Knock Knock Who’s There ? An “experimance” organised by Visual Representation is set to hit the stages once again in Bengaluru. Amidst our busy schedules with hardly any time for ourselves an experimance might just be the key to some well-deserved introspection. This unique blend of a performance and a workshop, it is directed by Aruna Ganesh Ram.
The team got together and delved into what expression meant. They wanted to introduce a blank space where different personality types take over at different points of time. Aruna discusses the various personality archetypes and what it means to each person, “It’s a discovery, a starting point. Another reason why we did this -- there’s no time for one’s own reflection or for self-discovery. To express that creatively, we tried to combine workshop and theatre. We were looking at how to bring a representation of ourselves and make it relevant.”
For the team behind Knock Knock Who’s There?, an experimance is about creating an atmosphere where and audience feels the freedom to express. It’s essentially about exploring the various forms of expression and performance. They played with different mediums such as images, words and colours. Aruna calls it a “confluence, because people ‘do’ as they watch. They have a canvas made available for them to express.” What can the audience expect from the experimance? she says, “Firstly they can expect to spend time with themselves, find out more about themselves through various performance triggers. Secondly, assess how they would operate, and thirdly identify their dominant personality archetype.”
Organising such a performance has its own challenges. Aruna says: “We had to discuss what archetypes to keep and take out. So we chose those that are seen on a daily basis. We had to bring an aspect of a personal narrative. We had to keep the piece open to interpretation. It’s a space for reflection. The risk with these pieces is that they can become preachy and there’s a tendency of stereotyping an archetype. For example, we may say that a leader’s qualities are this and that, but here we want to showcase the audience’s ability to pitch in.”
Aruna believes that this performance will only be a starting point for the audience. She says, “Audience at the previous performance kept saying that it was a ‘starting point’, that they aren’t going to get answers directly. It gets you to think about who you are. It creates a sense of curiosity and intrigue. It’s the act of doing -- as opposed to passive spectatorship -- which is engaging for the audience. At the end of the performance there is an opportunity to interact with one another. Sharing reinforces the discoveries made by the audience. There is an energy in sharing that is heart-warming.”
Even though the piece has been performed before, it will be slightly different this time says Aruna as the team has tweaked certain aspects keeping in mind the original structure of the concept. The performance will take place at Lahe Lahe, Indirangar on July 30 and 31. Tickets are available on Bookmyshow.
