video password: "sand"
I was walking along the beach in Santa Monica pondering this story of the Rajput widow-turned-courtesan when the ground collapsed under me and I fell about a foot and a half onto the sand. To my amusement, I noticed that the seawater had carved out miniature “cliffs” that looked oddly similar to the desert in Rajasthan. I decided this meant I should use the beach as a stand-in for the desert where I imagined the courtesan had lived as a child.
Text adapted from and inspired by Veena Talwar Oldenburg's article, "Lifestyle as Resistance: The Case of the Courtesans of Lucknow." Feminist Studies 19 (2): 259-87. Music by Zakir Hussain.
FEEDBACK QUESTIONS:
1. Do the text and the visuals evoke enough of a sense of the underlying story? Is any of it confusing?
2. Do you see any relationship between this video and past studies from our long distance process? Does that spark any ideas about how the video could be integrated into collaborative live performance or installation?
3. Other comments?
THOUGHTS FOR FURTHER EXPANSION:
It strikes me that this story from Veena Oldenburg’s article has connections with our work with SAN because both involve domestic violence...I wonder whether this may help us connect our interest in the courtesan with our community work?
I didn’t quite manage to integrate the required chuni into my study, but perhaps it could be brought in like this: I thought of projecting this video on the body of a woman dressed as a courtesan. (She would have to wear white or something light-colored for the video to be seen.) Perhaps it could even be projected on my back before I turn around to perform my solo, “hidden tamarind”?
1. I feel that the text along with the strong strong imagery clearly evoke this woman's story....really effectively!!! I absolutely love the abstraction and texture that the sand provides with your hands and fingers symbolize the heroine. Everything works together brilliantly and is is so evocative even as a piece by itself. I do also like your idea of projecting onto your back. It would/could mimic Shy's piece, but be a different woman's story or the same story but another shade. It is not confusing at all but rather just enough info with text, music, and imagery to create meaning and intrigue. I love it!
ReplyDelete2. Yes, I'm beginning to see a theme that is emerging with the use of "woman's hands" and mudras telling these courtesan stories. I'm seeing these wonderful commonalities from our studies emerge as many of us are abstracting body parts to tell larger histories (Sandra's hand writing, my wrist, Shy's dance veiled in fabric, your hands in the sand). Seems like video projection is going to be integral and we can continue to find ways to project these innovatively....on bodies, fabrics, in space, monitors, on multiple bodies.....very rich indeed.
1. Do the text and the visuals evoke enough of a sense of the underlying story? Is any of it confusing?
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely, the text and visuals give a lot of context from the story- I really enjoy that
You selected particular details to be projected- rather than, say, a “summary.”
I kind of wish I did not know the story, since I would like to know how my brain would piece together the details of text that are so concrete, in contrast to the abstract visuals. Given that I do know the story, I feel like I cannot answer your question as to whether it is possibly confusing.
I do feel that the “role” of the hand changes when it emerges from under the sand in a trembling “alapadma”- before (and after), the visuals, the hand and the text together, in my mind, split the role of a narrator- where in that moment there seems to e an embodiment of emotion that personifies it- at the same time as the protagonist of the story is first mentioned in the text. The hand seems to revert to the role of narrator after some time.
2. Do you see any relationship between this video and past studies from our long distance process? Does that spark any ideas about how the video could be integrated into collaborative live performance or installation?
Absolutely! The focus on hands, arms, torso, and individual parts of the body has been a recurring theme. It also seems to link to my “writing” study, in terms of a fixed camera angle from above, and a hand creating visuals. The trembling gestures link to your study from last month as well.
It does not spark concrete ideas as to how to integrate these videos into an installation or performance at this very moment; however, it seems to become a theme that will be a substantial texture or thread.
3. Other comments?
First I hope you did not hurt yourself when dropping in the sand!
Second, MISS THE BEACH!!!
Third, I really like the idea of bringing in environments/ outdoors. Interesting that we both felt compelled to do so in this month’s study!
The outdoor settings add a texture I think will be interesting for installations and performance, also, because they more or less abstractly locate our studies in our different localities.
1. Do the text and the visuals evoke enough of a sense of the underlying story? Is any of it confusing?
ReplyDeleteYes, I certainly get a story from the series of images. At times I relate the images to Oldenburg's story, but they could also be other things. For example the dowry could just be read as what is growing in the fields. Which still sets a context for me.
The one moment that continually confused me until you told it to me out-loud was "girl, when the circus comes to town." Because you have said nouns before like "widow," and "child bride," I didn't realize "girl" was addressing her. I just thought she was being described again, which didn't make any sense, so I got confused there and in the next sentence.
The enjoy the way the visuals enhance the story very much. Just noticing the texture of the sand, the way you can inscribe it and then wipe it clean like a story board is very satisfying. On later viewings, I am becoming aware of the shadow of your hand and arm as an interesting presence that sometimes starts to take on meaning.
I am curious how the beach context and sounds integrate so well with the idea of a desert in Rajasthan. It seems contradictory and yet it totally works! Meg told me that it's like a child's game in the sand (which works for the child bride).
2. Do you see any relationship between this video and past studies from our long distance process? Does that spark any ideas about how the video could be integrated into collaborative live performance or installation?
The zoom into body parts and particularly the hands seems to be an interesting theme that is developing.
Since you and I both had the idea of projecting something on the back in this study...we already went ahead and combined our two studies from this month in a new work in progress piece that we shared at Post Natyam Unveiled. I am excited in the fact that the excerpt of this video that we projected on my still back/sari showed the external circumstances and gave context. Afterwards in a revised version of my study, we projected Anj's wrist/hand video onto my moving body, which to me signified the internal struggle part of the piece more.
3. Other comments?
I am just reading Sandra's comment about the outdoors as a way to locate our studies in our different locales. I'm so glad that it's started to happen naturally since it's something we had been wanting to do, but I think is challenging.