JOIN USIt was in 2007 when Nikhil Chopra met Japanese Butoh dancer Yuko Kaseki and together they created a collaborative dance performance.
The outcome of this association was well-received and they decided to write a proposal to the Japan Foundation to support them for creating a larger, dynamic performing act. Fortunately, their proposal was accepted and they, along with an array of artistes, designed a performance piece which addressed urban issues. A shorter version of this act will be performed on July 29 at Khoj Studios, which will also respond to the civic erosion of urban India’s landscape.
The 90-minute piece, titled ‘It is likely the house will be dismantled piece by piece with a large crane and a scaffold to support the remaining structure’, will be the culmination of a 10-day intensive body workshop and residency hosted at HH Art Spaces, Goa and supported by Japan Foundation, where six artistes from different practices in performance and visual art have come together.
However, the Delhi-performance will only feature Kaseki, Chopra and French artiste Romain Loustau, and during the performance they will occupy various rooms and spaces of the site and will respond to issues related to environment and architecture.
“The piece will focus on indiscriminate construction, which is rampant in India. It will also highlight how garbage is strewn across the cities and the unaddressed issue of mass consumerism, which has hypnotised millions but no one is talking about it,” Chopra tells Metrolife.
“We will be using our bodies to highlight these issues. There will also be an audio jamming session and the final act will be a solo performance by each artiste,” he adds.