Jul 18 2025 to Jul 18 2025 7 p.m.

EVENT HAS ENDED

Where

Bangalore International Centre

7 4th Main Rd, Stage 2, Domlur 560071

Event Description

All About Nothing is a solo performance that weaves prose, movement, and melody into a poetic inquiry on the illusions we cling to, especially those shaped by love. Through the lens of Maya, the piece explores how the idea of love, particularly the romantic kind, can so thoroughly consume us that we begin to believe we cannot live without it. But in that entanglement arises a deeper question: Is this true love, or just the most convincing illusion we’ve created?

What begins as a personal narrative unfolds into a philosophical reflection on the emotional architecture we build around relationships, identity, and truth. Through an intimate conversation between two artists, the work gradually exposes the fragile layers of perception we live within—possessions, routines, emotions, roles—ultimately revealing their impermanence.

At the heart of the piece lies a paradox: there is nothing, yet there is everything. And perhaps in that contradiction, we discover a strange kind of freedom. Inspired by the words of Butoh master Kazuo Ohno, who said, “You must have life coming out of you (your art),” this piece is not performed, but lived.

All About Nothing offers both tenderness and confrontation, inviting viewers to reflect on their own attachments and to question what they hold dear, and why.

Credits:
Written & Conceptualized by: Archana S Kumar, India
Original Soundscore: Kamal Singh, Bangalore, India
Dramaturgy & Lighting: Sal Yusuf, UK | India (Black Box India)

Artistes

Archana Kumar
Concept, Writing & Performance
Archana Kumar is a Bengaluru‑based international performance artist, actor, and dancer whose heart thrives on stage and film. She illuminates uncomfortable truths, fearlessly confronting societal norms and personal narratives with evocative, bold, and raw expression. Her movement training began with Bharatanatyam and Kathak before evolving into Flamenco, Modern dance techniques, and Contact Improvisation during her 11‑year (2000–11’) residence in the USA.

From 2005 to 2019, she trained extensively in Butoh and physical theatre in Tokyo under the late, Hiroshi Ohashi through the ongoing ‘Asia Meets Asia’ project. Archana has performed across the US, Canada, China, Indonesia, South Korea, and extensively throughout Japan. A certified Lifestyle Coach and seasoned Hindustani classical vocalist, she teaches English, French, and offers workshops in Flamenco, Kathak, Physical Theatre, and movement‑mind‑wellness practice.

Since 2016, she has appeared in several feature‑length and short films and in numerous advertisements. Archana’s work spanning solo performances like All About Nothing, film, and rigorous training, reflects a singular commitment to living and revealing truth through the body, voice, and presence.

Kamal Singh
Original Soundscore & Live Music
Kamal Singh is a Bengaluru-based musician, songwriter, and certified clinical music therapist whose artistic and therapeutic work spans continents, genres, and healing spaces. With over two decades of experience, Kamal has used his skills in guitar, voice, percussion, and improvisation to support individuals navigating trauma, developmental disabilities, mental health challenges, Alzheimer’s, and cancer. His therapeutic practice is rooted in client-centered, empowerment-based methodologies, focused on nurturing self-worth and healing through the creative process. He has led sessions across renowned institutions such as Muskaan (Delhi), St. Judes (Noida), Sunshine Autism Trust, Bubbles Center for Autism, and Nightingales Medical Trust in Bengaluru. He is also the visionary force behind Ereimang, a bold sonic project that merges the ancient, ritualistic tones of Manipuri folk—especially the soulful pena—with the raw intensity of rock and noise music. Ereimang’s debut, Kwakta Lamjel, and its follow-up, Heirangkhoi, earned widespread acclaim for their genre-defying storytelling rooted in Meitei oral traditions.

The ensemble, comprising vocalists, pena players, and experimental rock musicians, is steadily building a new soundscape that bridges memory, myth, and rebellion. Kamal’s dual path—as healer and artist—makes his work a rare confluence of depth, disruption, and deeply felt expression.

Photo Credit: Sudeep Bhattacharya