Not all casual encounters with/at academic institutions with infrastructure can result in ‘outcomes’. Yet for me in a rare serendiptious meeting it ‘did’! In my case it was slow sprinkled with prolonged silences of not-knowing, unknown/erratic eruptions of thoughts, vague discussions sometimes random conversations but at other times a quiet, simmering marination evolving deep within that I would label ‘trust’.
I share my (an Independent /freelance artist) over-arching experience of collaborating with HE/academic institution through a knowledge-sharing: of process, of reflection, of learnings, of challenges and of hope.
Process
This has been and continues to be the most arduous, demanding, testing and challenging phases to understand and articulate. Practically it took from 2019 up until 2025 to even launch a share-worthy phase of Research and Development. Operating within a conservative Dance-practice-environment it took me more than a year to convince my own-self that it was ‘okay’ to combine the worlds of Bharatanatyam and Virtual Reality! Nevertheless I do encounter the raised-eyebrows from traditionalists on & off for who such endeavours are dilutions of the form and unnecessary. My operating in two contrasting fields of performance creation is not always welcome. Here in the UK, it is welcomed with excitement under a label of ‘Innovation’ despite an unspoken sense of exoticisation that creeps in carpeted under Inclusivity (i.e. Minority art and artists, female/woman-of-colour) philosophies.
Such big ethos does help but it begs a closer look into what it does to artists’ mental and emotional quotient of how they/their Art is valued and perceived resulting in creative decisions/judgment-making much more trickier. For instance it has even led to misappropriations of my explorations thereby exploiting the dancing body alongside data misused without consent breaching copyrights.
Process in digital/technology related projects are never straight-forward. There is no rulebook, nor is there a logical flow of ‘things-to-do’ that can be pre-planned ahead of the ‘doing’. In my case, I did not have that ‘spark’ of an idea to begin with. It took many years of ‘play-day’ing as they say to even arrive at ‘a possible’ scratch idea to run onto the next session of play-day. Asking questions however silly they may seem has been frightening to say the least but that's just how I have survived through many an intense meeting. Moist eyes and emotions running all over has become familiar to say the least!
On another level, always ensuring the ‘instrument’, in my case the dancing body, is constantly in a state of readiness especially when the call comes stating that the infrastructure/technologist is only available on that particular day/time. This demands diligence, priming, planning not just a plan A or B…but possibly up until plan Z! The side-effect of this on the artist is something best left to the reader’s analysis. Part of the process is also how this has come to be understood.
Change
Being ready for unexpected ‘change’ or shifting things around be it in the concept, delivery or sharing is a brilliant way to progress creation. Repurposing or re-incarnation of data/content in alternative or new trajectories/circumstances could initially be unsettling but on hindsight proves insightful apart from providing a much-needed vent for the research to get seen/experienced.
In my situation, in addition to repurposing content into unplanned modes, it was an immense learning to be able to add views and co-essay research outcomes alongside a post-doctoral research fellow enabling a bonus visibility of me and my work in new circuits.
Reflection
The words used to describe projects in academic/educational institutions are starkly different from what is used in the performance/choreography/dance world. A revelation was co-writing a funding application with our academic partnership organisation. Acronyms get splashed across in the belief that they are common abbreviations known to everyone unaware that time and effort goes into unravelling, contextualising and understanding behind-the-scene prior to the actual creation.
Copyrights is a can of worms! A topic that requires separate analytical thinking and vital decision making more so in the current world of Digital/Tech innovations around us. Artists need more support and clarity in this grey area, starting with articulating agreement letters.
Technologists and Technology’s rates of pay/costings are ridiculously different to that of the Dance world. Nevertheless one needs the other in order to progress further. Many a time phrases such as … “at some point in the future there ‘will’ be a return but for now ‘carry-on pro-bono’ …is heard.
People
A wide-range of professionals and amateurs ranging from creative technologists, producers, mentors, dramaturges, digital advisors, tech brokers, funders, potential space providers, possible coder’s, digital creators, curious on-lookers, experts, innovators, leaders, potential audience, random strangers who could become future supporters have been part of my journey thus far. Learnings herein: never be afraid of ‘talking’ explaining your project but do it in a manner that not everything is given ‘away’. A prudent approach to sharing is a skill that takes time to develop but being aware, alert and alive, my three ‘A’ words that I constantly use in my Dance-teaching sessions come handy herein.
Challenges
The Notion of TIME is vastly different in academic circles as opposed to the Dance world that operates on imminent deadlines. Everything is adrenaline driven in the latter world. In the case of the former, when things do take shape and happen, they happen in a well-thought-out manner which might not be the case in the world of Performance given it is an experience-driven ephemeral immersion in comparison to archival, longevity, research for posterity, documentation in the former world. Its not to say one is better than the other but to raise the fact how best to factor these. Collating a few list of attitudes to mull-over and think through in such collaborations:
Willingness
Resilient
Uncompromising
Non-compromising
Absorbent
Thirsty
Persevering
Patience
Gregarious
Unafraid to ask
Self-motivation
Determination
Coming from a sector that subscribes to a glorious past, the present is always perceived with immense apprehension. There are numerous subtexts embedded within such complex processes given the multipronged nature of its existence. It is always-already mired within many minds, many voices, multiple epi-centres.
It is a sort of ‘Catapulting Culture’ hoping that the meshes of Digital/Hi-Tech Academic/Institutional frameworks can then create new weaves of cultural manifestations that can stand the test of time.
All of the aforementioned is a peek-in not exhaustive in any manner and the hope in all of this for me personally is that in the personal, there is scope for the universal to be glimpsed even if it is fleeting. My tryst with Trust continues and indeed more needs to be told, shared into the near/far future…who knows!
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Divya’s current R&D work as part of Sadlers Wells Time & Space can be viewed here. Divya Kasturi is a South Asian Dance practitioner and an award-winning Bharatanatyam and Kathak artist, choreographer, vocalist, and innovator blending tradition with technology. A global performer, educator, creative director of Divya Kasturi Company(DKC), working in the community through her DKC Young Talents (UK)and SRINIDI Trust(India), she collaborates widely, tours internationally, and pioneers interdisciplinary work, positioning her as a dynamic ambassador of South Asian arts. Visiting faculty at Trinity Laban and London Contemporary Dance School, she is currently a Time & Space commissioned artist with Sadlers Wells, she is working on her trail-blazing Virtual Reality work blending Classical Bharatanatyam, Architecture and Human emotions in partnership with Guildhall Production Studio (GPS), Target 3D and Unwired Dance (Clemence Debaig). An artist-in-residence with GPS (pilot program) alongside PTEQ residency at Central School of Speech & Drama, her work sits at the intersection of interdisciplinary aesthetic explorations of Bharatanatyam into new, innovative circuits.
Read more: www.divyakasturi.com/about
Her latest updates can be followed on: www.instagram.com/divyakasturico