Seeking authenticity - Savyasachi Anju Prabir & Tanay Gandhi (unaffiliated)

TITLE

Seeking authenticity in an age of truth claims.

ABSTRACT

In light of the reflexive turn in practice-based research, this lecture-performance plays with the dichotomy of truth and authenticity. Approaching practice-based research as a space of knowledge production, this performance will aim to authenticate alternate forms and mediums over conventional media like image and text. These forms would move away from the colonial hangover and obsession with the document as proof and instead draw attention to knowledge production as a performative action. Looking at forms like story-telling/oral histories, memory in labour and memory in time/season, this performance will turn the reflexive lens onto itself as a means to deconstruct and decolonise knowledge production. However, a larger question arises on the prospect of decolonisation. Is this an argument for ‘going-back’ to a pre-colonised state of knowledge production or does this intend to pave the path for a third space of knowledge production where a combination of various forms can be adopted into a single methodology. This lecture-performance will be an attempt at visualising and materialising this third space of knowledge production where text, image and performance work in a complimentary fashion with each other. It seeks to create a narrative (rather non-narrative) that can be replicated, appropriated, constructed upon – a narrative in evolution – by multiple stakeholders from local communities as well as the global artistic and academic community. This lecture-performance will embody these varying processes and forms of knowledge production into a singular methodology as a means to re-present (as opposed to represent) within the academic framework of a conference. Thereby, creating a dialogue between the local and the global, while also serving as a critique of the presentation form itself. In this way, it can really fuel a reflexive dialogue on practice-based research as well as research for creative practice in its search for authenticity as opposed to truth.

BIO

Savyasachi is a filmmaker and visual anthropologist from India. Having graduated in Film and Contemporary Arts from Srishti Institute in Bengaluru, he went on to pursue his Masters in Visual Anthropology from the University of Muenster in Germany. Savyasachi’s works have screened at over 30 international film festivals and in galleries across India and Europe. His practice combines audio-visual forms with text and performance as a means to generate alternate narratives. He has worked extensively with communities across the Himalayan region before turning to a reflexive practice and filming with his own family. At present, he is keenly interested in creating multimodal works that raise questions on representation and attempt to develop a co-ethic and co-aesthetic to operate from and within.

MPE/MeCCSA Practice Network Symposium 2021
http://practice21.net/