Hidden life of trees’ is a project that reflects on the histories and philosophies threaded around trees, that the artist has grown to accumulate as a part of his identity. Reflecting on the linguistics that surrounds trees :  the punjabi bolis, colloquial sayings, folklore, anecdotes and more, the trees are often humanized, referred to as friends, elders, and even as self - especially in the south asian diaspora. Influenced by the spoken word, and also including the literature of trees, that’s derived from just being in their presence and sanctuary, the artist explores what it means ‘to become a tree’ in the context of the contemporary. To be solitary and gregarious at once, to be still and moving, to be transitional, magnanimous, without being transactional - to be synonymous to a tree, requires a restructuring of an understanding of self, and community. 

Working collaboratively with dancers Aakash Odedra, and Kesha Rai, we performed this continuity of being rooted with the trees and the complex landscape of myth and memory that they provide. The choreography was influenced by the trees we found, in dialogue with their form and motif. It required many long walks in the deepest woods, many silences, and intent listening - to create this small chapter of a longer project.