Shillong, Oct 4: “The caged bird sings with a fearful trill/of things unknown/but longed for still/and his tune is heard on the distant hill/for the caged bird sings of freedom.”
These famous lines from Maya Angelou’s poem occurred to an audience member who witnessed the street performance of ‘Birding Utopia(s)’ in Khyndailad on Saturday afternoon.
Birding Utopia(s) is an art-performance piece conceptualised by Aheli Moitra, Lapdiang Artimai Syiem and Parismita Singh. Its performance in Shillong was its second iteration after its premier at the Oslo Mela in August in Norway.
Curated by academic and journalist Moitra, visual artist and writer Singh presented a site-specific artwork that engages with the work of theatre artist Syiem, the piece combines physical movement with original soundscapes and music by Dibakar Saha and Apkyrmenskhem Tangsong respectively.
The performance was held in collaboration with the Meghalaya and Greater Shillong Progressive Hawkers and Street Vendors Association (MGSPHSVA) and child rights organisation Faith Foundation, Shillong.
Earlier in the day, an art workshop ‘A line. A Word. A Walk: Drawing through Crisis’ was conducted by Singh, who is a graphic novelist, at the Khasi National Dorbar Hall in Mawkhar with the Faith Foundation team and members of the Owl Library Initiative of Kyrshan Foundation.
The workshop was followed by setting up the art installation by Singh and performance by Syiem at Khyndailad.
The performance delved into what women deal with in these times of ecological and climate disasters, political and social instability and the angst, hope and longing for a better future. The artists worked with the idea of metamorphoses – how women transform into birds at the time of crisis.
MGSPHSVA general secretary Shane Thabah highlighted the role of mothers, especially street vendors, here in Meghalaya, who work tirelessly to support their families.
Syiem, who attended the social audit of the Khyndailad MUDA hawkers’ market on September 30, said that she felt moved to think about the plight of the hawkers, their demands and whether they have a place in the city. “At the height of protests on different issues breaking out across the country and in contested public spaces, Birding Utopia(s) is a hopeful call to collective solidarity and a rightful claim to our public spaces.”
