Delhi Workshop + Performance Day — Body-Temperature

* mind-map generated with all participants during the workshops *

research-residency in New Delhi

During my Pro Helvetia-supported research residency in New Delhi, I organised a performance project with Indian artists. I used the project money from Pro Helvetia for the organisation and implementation. The basic idea was to organise a performance day in Delhi together with the organisers of the Live Art Festival Bangalore 2011, which I had participated in and co-conceived. We invited artists from Delhi and Kolkata to the performance day. Further discussions showed that it would be useful to organise a two-day workshop for students and young Indian artists. The collaboration with Smitha Cariappa and Suresh Kumar for the Delhi project was also a continuation of the exchange since 2011. The workshop and performance day were held at the Gati Dance Forum in Khirki Extension Delhi, arranged through Pro Helvetia's contact.

Delhi-Workshop on 9 & 10 December

Delhi Workshop was realized on 9th and 10th December at Gati Dance Forum in Khirki Extension. 15 young artists and students from India were attending the workshop. A growing number of interested visitors were watching the presentations and taking part in the discussions and in the performance sketches. Sometimes more than 30 people were present in the space. On the first day the artists presented their own practice and understanding of performance. The workshop participants got exposed to a wide range of attitudes and practices. The approaches were very diverse and strategies of performance practice were provoking a heated discussion among the artists. I pinned a long piece of paper onto the wall noting terms and marks of performance practice from my point of view. As a participatory approach it should trigger further comments and remarks of all artists, students and visitors, thus mapping the diverse approaches and helping to channel the emotions which the discussions evoked. On the second day we did awareness work and explorations in space followed by implementing ideas and sketches of the workshop attendees. At the end of the day all workshop participants and invited artists composed together the programme for the coming performance day.

Delhi-Performance-Day on 11 December

Delhi Performance Day on 11th December from 10 a.m untill 8 p.m. in the public space in Khirki Extension created a special situation and experience for everybody involved: the performances mingled with everyday life of ‚urban-village’ Khirki Extension, a neighbourhood with migrants from Bihar, Afghanistan, Africa. Most of the performances took place outside in public area. Performance audience as well as photographers were advised to keep some distance to the performers, so that they were directly exposed to street life. In the evening at 6 p.m. it got already dark. The last three performances starting outside Gati Dance Forum then moving to the inside space were watched by a curious number of Khirki inhabitans, artists from Delhi and some from Europe passing through. The workshop participants had either to develop a plan and make a scenario for their own performance or could participate in one of the performances of the invited artists: Suresh Kumar involved a groupe of workshop participants into an action inside. I asked three young women to participate in my street performance in Khirki Extension. Alltogether 15 different performances and actions created the substance of the performance day.

Delhi-Concluding-Day on 12 December

For Delhi-Concluding-Day, on 12th December, all participants and interested visitors met again at Gati Dance Forum: We recollected all seen performances, resulting questions and issues, exchanged addresses and informations. Further the pinned map on the wall with comments, marks and drawings on (our) performance practices was documented.

Delhi Performance and Workshop Days echoed, it looks as if it had empowered some of the participants in their approach to performance. And the exchange had taken further shaping: Three indian artists were intvited to DER LÄNGSTE TAG / THE LONGEST DAY 16 hours nonstop outdoor performances in Zürich in 2014.