Open Labs

Deepening the creative process through community exchange

Co-presented and produced by High Concept Labs and the Monira Foundation in Joint Residency at Mana Contemporary

Free admission, registration strongly encouraged: Register Here
*Attendees are required to wear a mask at all time while on Mana premises in accordance with current Covid protocols.

Open Labs is a flexible, monthly platform for High Concept Labs' Artists in Residence to share, test ideas, and develop perspective on their work.

Open Labs: Shalaka Kulkarni

September 10th, 7pm - 8:30pm

Performance by HCL Residency Artist Shalaka Kulkarni

Presented by High Concept Labs (HCL) in Joint Residency with the Monira Foundation at Mana Contemporary

Limited capacity. RSVP is strongly encouraged. 

Attendees are required to wear a mask at all time while on Mana premises in accordance with current Covid protocols.

Shalaka Kulkarni: Nyra’s Dream

Artist in Residency Shalaka Kulkarni performs a section of Nyra’s Dream (working title), a new dancework in development that explores female identity and erased narratives, both in Western and Indian cultures, through dance, text and new technology. 

The evening draws from ongoing movement research and is designed for active viewing. It begins in the 4th floor Library for a brief community drawing and writing on a large paper surface, and continues in the HCL studio for the performance. People may go back at the end to the Library and leave markings on the paper, as a visual art impression of the performance.

Shalaka’s dancemaking straddle lines between storytelling and presenting an idea through abstraction with dance. She integrates stories and experiences—both fictional and autobiographical—from her childhood in India, and her diaspora life in Chicago.

The section Shalaka performs for this Open Lab emphasizes experimentation with text, including her original writing and the writings of American poet Maya Angelou (1928-2014) and the Indian poet Sujatha Bhatt, who lives in Germany. It is also people’s first look at the work development since Shalaka’s recent residency in Germany, where she played the lead, against typical casting, in Scharniertheater’s theater dance Novecento, Alessandro Baricco’s fabulist monologue, in Hanover, the Kreisemuseum Syke near Bremen, and Berlin.

“This in progress version of ‘Nyra's Dreams’ invokes a creature derived from myths and mythological stories of deities and monsters surrounding feminine identity in different cultures. The female-identified character is a visitor to the mingling sacred and secular spaces in Indian Classical Dance forms that are very much the product of contemporary society. It rises from my earliest interest in poetic rhythms, which led me to the texts of Sujatha Bhatt and Maya Angelou, two giants in poetry and my inspiration to generate writing as part of my current movement research.”  —Shalaka Kulkarni

About the Artist

Shalaka Kulkarni is a native of India, and founder of the collective SurTaal (“inactive now”), whose members create dance derived from the contemporary narratives and ideas that surround current political events and happenings in Indian society. She has performed her original work in India and at Props Thtr Chicago, Chicago Cultural Center, Dance Chicago Festival, as part of the virtual festival Mandala Makers produced by Mandala South Asian Performing Arts, and, most recently, has presented her work in Austria and Germany. She teaches Indian Classical dance, Bollywood and storytelling at several studios in the Chicagoland area. She holds an MFA in Arts and Media and a BA in Performing Art Management, minoring in Theatre, from Columbia College Chicago. Shalaka is a resident artist with Mandala South Asian Performing Arts with support from Illinois Arts Council and Dance for camera resident with See Chicago Dance. For more information visit www.shalakak.com/@shalaka_dance. 

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More about Open Labs

Open Labs is a flexible platform for High Concept Labs' Artists in Residence to share, test ideas, and develop perspective on their work.

Each month, two or more HCL Artists collaborate to structure an evening that opens their creative process in meaningful ways through work in progress showings, workshops, panel discussions, immersive experiences, and more. Audiences are invited to witness and share back through moderated conversations that nurture a community rich in cultural, artistic, and intellectual discourse.

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This program is partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency, and by a Grant of U.S. Department of Treasury funds through the City of Chicago. The opinions, findings, conclusions and recommendations expressed in this publication/program/exhibition are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of Treasury or the City of Chicago.

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HCL continues to be vigilant during the Covid-19 pandemic, and prioritizes the health and safety of its community.

All guests to HCL at Mana Contemporary are required to wear masks at all times inside the facilities. Be advised that some artists may be unmasked during the performance, but are following the same protocols.

HCL welcomes you for our in-person gatherings; we remain in accordance with City of Chicago protocols including requiring proof of full vaccination against Covid-19 (at least 14 days after final dose) for all artists, visitors, and staff.