Soumya Sankar Bose's Multimedia Project A Discreet Exit Through Darkness Explores Family Trauma and Memory
A Discreet Exit Through Darkness (2020–), a multimedia series by Soumya Sankar Bose, delves into the mysterious disappearance of his mother in 1969 when she was just nine years old in Midnapore. She was missing for three years and returned with no recollection, attributed to prosopagnosia. Drawing from police records, Bose speculates that she might have been trafficked. This project was showcased at Experimenter gallery in Kolkata and at Les Rencontres d'Arles 2023, where it received the Discovery Award. A 360-degree VR film features his grandfather's voice recounting memories, while Bose's approach aims to prevent retraumatization of survivors. He is also working on a second chapter told from his mother's viewpoint, highlighting the fleeting nature of memory.
Key facts
- Soumya Sankar Bose's mother disappeared in 1969 at age nine and returned three years later with no memory due to prosopagnosia.
- The project A Discreet Exit Through Darkness (2020–) includes photographs, sound, video, and a 360-degree VR film.
- It was exhibited at Experimenter gallery in Kolkata and Les Rencontres d'Arles 2023 in France, winning the Discovery Award.
- The VR film, shown only in India, features Bose's grandfather narrating memories of the disappearance.
- Bose uses embodiment and stand-ins to avoid retraumatizing survivors, creating an 'alternative archive'.
- His previous work Where the Birds Never Sing (2017–20) addresses the Marichjhapi massacre of 1979 in West Bengal.
- Bose incorporates technology like radio broadcasts and a diary to review the past and deal with institutional omissions.
- He is working on a second chapter from his mother's perspective to reexamine the same events.
Entities
Artists
- Soumya Sankar Bose
- Tanvi Mishra
Institutions
- Experimenter
- Les Rencontres d'Arles
- Louis Roederer Foundation
- Église des Frères Prêcheurs
Locations
- Kolkata
- India
- Midnapore
- West Bengal
- Arles
- France
- South of France
- Mumbai