Stories out of the shadows

June 21, 2013 02:45 pm | Updated 02:45 pm IST - Bangalore

Sarita Sundar explores the forgotten form of storytelling through shadow puppetry. Photo: Bhagya Prakash K.

Sarita Sundar explores the forgotten form of storytelling through shadow puppetry. Photo: Bhagya Prakash K.

“Stories that shake one’s sense of reality, stories that take you on a trip down a metaphorical rabbit hole interest me,” says Sarita Sundar, as we meet in Koramangala over mint ginger drinks and a platter of Insalata di Caprese.

A visual artist based in the neighbourhood and co-owner of Trapeze, a multidisciplinary design consultancy, Ms. Sundar believes in exploring various art forms and sustainability in design. She has a particular interest in exploring the forgotten form of storytelling through shadow puppetry.

“I have always liked ‘Alicisms’, maybe it’s an interest in nonsense... I feel books, or anything that has an inbuilt amount of irreverence to it, lend themselves to multiple meanings and translations, with gems waiting to be discovered.”

“Anyone who has witnessed a shadow puppet performance in a village has to be transformed by the experience. Shadow puppets engage mythology in a contemporary manner, they are very participatory, there is no gap, you are almost sort of touching the performers, and you are engulfed.”

The role of heritage in society is a vital one, says Ms. Sundar. “What is worth saving? Memories, recipes, poems, songs. To preserve all of that and to convert them into a form of creative expression, that’s an area I want to eventually get into.”

As a creative designer, she also hopes that the idea of sustainability will be looked upon and taken seriously, especially in the urban setting. “Designers can be conscious about not wasting materials. Here, for instance, we try to work on projects where the materials used are up-cycled.”

After two decades in Bangalore, she says the city is finally emerging with platforms for the arts. “It was a lot quieter in the early 90s but now there are exciting events every weekend, and it has the potential to become a good space for artists.”

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