Hallucinations of an Artifact

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How does an ancient artifact think, move and respond to our current times? Hallucinations of an Artifact brings the Dancing Girl figurine from the Indus Valley civilization (c. 2300-1750 BCE) to life through dance and artificial intelligence. It pushes back at the multiple assertions that have been made on behalf of the figurine over the years. Can the Dancing Girl live, perspire, breathe, evolve and transform through dancing bodies?

The Dancing Girl, often held up as the earliest evidence of dance in ‘Indian’ culture, is a contentious figure. In 2016, Pakistan asked India to return the artifact, given that it was originally excavated from Mohenjo-daro, which is now part of Pakistan. Soon after, a research paper by the Indian Council of Historical Research claimed that the figurine was in fact a representation of the Hindu goddess Parvati. More recently, the Dancing Girl has appeared as propaganda: as a figurine labelled ‘Mother’ in several languages at an art exhibition and as a pink-skinned mascot, bundled up in newfound clothing, at the International Museum Expo. 

The art historian Naman Ahuja speculates that the Dancing Girl may have been a warrior, not a dancer, reminding us that all historical artifacts are shaped by how we view them, and co-opted into specific frames of reference. Hallucinations of an Artifact performatively disrupts the linear articulations and narratives framing the Dancing Girl, bringing this irreverently playful and notoriously unclassifiable artifact to life.

CREDITS
Performers and Collaborators: Akanksha Kumari, Manju Sharma and Mandeep Raikhy | Choreographer: Mandeep Raikhy | Visual Artist and Environment: Jonathan O’Hear | Additional Live Lighting Design: Pranshu Shrimali (Tech Quartet) | Music Composer: Anirban Ghosh (Baan G), Opening Track by Marcel Zaes | Rehearsal Director: Parinay Mehra | Costume Design and Construction: Sidharth Sarcar & Rajakumar | Creative Contributors: Aseng Borang, Jasmine Yadav, Parinay Mehra and Ranjana Dave | Executive Producers: Sandbox Collective

Supported by: Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia, Voices from the South Programme of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society (curated by the Pickle Factory Dance Foundation) and Dance Nucleus Singapore.
Developed in Residency at: Black Box Okhla, Khuli Khirkee and The Company Theatre Workspace.