Aquatic Alarippu

ABOUT AQUATIC ALARIPPU

In the years leading up to 2020, just before the COVID-19 pandemic, I began to more consciously observe my everyday consumption—what I bought, watched, accumulated, and grew attached to. This awareness gradually deepened my sensitivity to the environment I inhabit.

The lockdown intensified this introspection, at times pushing me into phases of overthinking and overdoing the idea of being “sustainable.” In the process, I found myself constantly learning, unlearning, and relearning through the smallest of daily actions.

Over time, I realized that these reflections were not limited to my personal life—they were quietly seeping into my artistic practice. Two years later, this inner churn took shape as Me and My Trash—a space that became, in many ways, my artistic dustbin. Within it, I experimented with works that moved between the vocabularies of Bharatanatyam and dance theatre. Aquatic Alaripu emerged from this landscape of inquiry and chaos.

Structured as a taaLamaalika—a weaving of three rhythmic cycles—the piece unfolds against the vastness of the ocean. It reflects on the consequences of indiscriminate human action on marine life, tracing their ripple effects on aquatic creatures and, eventually, on the lives of fisherfolk. You may recognize the three aquatic beings I attempt to embody within the work.