An international stage show by Baluji Music Foundation and funded by Unlimited, the arts body supporting projects led by disabled artists, Antardrishti – Inner Vision is a production headed by renowned blind sitarist Baluji Shrivastav OBE, featuring blind musicians from both the UK and India. We were asked to be involved because of the whole nature of our visual music work, as the performance is inspired by Chapter 11 of the Hindu philosophical epic the Bhagavad Gita and explores the concept of divine sight through music, dance and film – starting in total darkness and ending in a whole AV section led by ourselves. We brought an innovative dimension to the production, creating a visual soundscape for the live musicians to perform with, producing the section of the show from AV sampling all the musicians and a multitude of sights and sounds we recorded in India the previous year, during the research and development stages of the production.
As well as musicians from all over India, the project also includes classical Indian dancers from the Delhi / London based Arunima Kumar Dance Company and UK based musicians from the Inner Vision Orchestra – the UK’s only blind ensemble founded by Baluji himself. The premiere took place at London’s Southbank Centre in September 2018 with lighting design by David Abra and featured visually-impared storyteller and voice artist Giles Abbott. We then all took the show on the road in both the UK and straight after to India, performing in both Delhi and Mumbai, including at the Mumbai Royal Opera House.
Aruina Kumar with Addictive TV behind (right side)
