Louder than words

Markus Schmid, an internationally acclaimed mime artist from Switzerland, entered the realm of acting at a young age. Like any beginner, he was introduced to theatre first, where words play an integral role in conveying the message. It was Schmid’s teacher who found out his skill in expressing ideas through gestures and guided him to the world of mime. He went to Paris to master this art of movement and since then, he had been experimenting with this genre. Schmid, who is known for projects such as ‘ENKI’, was in Kochi for a workshop. It was his second visit to the place and this time, he got an opportunity to closely watch Kathakali, the traditional art form of Kerala.

Having found some resemblances with Kathakali and mime, he says, “The whole experience was really interesting. My French mime master had told me about Kathakali and its similarities with mime. I could experience his words when I saw the dance in real. Movements of artiste’s eyes, the way he holds his body, the proportion he keeps, and the flow of energy are in a way similar to mime. The only difference between these two is that in Kathakali artistes do not open their mouth.”

Markus was here for a performance as well as to do a workshop on using mime as a teaching technique to teachers. “Mime was there even six centuries before the birth of the Jesus Christ. And it is an effective medium for communication,” he says. “It is an effective medium for teaching. I have done this among special children and have seen the effect. Their reluctance to face society reduced after the session. They started interacting with people,” he adds.

But, don’t think that this methodology is meant only for special children. It is applicable for all. “Mime is very expressive. When I use it as a teaching medium, I take advantage of that. That means we teach them through actions. But, to do this, you need to create a connection with the children. The first part of my lesson would always be that,” says Markus, who has come with his wife Maria who also contributes to his work.

She is a biologist and hence Markus takes themes to which she could also contribute. ENKI, a project on water conservation is one such. “I take global subjects. I put some cue points and hence everybody could relate to it. That is one reason for choosing environmental issues,” he says.