Salon Mashup - feedback

Salon Mashup 31 January 2013 

The audience filled the space to capacity, until we were heaving at the doors of the entrance. It was gratifying to see so many young faces among the seasoned, of course I include myself in the latter. 

The imaginative and well presented evening credited to all who took part, and to the curator of the Salon Mashup, Seta White.

The evening performance began with a musical intro, it was a cultural and heritage event, I wish I was not so short and at the rear of the crowd. The music broke into the peel of church bells, reassuring sound if ever there was one. We heard people clap at the front of the crowd they walked forward, we followed.

Ushered to the first performance was a dance presentation, a bare scene of a tree, projected on to the bare wall. A desolate land with a lone tree representing Armenia. An allegory, of dispersed Armenians in the Middle East! ‘Nerdurs’ performed by two expressive dancers choreographers, Shakeh Major Tchilingirian and Tani Matian.

Walking through the labyrinth, from one performance to another, my focus was still on, ‘Satenig.’ Multi lingual piece which took us on an iconic and pictorial journey, The background to the artist ‘Gorky’ who escaped the 1915 genocide of Armenians. His painting, of his mother and he come to mind, with a flash it was reflected on the wall by the projector. The audience walked round with the story teller, The liturgical music, ‘Ooragh Ler’ playing in the background. So reminiscent of Antonin Artaud’s concept.

I remember the first module I wrote on French playwright, Antonin Artaud [1896-1948] ‘Theatre of Cruelty.’ He questioned the classical theatre performed behind the proscenium, White heeds his suggestion turning the under belly of Shoreditch Town Hall, with its exposed brick walls and open, empty spaces void of props etc... She allows us to focus on the text in the plays. We relate to the action, I for one love the idea! It lends its self to an exhibition and installations space, another topic of diversity in the Arts.

This was not a space to go, sit and watch, but to hear and be a partaker. It promoted absorption in their experience, pain and suffering of their story. To be among the performers, telling stories of displacement and of resettlement, forced migratory casualties of Genocide. The harsh reality of a million and a half [A conservative figure] to die at the hands of their captors!

My absorbtion of the evenings events left me totally exhausted with the amount of information enlightenment and total love for the suffering people endured. Yet, they gave of themselves, and to others! 

Thank you Armenian Institute; for the opportunity to share the experience passed down to the children and grand children of the generation who experienced the first genocide in the 20th Century, our remembrance of the first holocaust, 24th April 1915! Thanks also to all the participants of this special four day event! 

I have one regret and that is I was not disposed to see the other innovative devised performances, on the other three days! In particular Sookias, rendition of Heghoyan’s hauntingly beautiful tones, and Nadirian’s offering. 

Seta Tokatlian