Review of a Stage production, conceived and directed by Vaughan Pilikian, at The Yard, a new London Theatre in Hackney Wick, Olympic London.

Vaughan (Vahan) Pilikian թԹ Born in 1974, lives and works in London, UK.

His films have screened at festivals all over the world.

Vaughan Pilikian is a writer, artist and filmmaker.
He was educated at the universities of Oxford, Cambridge and Harvard where he specialized in Latin, Greek and Sanskrit. He is the founder and artistic director of Unruowe (2001).

թԹ His book of poetry, At Eclipse, was published in 2002 in London.

His film Mummers won the award for Best Sound at the Filmstock International Film Festival in England.

Hammer and Flame has screened at several festivals and in July 2005 թԹ won the Golden Apricot for Best Documentary at the Yerevan International Film Festival in Armenia.

And now LEPER COLONYթ§Չ-Թ»

թժզթԹ❁թԹ՛թԹ❁թԹԳ (Vaughan)թԹ թՉթԹ,թԹ-թԹ,թԹ՜թԹբթԹ❁թԹԳթԹ— թժ թՉ-թԹԴթՉ թԹ(թԹզթԹԴթՉ- թՉ-թԹԴթԹԷթԹ՛թԹ❁թԹԳթԹԳթԹ(թԹզ թՉթԹ,թԹ-թԹ,թԹ՜թԹբթԹ❁թԹԳթԹ, թԹ❁թՉ-թԹ՝թԹ❁թԹԳթԹ❁թԹԷթԹԴթՉ- թԹ»թԹ❁թԹԷթԹ❁թԹ՜թԹԳ թԹ«, թԹէթԹ❁թԹԱթԹ❁թԹԳթԹ)թԹ❁թԹԷթԹԴթՉ- թԹ❁թՉ-թԹԷթԹ(թԹզթԹէթԹ❁թԹ։թԹ(թԹէ, թԹ§թԹ(թԹԲթԹ❁թԹ)թՉ-թԹ,թԹդ – թԹբթՉ-թԹ(թՉթԹ❁թԹԳթԹբթԹ❁թԹԳ թխթԹզթԹ՜թԹ( թԹԷթԹ,թՉ-թԹ❁թԹԳ թԹ, թԹ)թԹ❁թԻթԹԳթԹ(թԹ՜թԹ,թՉ-, 2005,թԹ թԹ,թՉ- թՉթԹԴթՉթՉ-թԹա թԹԴթՉ թԹԱթԹԴթԹթԹ Hammer & Flame թՉթԹ,թԹ-թԹԲթԹ թԹ, թԹ՛թԹ❁թԹԲթԹ❁թՉ-թԹ թ§Չ-Չ

թԹթԹ❁թԹԳթԹզթԹ՜թԹ,թՉ-թԹէթԹ, թԹԲթԹ❁թԹզթԹԳթԹ❁թԹ։թԹ(թԹէ: թԹեթՉ- թԹԳթԹԴթՉ- թԹ.թԹ❁թԹէթԹ(թՉ-թԹ❁թԹ՟թԹ❁թԹԱթԹԳ թԹ« թԹԱթԹԴթՉ-թԹԴթԹէ թԹաթԹ❁թԹԱթԹԴթՉթԹ. թԹ—, Leper Colony:

թԹ՞թԹ՛թԹ❁ թԹ❁թԹբթԹ) թԹ.թԹ❁թԹէթԹ(թՉ-թԹ❁թԹ՟թԹ❁թԹԱթԹ, թԹԲթԹ❁թԹզթԹ,թԹԳ թԹ« թժ թՉ-թԹԴթՉ թԹ(թԹզթԹԴթՉ- թԹզթԹ❁թԹդթԹ❁թԹէթԹԴթՉթՉ- թՉթԹ,թԹ-թԹ,թԹ՜թԹբթԹ❁թԹԳթԹ, թԹ։թՉ-թԹ❁թԹ՟թԹԴթԹզթԹ❁թԹ՜թԹ❁թԹԳթԹ—:

Review of a Stage production, conceived and directed by

Vaughan Pilikian, at The Yard, a new London Theatre in

Hackney Wick, Olympic London.

LEPER COLONY visualizes the moto perpetuo behaviour of a group of

outcasts brought together, most probably against their will and haphazardly

so, away from the mundane society.

With short spoken phrases at minimal occurrences, they burst out their mini-monologues crying loud to ‘go home’, or even trying to climb walls to թ§Չ-խgo outթ§Չ-Չ§, but always reminding each other that their colony is the home and not out there. No matter, some still continue to try and թ§Չ-խgo homeթ§Չ-Չ§ or թ§Չ-խgo outթ§Չ-Չ§.

Mostly, they either do nothing but sit or lie down in contraction, or they

destroy the elements surrounding them — furniture, toys and all.

The paragon for a human being as a թ§Չ-խsocial animalթ§Չ-Չ§ is in smithereens at

Leper Colony. They are already neither social nor animal beings.

Notwithstanding the incessant ‘urge’ of their subconscious to relate and

possibly love each other physically or spiritually, their unadorned reaction

is to refute fulfilment of any kind. Violent actions are expressed against

their material surroundings but, paradoxically and fascinatingly so, never

against each other. They indeed are ‘lepers’ for being unfit to be soldiers or

թ§Չ-խcanon fodderթ§Չ-Չ§ in industrial/military societies to create profit for the

warmongers of the one percent. Nothing bothers them as much as each to

himself or to herself.

A new sunrise of a new dawn or an atomic blast in the mundane world

outside their own has no effect at all on their ad nauseam monotony of

despair ad infinitum. Being neither social nor animal, their ‘leper’ colony

has nevertheless kept, and mysteriously so, that most preciously humane part of the ‘social animal’ attribute — no physical violence towards each other in the colony. Albeit a single lone attribute, but for sure still a valid ‘passport’ for them to be with the ninety-nine percent — in essence their home out there, meaning us, our normal world.

թԹ

Khatchatur I. Pilikian

June 1st, 2012, London

photo by թԹ timeout.com