TORONTOA group of acclaimed artists gathered at the Berkeley Street Theatre on Tuesday for a special panel discussion on the subject of East specifically South-Asian meeting West as part of the Luminato festival.
The panellists shared their expertise on the fine art of combining not only Western artistic elements with Eastern ones, but also their spirits.
Tim Supple, director of A Midsummer Night's Dream, was among the distinguished guests. The play has received rave reviews for its multilingual concept in which half is in English and the remaining half is in six different Indian languages.
Supple spoke about how several distinct aspects separate Indian theatre from Western, noting that in the East, the written script does not hold as much significance as in the West. And in Indian theatre all the performers the dancers, actors, musicians, etc. live closer together and is there is not such a high degree of specialization as in Western theatre.
Suba Sankaran is a Juno award nominated musician who has been praised for her great mix of jazz with an Indian flavour. On how Indian music differs from its western counterpart, she said, "It's an entirely different rhythmic cycle."
Sankaran added Indian music has neither harmonies nor key changes, which helps to combine Eastern and Western sounds together in a colourful harmony "creating a bed of sound which flows beautifully."
While discussing the many differences and similarities between Western and Eastern arts, the panellists touched on the beauty and the great potential in combining Eastern and Western elements whether intentional or not.
Deepa Mehta, a Canadian filmmaker well known for her stunning movie trilogy Fire, Earth and Water, said that as an Indian living in Canada it's hard not to be influenced by both cultures. However, India remains her foundation.
In composer Nitin Sawhney's recent musical score for A Throw of Dice, a 1929 Indian silent film, influences from both Western and Eastern culture come together naturally. It isn't specifically about the languages and cultures, but the messages they convey.
"The whole world is my pallet, so I try to paint emotional pictures," he said.
Sankaran shared a similar sentiment.
"I think there's something very beautiful that is not about text...music is a language onto itself...music transcends that."
The panel was asked whether there is pressure to westernize their artistic endeavours.
"What is a Canadian film? Don't pigeonhole me to your preconceptions that an Indian film has to be a certain way and that a Canadian film has to be another way," responded Mehta.
Tim Supple agreed. "I recommend that there is no cultural agenda for art. Artists should strive to escape genre and definition."
This feeling seemed mutual, with Sawhney commenting: "I don't relate to these labels because they restrict not only creativity, but growth as a human being."
Overall, the panellists discussed many different artistic aspects of combining elements from both West and East. They shared their experiences and their passion for breaking though cultural barriers to create something beautiful something the audience could truly appreciate.
What came across specifically was the artists' passion for creating something truly exquisite. Their eloquence in describing the combination of the essence of East and West took the audience on a journey into the art world, painting a captivating image of possibility and potential in breaking through cultural barriers and notions.
This special discussion panel was held as part of the Luminato festival taking place from July 6-15th. Some of the artists will have special screenings of their works during Luminato. For more information please visit Luminato.com
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