Students of the School of Drama and Fine Arts based in Thrissur has come out with a unique collective performance titled Marks. A performative event out of the ordinary, the offline event commenced on October 4 and will conclude on October 8. The experimental performance is a collaboration of 24 students from the institute, and it is conceptualised by Abheesh Sasidharan.
Instead of using the general performance area, as many as 26 units were set up in the alternative spaces of the theatre complex designed by architect Laurie Baker based on subjects like ecology, development, and the pandemic. “For the last 1.5, theatre performances barely happened and the space had been restricted to small gatherings due to the pandemic. For this performance we set up 26 units in corridors and costume rooms to reflect the idea that irrespective of the situation or space, theatre or art can thrive anywhere,” says Abheesh.
Every unit will feature three-minute-long performances with different sensorial aspects. The ideas for the experimental performances were conceived by the students themselves, from their personal experiences. “The student’s perspective or point of view regarding topics like the pandemic, ecology, and development is transformed into a performative experience using body movements, soundscape, interactive technologies, texts and other mediums. They are performed in a way that connects the pectators too,” adds Abheesh.
Abheesh claims that Marks, the collective performance is unlike the usual audio-visual theatre experiences. “As a performance artist, it was a challenging process for me to conceptualise a performance. The initial eight-day workshop conducted with the students opened up the possibilities of the performance,” he says.
The experimental performance has also adapted the cost-effective philosophy by Laurie Baker, making use of solar power and dynamo energy for lights, and by recycling materials to create the theatre ambience. Watch the performance at 6pm and 8pm At School Of Drama & Fine Arts ,Thrissur