KETAKI SARPOTDAR

DISTANT DREAM OF THE GARDEN OF EDIACARA

The "Garden of Ediacara" describes an ancient marine ecosystem that existed approximately 635 to 540 million years ago, where a diverse range of soft-bodied organisms thrived in the absence of significant predation. Most of these creatures were sessile (attached to the seafloor) or slow-moving. It seems that symbiosis, rather than the "eat or be eaten" dynamic common today, was the main mode of life during this time. These multicellular Ediacaran life forms did not have outer shells or skeletons because they did not need to protect themselves from one another. It challenges the notion that the emergence of complex life would solely arise from competitive, predatory, and extractive relationships. Thus the title emphasizes that this peaceful, predator-free world is something that existed in the very distant past and is now irrevocably lost. It is a time that feels almost unreal or mythical from the perspective of the modern world, which is characterized by the constant struggle for survival and complex predator-prey relationships.

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The performance draws its inspiration from the timeless tale of Akbar and Birbal.  In the story, Emperor Akbar, drew a straight line on the floor and posed a daunting challenge to his wise courtier, Birbal: to make the original line appear shorter without physically altering or erasing it. Demonstrating his exceptional cleverness, Birbal skillfully drew a longer line adjacent to the original. The new line made the original seem shorter by comparison, showcasing Birbal’s ingenuity.

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This performance takes that classic fable and subverts it to reflect the realities of the contemporary world, particularly the often cutthroat nature of societal competition. It critiques the contemporary time where individuals undermine one another’s beliefs, ideologies, and accomplishments, all in a quest for dominance and validation. Through this lens, the act becomes a poignant commentary on how narratives are manipulated, revealing the desperation for power that drives people to dismantle each other’s truths in order to elevate their own.