Avatara.  The word 'avatara' means embodiment and this project is inspired by  the South Asian dance sculptures at the  Victoria & Albert Museum and British Museum in London. The project aims to  look at  how dance and movement is objectified through sculptures, paintings, videos and images  when it is divorced from its ephemerality/performance/liveness. It explores ways of bringing these objects to life through interaction and performance. It is designed to develop into  a performance installation that questions the relationship between subject-object, images-movement and past-present identity in a contemporary context. It objective of this research is to break the invisible wall between the art, object and the audience by finding ways of embodiment between them. 

First stage - A photography project  in collaboration with Simon Richardson and Riffat Bahar ( Henna/ Body artist )  

As a Bharatnatyam dancer , my journey has been about embodying the essence of the form that has its roots embedded in the history, culture, tradition and religion prevalent in the Indian sub-continent. The sculptures and paintings found in many Indian temples are often representations of this dancer. Years of training had ensured that the movements were engraved in my body . The challenge was to recreate this image through photography. In order to achieve this objective, the adornments, costumes and presentation had to be recreated. A couple of visits to the museums in London that host South Asian Dance sculpture marked the beginning of this research.  The first stage was to reconstruct this image and embody the sculpture.

Preparation -

Costume and jewelry - I used ropes ( clothesline )and found different ways to tie them in series so that they would resemble the jewelry carved on these sculptures.  Sprayed them with bronze paint so they blend into the entire look of the costume . The same method was used to design jewelry for the hair as well.  For body paint and the entire look , the perfect collaborator was Riffat Bahar, a UK based Henna Artist.

Working with Riffat Bahar , the henna and body artist was a learning experience. She has been a Henna artist for more than 20 years and excels in traditional and contemporary henna art, she has also been a professional make-up artist and stylist . Born in Karachi( Pakistan) she was familiar with sculptures and the nuances of Indian dance. A perfectionist by nature, she loved being challenged creatively and was willing to improvise spontaneously to create the perfect look. She had helped me source the right paints and make-up from a professional online store. The entire process of body paint and henna took a total of five hours. Her focus on every detail was meditative but also strenuous on her body. She would ensure that every detail about the look was flawless. More information about Riffat can be found on www.riffat.co.uk

Working with photographer Simon Richardson is a privilege . He is open to different ideas and his studio in Bedford is an artists' haven, it is a perfect space, to improvise, experiment and explore new ideas that has been created by him . He seeks perfection in his work and having him as a collaborator enabled me to push my creative boundaries. More details about his work can be found on www.simonrichardson,org