Performance - 14:42 min.
Maastricht
2022
2022
Jewel in the Crown
Jewel in the Crown
This performance stages a compressed representation of the British Raj and the colonial choreographies that led to the Partition of 1947, in the form of a tableau. Four figures share the space: Queen Victoria, Mahatma Gandhi, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, and a commoner. Their presence together collapses the long timeline of colonial rule into a single scene, allowing the audience to read the entire period as one continuous process of negotiation, hierarchy, and imposed division.
The actions between the performers outline a chain of influence. Victoria’s circular motion is a metaphor for the grip with which the British Raj executed a chokehold over the subcontinent. The authority lingers through the gestures of the others, and the commoner’s position shifts according to the balance of power between Gandhi and Jinnah. The work focuses on the mechanisms through which British governance shaped relationships on the subcontinent, and on how those mechanisms continued to structure political and social conditions long after formal rule ended.
The actions between the performers outline a chain of influence. Victoria’s circular motion is a metaphor for the grip with which the British Raj executed a chokehold over the subcontinent. The authority lingers through the gestures of the others, and the commoner’s position shifts according to the balance of power between Gandhi and Jinnah. The work focuses on the mechanisms through which British governance shaped relationships on the subcontinent, and on how those mechanisms continued to structure political and social conditions long after formal rule ended.
Arber Reka as "Queen Victoria"
Dewi Dagevos as "Muhammad Ali Jinnah"
Malu Ebenau as "Mahatma Gandhi"
Halar Soomro as "A commoner"
Dewi Dagevos as "Muhammad Ali Jinnah"
Malu Ebenau as "Mahatma Gandhi"
Halar Soomro as "A commoner"
