Fear is an experience that we all are equally touched by and an artist needs to fight the inner demons to free oneself from all fear propounding the realisation of freedom. Every act and intention of the artist should be towards the exposition of this freedom. This is a war! We all are in a state of war!
Sansaptak’s artistic movement ‘Theatre of the Dark’ is an aesthetic descend towards the supra-reality and the hidden conditions of being.
This artistic enquiry started in the year 2016 and has gone through phases of development since. ‘Theatre of the Dark’ is the result of the dramaturgical and artistic enquiries of the group’s Guru and visionary Sh Torit Mitra. Sansaptak, since its inception in 1992, has been following the path relentlessly through constant experimentations and explorations.
Recently, Sansaptak presented Blackorama, a unique multilingual, multimedia and multidisciplinary exposition based on ‘Theatre of the Dark’ through a collaboration of visual artists, musicians and theatre performers — all experimenting to find an alternative space where different forms of art can be simultaneously expressed and amalgamated to create an experience that is both psychologically and philosophically moving. The project conceptualised by Sreemoyee Dasgupta is a result of six plays written by Sh Torit Mitra.
The project consisted of four components: Visual Art Exhibition, Theatre Performances, Audio-Visual Books and Publication. The art exhibition curated by Anjon Bose was held in Studio Agon in Chittaranjan Park. The festival was inaugurated by renowned poet and art critic Sh Prayag Shukla and author Vikram Chopra last week.
The exhibition holds displays of artworks, prints, photography of artists Torit Mitra, Anjon Bose, Rahul Chaudhary, Anjali Bawase, Rana Mitra, Ayan Banerjee, Saranendu Chaki, Sreemoyee Dasgupta, Tathagat Chaki, Ruma Bose and collages by member artists done through workshop ‘Avista’.
The reading theatre performances, included as a part of the exhibition, showcases six multilingual plays written by Sh Torit Mitra, namely: Pret O Manush acted by Rana Mitra and Saranendu Chaki; Pralobhan Aur Prarthna acted by Paroma Bhattacharya and Sreemoyee Dasgupta; Sraddho Accha O Ullash acted by Kaushiki Deb and Aparna Banerjee; Lonely Bhavuk Aur Drunkard acted by Sachin Bisht and Subir Maity; Nobhoshchor O Barangona acted by Ayan Banerjee and Ruma Bose; and Young Man & his Companion acted by Anjon Bose and Anindita Sett.
The festival culminated with the presence of renowned artist Anandamoy Banerjee and also saw an interesting play Oloukik Obobaash, or the Surrealist Exposition, written by Sh Torit Mitra and performed by him along with Sh Dipankar Khan and Smt Ruma Bose. Anirban Roy Chaudhury, Aritra Banerjee, Aman proved to be the backbone of the festival.