CHRONOTOPIA, Chennai

Attakkalari recently performed its new multi-media dance work `Chronotopia ' at the Music Academy, Chennai on February 18th 2009. At 7: 30 pm.

The performance was followed by a `Meet the Artists ' session facilitated by Mr.Sadanand Menon, well known journalist, Chief Light Designer-Chandralekha's group, and a very eminent personality in the art and culture world in India.Active discussions on `Chilappathikaram' and its influence on Chronotopia, formed a prominent part of the discussion.Attakkalari was quick to respond that while it does not follow the storyline of the original epic at all, it was inspired by themes within the story, such as tenderness and loss, which it explored further in a contemporary context.

Classical Tamil poetry often employs a narrative style that establishes a connection between the landscape and the emotional as well as spiritual mind set of the characters, creating a geography of mind and imagination. Inspired by this idea, CHRONOTOPIA attempts to create a complex nonlinear dramaturgy by placing deliberately stylized physical movements in a digitally constructed and changing stage architecture. These physical movements are abstractions of images derived from contemporary experiences, imagination and memories, organized to create a sensorial journey that is without chronology.

The performance was supported by India Foundation for the Arts, ( in association with Spinz) as a part of India Foundation for the Arts, New Performance Programme 2006 -2007.

Chronotopia was performed by Rakesh MP, Hemabharathy Palany, Diya Naidu, Jyotsna M and Jayachandran Palazhy, accompanied by Chris Ziegler(Interaction design/Video), Thomas Dotzler ( Light Design) and Marije Baalman ( Interaction Design/Light), the TransMedia technical team, Programme Manager : Aliyeh Rizvi and Manager -Education & Development, Eliamma Rao.

Nakula Somanna, Faculty ( Attakkalari's Diploma in Movement Arts & Mixed Media ) also conducted an exciting workshop in Movement & Technique on the 21st,22nd and 23rd February 2009 for the dance community in Chennai.