A grandmother and her granddaughter baking together at a kitchen table in warm afternoon light

The Stillness We Carry

Aparna Ashok
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The Stillness We Carry

DURATION:
23’28”
DESCRIPTION

The Stillness We Carry is a performance-based film by Aparna that explores the tension between societal expectation and personal autonomy.

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Drawing from lived experience, the work confronts the inherited burdens of tradition, culture, and gender, asking: What does it mean to bear a legacy you did not choose?

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Filmed in the ruins of the 17th-century Alamparai Fort on the outskirts of Chennai, the site - once a thriving hub of empire and trade - now stands as a crumbling monument to the passage of time. This abandoned space becomes both setting and metaphor for the emotional erosion caused by generational pressure. Through its poetic structure, the film meditates on the fragility of human agency within systems of power, inviting viewers into a liminal space where restraint and resistance coexist.

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The Stillness We Carry offers an immersive reflection on autonomy, entrapment, and the elusive possibility of transcendence.

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An older woman resting in warm sunlight
Aparna Ashok

Aparna is a performance artist based in Chennai, India. Her work responds to the societal pressures placed on women, particularly within South Asian contexts, exploring themes of autonomy, identity, and cultural expectation.

More about the Artist
Aparna Ashok

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