Weaving silence into words

Artistes Jyoti Dogra and Bernd Luetzeler offer a meditation on reality, as experienced by the observer and the observed in the multimedia theatre presentation Ko, based on a parable written by franz Kafka

In Ko, actor Jyoti Dogra and German video artist Bernd Luetzeler explore the theme of duality. The artistes locate their work in Up In The Air, a parable written by one of the most influential writers of the twentieth century, Franz Kafka.

Jyoti Dogra explores spaces both within and outside the self in the
performance based on Kafka's writings

In the piece, Kafka offers two perspectives of the same event: as seen by the observer and the observed. "Up in the Gallery moves from the way the spectator sees the circus to the performer's perspective," elaborates Bernd

Dogra, who chanced upon the piece about a year and half ago, says she was fascinated by it. "I showed the piece to Bernd and we agreed to work on it. We were both sure, we did not want it to be a narrative," she shares.

With text collage, video projection, physical imagery and surveillance cameras, both artistes have tried to construct and deconstruct the spaces inhabited by Kafka's characters.

The performance constantly shifts between reality, dream and illusion to the extent that differences become blurred.

"There is live feed and pre-recorded footage. Video is an actual element in the performance," explains Jyoti, adding, "We explore dualities, altered realities and the multiple selves within a person. We have tried to look at how we understand and perceive the world and the multiplicities that occur."

The performance is a questioning of reality, according to Bernd. "Whatever you see and believe may not be true. The world you live in may not be true," he points out.

Putting together the piece was not easy, confess the artistes. "The difficulty wasu00a0 in telling a story, especially because there is no story," shares Bernd. The first act is directed by Dogra, while the second is directed by Bernd.

"We are looking at two versions of the same thing,"explains Jyoti, agreeing that Kafka's works are not the easiest to understand. "The more you get into it, the more difficult it is to comprehend, especially if you try to introduce it into your own world."

At Gallery Beyond, 1st floor, 130/132, Great Western Building, Shahid Bhagat Singh Road, Fort.
On Today, 7.30 pm
Till Sunday, July 24