Where do you go when the world silences you?
Is it what it says it is?
The place you go to heal.
Does it do what it says it does?
When you come back broken to heal again.
Does it even carry the weight of healing?
When it secretly starts silencing you.
A live multimedia performance that explores and introspects on the role of therapy through a critical feminist lens of India.
A live multimedia performance that explores and introspects on the role of therapy through a critical feminist lens of India.
Collaborators - Pankhuri Soni | Ruby Cottons
Performance
RCA - The Space Between | Private View | 2026
Moving Image
AV Installation
Research
It grounds itself on the critically acclaimed Indian feminist views of therapy while strengethening its foundation with embodied experiences of young Indian women to exhibit the cycle of self-silencing.
| Phase 1 - Silencing
The Cultural Constraint
Rooted in rich culture and strict hierarchies, India’s collectivist society prioritizes group harmony and indirect communication over individual expression.
This traditional worldview—inherited without question—collides with modern neoliberalism. For young Indians, especially women, navigating this friction alongside cultural taboos around emotional honesty sparks a quiet identity crisis.
| Phase 2 - Silencing
Feminist View on Therapy
While Westernized therapy promises individual liberation and self-reliance, it often misses the mark in India.
Feminist critiques highlight a glaring blind spot: mainstream psychiatry and psychology stubbornly ignore the systemic inequalities and patriarchal pressures weighing heavily on women. Instead of offering healing, a Western-centric approach frequently overlooks the root of the distress, revealing deep structural biases within India's mental health systems.
| Phase 3- Silencing
Cycle of Self-Silencing
The constant back and forth between these two phases of silencing creates a deeply internalised loop of self-silencing that indirectly creates systemic oppression for women.
This provides a crucial insight into critiques of therapy that ignore its structural roots. It also shows how therapy acts as a mere safety valve for survival rather than a tool for liberation in a collectivist community.
Experience Design Methodology
Movement , Film, Sound, & Narrative.
Co-Design with Target Audience
Conducted rigorous collaborative research working closely with the target group to center their lived experiences.
Narrative & Choreography
Translated audience insights into a narrative-driven performance, crafting a bespoke movement language and choreography rooted in real human stories.
Technical Implementation:
Developed the immersive environment and interactive installation utilizing creative coding software like TouchDesigner.
Performance Shots
200+
Audience Engagement
Over 150+ peak-show attendees
Over 50+ off-hour visitors
Over 50+ off-hour visitors
Over 150+ peak-show attendees
