Mission 1- Self Review

It was very interesting to see how the dog was reacting to my performances in the first video. This was as we discussed in class an unintentional and undecided response of the space (which includes all objects- animate and inanimate). The way the dog kept following me gave the viewers scope to imagine what the whole act was about. whether it was a story or not was left to the viewer to decide.

As in the second video, my interaction with people was much more. this showed the contrast as to how an animal reacts to a performance in comparision to that of a human. Alot more analysis goes into the case of people as an audience. As both the performer and the viewer try to figure out the projection and reception of the act, and the 'what is' and 'why is' But again to remind you, none of my personal performances were planned, and to conclude reaction of a space to one's performance varies from person to person to animal and even time.

-Sachin Gupta

Reflection on Guerrilla Performances

When Ramesh first told us about the workshop, ‘guerrilla performances’ I understood immediately what it would be about. Thank god I wasn’t one of those who thought that it had to something with the apes! Initially I had the notion that we would do dances (by that I mean- contemporary forms of dances.) and it was quite a thrill to find out that the exercises would basically consist of choreographed movements (which to say is a form of dance!).

Our first performance was aimed at making ourselves comfortable with movement and expression in a designated space, and analysing it by recording our reactions as well as the reaction of the space (which includes people, animals, and objects).

In the first mission I was rather surprised to see the dog following me around. The reaction was in such a controlled manner that it seemed to be almost planned! Also the reaction of people around me was also something of a tricky thing to handle. It being my first time in such a performance I wasn’t very sure as to how to communicate to somebody who is inquisitive about the act. As the workshop progressed it dawned upon me. A communication need not be something that is said or told. Good communication can be achieved by merely listening to the other person and understanding their views on your performance. If being quiet is part of one’s act then let it be communicated through silence! If the performance is good and choreographed well then the spectators will definitely understand.

Sometimes there were reactions that were a little different to comprehend. For example, I did not expect the spectators to join in the performance but many a times they did, like in the case of the ‘Salutation to Women’ act, when a man saluted us back when we saluted his daughter (who seeing everyone also saluted, not really sure to whom though!), also when an American lady came and stood with us during the performance. Getting positive reactions gave me an instant high. But what happens when one’s performance is met with criticism or like in our case being chucked out of a mall! The ‘Aliens are Coming’ act definitely got very varied reactions. While some were rather amused, others were quite offended. The guards snatching away our placards and literally chasing us out was all part of the diverse reactions that we received. And it was worth it!

Thanks Tanja and Lisa for this wonderful experience!

-Sachin Gupta