Playground

About

It is not a fusion. It is a conversation. Playground is a live improvised performance at the meeting point of two distant sonic worlds: South Indian classical percussion and Carnatic vocalism on one side, and the voltage-driven terrain of modular synthesis on the other.

Neither artist moves toward the other's tradition to make the meeting easier. Charu Hariharan brings Carnatic music fully intact, its rhythmic sophistication and ornamental vocabulary. Vaibhav Batra brings a modular synthesiser that must be built anew before every performance. What emerges is not a middle ground but a third space that neither could occupy alone.

A playground is not a concert hall. It is a space for exploration rather than exhibition, where the point is the playing. Every set is a real-time discovery, and the audience witnesses the whole process of finding out.

At a glance

Duration

45 to 60 minutes, no interval

On stage

2 artists, minimal staging

Audience

Seated or on the floor, close to the artists

Language

Non-verbal and Carnatic syllables

Premiere

W.I.P alt.FEST, December 2024

Credits

• Charu Hariharan, Carnatic percussion and vocals
• Vaibhav Batra, Modular synthesis

Technical needs

• PA system and stage monitor
• Power supply for the modular rig
• Full technical rider on request