Designing the Rendering - Kathha Petti

കഥ പെട്ടി 

Kathha PETTI - Chest Of Stories

Idea 

A box of curiosities to render stories nomadically. 

Design of  the activity 

To start off the story a dice will be rolled twice. The first throw will determine the number of characters in the story. The second throw will decide on the limitations/situations to be incorporated into the story.  Based on these numbers an assortment of props will be picked out from the Kathha Petti for the narration to begin.  The curiosities in the box are chosen based on 3 categories:  

1. Characters - figurines of animals/people for protagonists. 

2. Imagery - situational and environmental elements of the story.

3. Symbolism - metaphorical objects to create ironic twists. 

Dice and a set of instruction cards. 

Rendering Practice 

1. Through this activity, I intend to curate my own cognitive practices and examine how imaginative connections are made through the physical curiosities of the Kathha Petti. 
2. I will also be examining if my renderings are original and completely guided by the assortment of props, or if the retellings are guided by memory gathered over time 
3. Observe a) If my renderings change over a period of time. b) How new characters and situations are created. c) If certain characters become integral and reoccur in other tellings? 

Documentation Practice 

1. A journal of individual observations of each session.
2. Audio/video/ photographic recording of each session.
3. Listener feedback to understand what worked and what can be made better.