Plus

Arts

Weaving colour and culture
'Sufi Chocolate', a solo exhibition of oil paintings and prints by California artist Josephine Balakrishnan will be held at the Barefoot Gallery on September 16.

While a Sufi travels a mystical path, by contrast, chocolate is a tangible substance which changes the heart through the body and brain. Financial analysts consider that the price set on chocolate is a reflection of the state of the economy. Perhaps Sufi Chocolate represents the economy of the path to the heart.

The paintings in this show use a new medium - pigment in resin as well as traditional oils on paper. Josephine Balakrishnan's images have been described as dreamlike glimpses, her colour sense weaving both California and tropical sensitivities.

She uses visual dissidence, the ability of the human mind to resolve incongruent concepts and materials to reveal meaning, encompassing cultural and secular symbolism with visual imagery reflective of both eastern and western cultures.

Josephine Balakrishnan comes from a line of Sri Lankan artists. She was born in England and raised and educated in the United States. Her paintings have been exhibited in both continents for the past 25 years.

Family entertainment from Visakhians
By Ishani Ranasinghe
'Up in Lights' is where most people dream their names will be even for a brief moment.
"We are making this dream come true for these performers," says a member of the Interact Club of Visakha Vidyalaya, which has organized this evening of family entertainment that will showcase excerpts from musicals.

More than 70 past and present Visakhians will take the stage as they present songs from ever-green favourites such as 'Sound of Music', 'Grease', 'My Fair Lady', 'Chicago', 'Moulin Rouge' and many more. "The show will have something for everyone," said Thanuri, one of the participants, guaranteeing an enjoyable evening.
The organizers feel it will also give the audience an opportunity to support a group of young performers who have worked very hard to make this show a reality.

A fund-raising project of the Interact Club of Visakha Vidyalaya part of the proceeds will be utilized for the re-construction of the Chettikulam Vavuniya Vidyalaya and the Gangodawila Nivathana Nivasaya Orphanage. 'Up in Lights', directed by Delon Weerasinghe will go on the boards at the Bishop's College auditorium on September 19, 20 and 21 at 7.30 p.m. Tickets will be available at the venue.

Power of love and drama
By Aaysha Cader
Guns. War. Arms deals. Weapons of mass destruction. Things that we have got so accustomed to hearing. 'Swinging Times - A Fairy tale for Adults' brought these themes to life, as it played to appreciative audiences on September 6 and 7 at the Bishop’s College auditorium. Presented by the Butterflies Theatre Company of the Sunera Foundation, the play was abstract theatre at its best.

The setting began with the changing of guards, a timeless occurrence in any country at any time in history. We are taken into the fantasyland of the soldier on duty at that hour, as he is tricked into believing that he has supernatural powers. With the sudden emergence of guns-turned-puppets and the animation of these seemingly inanimate weapons of mass destruction, the audience is taken on an insightful ride into the world of weapons and arms deals.

We hear weapons talk. We hear them quarrel. We hear them enjoy their own entertainment, a show of song and dance. We see their leader in control. We witness their parade. We, they, everyone is being manipulated by the trickster, who laughs at our inability to see the truth.

We are taken to the international arms fair where fierce bidding is witnessed, but are the bidders being deceived? The arms are used against each other at war, and we are reminded of the humble beginnings of our hero or villain of the play, whichever we choose to call him. The manipulator of the deals, the controller of the ownership of weapons, the Godfather now has money to throw about, but it is tainted with blood. Can he be saved from being thrown into hell by the pure love of a woman?

Questions are asked... answers are hard to come by…Just as we see the villain thrown into the bad, dark, burning hell…., we are reverted to the changing of the guard, once again. We are confronted with the truth, and it was all a fairy tale for adults.

It is eerie, as they all suddenly break into laughter…. at the same time it is heartwarming to witness the joyful song and dance of a cast comprising those who have long sought acceptance of their creativity, nay, of their ability from society. It is a courageous performance by persons who may seem disadvantaged, but have an indomitable spirit that moves the audience to deep emotion. Perhaps, the most awe-inspiring aspect is that so much human emotion can be drawn, with such little uttered.

The play consisted of minimum talk; maximum acting that came from deep within their hearts. The dynamic cast consisted of those who were physically or mentally disadvantaged, socially marginalized, displaced persons, war victims, and even perfectly normal people of all ethnic communities…all of them brought together in their love for the performing arts.

It included those with previous experience who have also been participants of earlier productions of the Foundation, as well as newcomers, like the five soldiers picked at random from the Ranaviru Sevana. The play was directed by Wolfgang Stange, Julian Crouch and Rohana Deva, with assistance by Ramani Damayanthi.

The foundation and its plans
The Sunera Foundation was established to integrate physically and mentally disadvantaged and socially marginalized sections of our society into the normal stream of life, through activities that enable them to develop their creative talents.
The Chairperson of its Board of Trustees is Sunethra Bandaranaike, whose interest in the performing arts led to the establishment of the Foundation, as well as the Butterflies Theatre Group, which comprises a cast of 45 members.

The group has previously staged Butterflies will Always Fly (1998), Flowers will Always Bloom (1999) and Swinging Times - A Fairytale for Adults (2001). Flowers will Always Bloom has played to appreciative audiences in London, Brisbane and New Delhi. The Foundation plans to set up integrated theatre and arts groups throughout Sri Lanka, where continuous creative and innovative work will take place, leading to performances, exhibitions and other presentations.

Back to Plus