Students’ Biennale Artists Hold Musical Tribute for Women, the Voiceless

KOCHI:
Strumming out on her tanpura the melancholy dohas of Kabir’s 15th Century Sufi dirge ‘Sadho ye murdon ka gaon (Oh seeker, this is the village of the dead)’, Kathyayini Dash breaks the calm of Aspinwall House with the pain of the marginalised.
As the visual arts student from Ambedkar University in Delhi croons the mournful lyrics, two other students circle her, marking the outline of their feet with colour chalk, spreading leaves from the chinar tree on the ground. The show – titled ‘Performance Persistence’ – ends in a chorus of shrill whistling.
Conducted by five students from Jamia Millia Islamia and Ambedkar University, the performance held on Wednesday was part of the ongoing second edition of the Students’ Biennale (SB) – the flagship art education initiative of the Kochi Biennale Foundation.
“The performance was a collaborative effort. The idea was to sync the need for feminist ideals and the pain of those without a voice,” said Dash, whose artwork is being exhibited in the SB.
“The marking of footsteps represents the scrutiny to which women in
our country are subjected. They are made to worry at each step of criticism and comments. The feminist perspective can’t be separated from any other crisis, hence the incorporation of other oppressed in our performance,” she added.
Khursheed Ali, from Jamia Millia, began the raucous whistling that was added to by the crowd. A surnai added to the effect, which was intended to be akin to a flock of birds in panic.
“The whistling is a reminder that once all dissenting voices are silenced, only the sounds of birds will be heard. We wanted the whistling to be as noisy as possible, to rupture the classical music and open up the ears of outsiders,” said Subina Gul, also from Jamia Milia.
The students are exhibiting a mural painting at Mohammed Ali Warehouse in Mattancherry, one of seven venues hosting works by 465 students from 55 art schools across the country.
As an encore to Wednesday’s stirring performance, Dash regaled visitors at the Pavilion in Cabral Yard, Fort Kochi, with a solo music show today (Thursday).