Barnard Departments Of Theater And Asian And Middle Eastern Studies To Host Photo Exhibit And Lectures By Acclaimed Photographer Pepita Seth, Oct. 2-4
Exhibit and lectures are on the sacred universe of Kerala, India

New York, NY, September 12, 2002—"In God’s Mirror: Theater as Prayer in Southern India," an exhibit of photographs by internationally acclaimed photographer Pepita Seth, will be on display in the Altschul Atrium at Barnard College, October 3-4, 12 noon to 9 p.m. Two lectures will accompany this exhibit cosponsored by the Departments of Theater and Asian and Middle Eastern Cultures.

The first lecture, on Wednesday, October 2, from 4:30 to 7:00 p.m. in the Minor Latham Playhouse in Milbank Hall, will be about Theyyam, a ritual in which performers from Kerala’s lowest castes become fierce and powerful gods. The lecture will be followed by a viewing of the exhibit. On Friday, October 4, at 7:00 p.m. in the Julius S. Held Lecture Hall in Barnard Hall, Seth will present a slide lecture on the sacred universe of Kerala, India. A reception will follow in the Altschul Atrium.

Theyyam, a word derived from daivam meaning "god", is an ancient performance-ritual found only in the Malabar region of northern Kerala, the southwestern Indian state. Once certain physical and spiritual preliminaries have been accomplished, men wearing spectacular costumes, headdresses, and mask-like make-up, and with the hereditary right to perform, enter the shrine to become deities. The defining moment comes when a performer gazes into a small hand mirror and sees, not his own made-up face, but the reflection of a divine being.

Once this line has been crossed and other ritual requirements have been satisfied, devotees can directly approach, honor, and question a deity belonging to a pantheon of gods, goddesses, deified ancestors, warrior heroes, animals, ghosts, and uneasy spirits.

Seth, whose exhibitions have been shown in Great Britain, India, and the United States, began photographing temple ceremonies and ritual performances in Kerala in 1972. Born in England in 1942, she lived in Kerala from 1979 to 1985 and since then has made prolonged annual visits. In 1981 religious authorities gave her permission to enter Kerala’s temples, which are generally off-limits to non-Hindus. She received support from priests, artists, and local residents, who encouraged her to interpret the region’s sacred universe through photography.

Her work on Theyyam began when a senior performer instructed her to "make an offering to Theyyam through the camera." Her photographs capture the fierce and powerful deities who manifest themselves in the performers from the lowest castes of Kerala and capture art in communion with the divine.

"IN GOD’S MIRROR: THEATER AS PRAYER IN SOUTHERN INDIA"
Wednesday, October 2
4:30 - 7:00 p.m., Minor Latham Playhouse, Milbank Hall
World Theater Class – free and open to the public
Slide lecture on Theyyam
Viewing of the exhibit

Friday, October 4
7:00 p.m., Julius S. Held Lecture Hall, Third Floor, Barnard Hall
Slide lecture on the sacred universe of Kerala – free and open to the public
Reception, Altschul Atrium, Altschul Hall

Box Office, 212-854-5683

Click here to see the event's invitation. (Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader)

Contact: Amy Trompetter, Department of Theater, 212-854-1709
Petra Tuomi/James Griffith, Office of Public Affairs, 212-854-7907
Barnard Box Office, 212-854-5638