Nil Darpan

This series of works was conceived as part of an artistic project based on encounters between artists and refugees. I drew inspiration from the play Nil Darpan, the Indigo Mirror, written by Dinabandhu Mitra in 1861 during the indigo revolt in Bengal.

Its documentary dimension depicts the horror of exploitation, the brutality of racism and the violence perpetrated by the English colonists to force Bengali peasants to produce indigo for Europe. I wanted to share this story, which, among others, shows how racism and colonial imperialism have shaped our European nations.

A selection of four emblematic scenes from the play are presented in the form of calligrams of handprints, similar to those that Bengali peasants were forced to produce in order to sign contracts with English colonists.

A diagram provides a network of information offering historical context on the indigo trade in Bengal in 1860 and the reception of the play at that time.

The video consists of filmed sequences in which the participants improvise together, act or evoke the play through various mime exercises, dramatic games and exchanges. I wanted a creative process that was open to collective experience and the unknown.

The costumes are limited to pieces of fabric, blue hands for the peasants and objects used by the settlers. The absence of any real theatrical performance creates a radical distance between the representation and the dramatic, even brutal, nature of the text.