Actor’s Perspective

The entire universe is built inside one’s own mind. Again and again, we will perpetuate this human existence, this consensual reality, by clashing, connecting, and associating with the universe itself, which is constructed by us, ourselves. To understand this changing dharma or nature, and the nature of change, it is important that we are in the right mindfulness in that existing moment. 

In the imaging process, as a character, believes in a certain process, the process is built in association with the body. There, from the dharma believed to be the self (Mind, Body, Words) to the dharma believed to be the character, the imaging process operates. This state of being functioning as a body, or all the data (Senses from the five senses) being fed to it, operates as a truth in the body, and thoughts arise. It can’t be reduced to a simple context, saying that characterization was done and finished. Every moment, the state of the “Panchendra” or five senses, which operates through the arising of thoughts, is taken as truth. Therefore, at the moment of portraying a character, the path of the character’s mind and the path of the character’s body should be recognized with awareness and understanding. And in the expression of feelings, it should be clear what state of belief is built into those thoughts. When building or presenting an emotion, it should be shown confidently to external parties or believed within oneself.

In presenting a character, it is very important for an artist to identify how to deal with the character and “I” in such a way that one is not deeply immersed in the emotions believed by the nature of the character and the corresponding memories in experiences in one’s life. Taken as a body, the whole process takes place in the same span of time, between time and space, as a “truth” that takes place in the “Panchendra” or the five senses. In those moments, whether it is the character or the self of the character, the actor or the self of the actor, gets into the body, changing from each other and believing. To understand what is that “getting into (the body)” done by an actor is a philosophical question. Another parallel of consensus reality itself, taken as I, mine, I am (I exist),  we see when the actors depict characters; I (the character), mine (the characters), I am (the character or I exist) are those. 

The acting work in the film and the situation I identified in the process was the main source for building the ‘Actor’s Philosophy’ methodology. The ‘Actor’s Philosophy’ methodology includes a space for actors to study and experience this situation. The existence of the actor in the process of Acting or Performing, and the process of training an Actor/Performer on the passing of existence in each moment, should be explored in a new way. There, it is very important to recognize the nature of “my other who is not me”, which is constructed in the mind and body in any state of agreeing to the conventions such as being or acting or performing or performative.

– Jayampathi Guruge (Jam) 

SpaceEka Artist’s Residency

2023 April