“All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women are merely players,” wrote poet and playwright William Shakespeare. On this grand stage called Earth, in the midst of the vast emptiness of space, we play various roles from the day we’re born until the day we depart. With time, we all grow and evolve—physically, mentally, emotionally, and eventually, spiritually. For the audience unknown, we act our part as honestly as we possibly can and express ourselves to the best of our ability. Therefore, our life itself could be viewed as a form of art. Only, it is taking place in the magnificent stage of the space-time continuum. Perhaps, that is why many of us can inherently connect with art forms—especially performance art.
Like our lives, this art form involves the space-time continuum too—albeit on a miniature scale. It entails constant change and movement—even in the momentary stillness, a pause is more dynamic than motion. Bringing to the fore, an artiste’s innermost thoughts and emotions, performance art physically expresses the core of a person is in the purest, rawest of forms, thereby making an impact not only on the artiste but also on the audience.
As a performance artiste with over 15-years of experience, Arka Mukhopadhyay has especially been drawn towards the psychophysical aspect of performance—how a physical gesture, posture or a mudra affects our inner status and vice-versa. He currently runs an initiative called Jyothirgamaya, which explores the idea of ‘consciousness’ through dialogues with traditional as well as contemporary art forms. In this feature, Soulveda explores the works and views of the artiste.
You work with several forms of performing art—dance, theatre, music to name a few. You are well-versed in both classical and contemporary art forms. Could you tell us about your journey so far?
There isn’t much to tell. My journey has been organic. At each step, I have sought meaning and truth and have done what my heart told me to. I have no professional training in theatre. My only formal training has been in Kalaripayattu—for over a decade. I’ve observed Koodiyattam performers, Bauls and Qawwals, and also learned from contemporary practitioners of dance and theatre. I’m a perpetual student. In fact, I’m not even a very good student. But I watch, I wonder, and I keep playing and experimenting, without wondering whether it is stupid or whether others would judge. And that’s how I’ve always been working—seeking answers.
You currently run a small practice called Jyotirgamaya. How did it come to be?
It is actually called Jyothirgamaya Natya Kalari, which would translate as Jyothirgamaya Theatre Laboratory. After my father’s passing in 2016, I was in Kerala. I was personally trying to emerge from darkness to light, and that’s how it came to be. Of course, by that time I had already been in the field for 13 odd years, but I wanted to start afresh. I put out a call, a few performers joined me, and we got going. At the moment, we are working on a unique performance and educational project called ‘In Search of Amal’, based on the iconic Tagore-play, Dakghar. We’re now a unique collective of artistes, from traditional forms such as Koodiyattom and Yakhshagana, contemporary dance, mime, theatre, etc. and we have come together to explore this character called Amal—a young boy who is terminally ill. His body is dying, but his mind is unfettered. He says he wants to see everything there is to see, he travels in his imagination to the farthest end of the universe. And through our process, we ask what that means—to transcend our limitations, to look at the universe, at existence, with eyes of boundless wonder. It is not only performance art but also an educational process through which we are already working with NGOs in urban and non-urban spaces, who work with children and young adults from economically weaker backgrounds. We’ll also be working with children from the autism spectrum, young people who have survived trafficking, etc.
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