Watch the water
The Cauveri River Conflict
An Interactive Performance Piece
Watch the water, is a piece of interactive performance concieved by three 2nd year Masters students, Majoing in Information Arts and Information Design Practices from Srishti Institute of Art,Design and Technology. The performance was a part of a workshop unit named 'Borders and Boundaries'. The workshop revolved around discussions on how borders and boundaries impact subjects like Gender, Nationalism, Environment and vice-versa. During the workshop we had come across the concept of Water wars, which has been a major environmental problems in the country. One of the inter-state water disputes that had been going around was the widespread issue over sharing the Cauvery river water between three states of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerela. The dispute has stayed for long because of the drying up of water in the Cauvery, degrading quality of water and low water table. This issue has caused widespread protests over sharing of water. The performance was a commentary on how men have continuously exploited the natural resources, without keeping in mind its limitations. The performance was a reflection of human's greed and his duality in nature.
Process and Research
Iteration
About the Performance
A long green cloth held by the participants standing in a circle creating waves through the movement of the cloth representing the Cauvery River. The three performers with masks on (representing duality of the men, the devil and the men in power) enter the performance area, admiring the river. The performers eventually start performing rituals around the river, throwing colors that denote the pollution created due to the relegious rituals like statues made of non degredable material. Futher, the performers started throwing black powder inside the circle to signify industrial waste. As the insides of the circle were getting dirty, the per- formers started pulling the cloth showing the conflict between humans over the limited resources. As the act continues the circle weaken, it is torn and pulled and mixed with all kinds of waste that it has no life left by the end of it. With the torn cloth left on the floor, the participants walk back and the performers move towards the center of the are finally giving up and realising there is nothing left to fight for. The left over cloth depict that the river will keep on flowing but won't be suitable for humans to use and will affect the whole enviornment. The act also comments upon the violence and harrasment done on the women living in the communities around the Cauveri river, who were harassed and torture during the conflict.
