It was the winter of 2014, the vulnerability of the female body in the public sphere was occupying minds and public action across the country. The high art season was at its peak, just 2 days before the India Art Fair . Deeply immersed in exhibition set up, parties and heated debates..I almost did not pic up the phone when it rang.
Rhine's voice - " I am on my way to Delhi , and i want to do the box performance again. Are you in it? will you curate?"
I was still reeling, the box performance had the potential to touch many raw nerves.
"Where do want to do it?"
"Either India Gate or Art Summit?"
glimpses of Delhi police flashed by
"i am in, Rhine"
On the 2nd night of the IAF , we had a meeting - there was a small group of performance artists and friends who had travelled to Delhi from the Kolkata International Performance Art Festival. We figured out how to get the cardbox into the fair ground, Jeevan Suwal by now was becoming a specialist in assembling 'the box'. Who would dissapear with the clothes, with the shoes, how would the box Jeewan melt away after putting the box on Rhine, how do we insure documentation? How do we keep it guerrilla and yet inform audience before hand.
I had already explore the audience reaction at IAF through Duchamp's Silence, so that helped.
In the afternoon of the final day of the IAF2014, the performance was initiated.
"ok, sending in chrono order now. dont have all pics but this is how it went box spotted opened - alarm - walkie talkies- board cover pink cloth whole lot of cloth screening off of area knew girl was in box and kept her in there. ambulance comes removed cop puts arm around a visibly quaking satadru and questions him.i go and try and rescue satadru they catch me cop says girl has fainted , i ask satadru her name and start shouting 'rhine are u ok'c op says go check on her-i go in to barricade with cops and ask firang girl why they are holding the box and if girl not ok will they take responsibility? they say no- i ask them to lift box and let in air they pull boxt here is a cheer as box is seen on top of screen- rhine is ok - firang girl says who r u? we can handle this, not your businessi am escorted out by cops-cops ask everyone to clear off from the area repeatedly--i start walking away and call you--i hear shouting, i start back by then screen is off and a dressed rhine is escorted in to the cafe and no one allowed near"
un edited text from an email sent by Megha Joshi
2/3/14
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It was great to observe how notions of permission and fears of nudity had the potential to raise a bomb alert kind of situation, mobilising so much police, ambulance and so much security. The huge installation IAF organisers did in response to Rhine's body in the box reaffirms the destabilisation power of performance art.
Moreover it was interesting that one of our team members Sajan Mani was cornered by the security personel and shouted at " This is not a public space ,, I want you to go out now "-
They made sure with two security guards ...ironically one " public Performance " was going to happen the same ground !
The behaviour of the organisers brought forward issues of public/ private and permission which is dominating high art practices today.
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It was 7 pm, the fair was winding up, we were packing up the stalls- it had been over 3 hours and Rhine, Jeevan and Bhuvanesh were still in police custody-
I needed to intervene-
Anita Dube was at the Lakeeren stall, packing up- i just had to tell her and she immediate agreed to come with me.
Anita opened the gates , and then she had to go....after that for 3 hours we bullied and intimidated the police till they let us out.
