photographer KR Sunil visited the island of Gothuruth, off the coast of Kochi, to watch the annual Chavittu Natakam festival—a five-day event that celebrates the dance form developed by the Christian community in the 16th century in response to Kathakali. It developed in coastal areas, like Kochi, Alleppey and Kodungallur. The themes draw from the lives of Christian saints and Biblical stories. The costumes have a Portuguese influence and include brocade dresses, headgears and crowns.
Artistes from the island of Chellanam who work as fishermen, house painters and labourers performed during the festival. “It was dynamic, and the story was interesting. It was so different from all the other art forms I knew,” says Sunil. He visited the houses of the artistes. Many lived in dilapidated hovels. In some, blue plastic sheets comprised the wall or covered the large holes in the roofs.
Sunil found the contrast unbelievable. On stage, they played kings and queens, and performed against the backdrop of castles. “But in their daily lives, they live in abject poverty,” he says. He decided to chronicle their life and art. Sunil took the photos over four years.
In the months of November to January, water from high tides inundated the houses of the community. Sunil made them wear their Chavittu Natakam costumes and asked them to pose in the floodwaters. “I wanted to portray the impact of climate change,” he says.
The result is a series of striking portraits. The works were recently exhibited at the Contextual Cosmology at the College of Fine Arts, Thiruvananthapuram, curated by Bose Krishnamachari, Abushka Rajendra, Premjish Achari and Sujith SN.