Cloud Message, 2016 ritual/performance art/conceptual poetry Synthesizing Buddhist and Muslim rituals to send a message from the soon to be demolished mosque in Dambulla to Sigiriya, the performance involved taking ablution in a lotus pond, followed by a prayer facing Mecca that coincidentally faced Sigiriya, the poet would then make his way to the centre of the pond by a raft and recite a Buddhist chant praising Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha, following which a spontaneous poem would be written onto the water as it evaporated in the mid-day heat, and then the poet would meditate before returning to land. The message would be carried by the clouds that pass over the mosque and Sigiriya. Later that day, the rain would fall, breaking a dry spell, as the monsoon approached. This was my contribution to #etinterbro in collaboration with Andreas Angelidakis. Â
