James Joyce Immersive
June 2025
Multimedia Designer, Technical Director
An immersive dramatized reading program celebrating the works of James Joyce.
James Joyce Immersive is a year-long cultural programme developed by Kaivalya Plays in collaboration with the Embassy of Ireland in India. Through performances, workshops, exhibitions, school outreach initiatives, and public events, the programme introduces contemporary audiences to the life, work, and enduring relevance of one of Ireland's most influential writers.
At the heart of the programme are immersive dramatized readings based on three stories from James Joyce's celebrated collection Dubliners: "Eveline", "Counterparts", and "Araby". These performances combine live storytelling, sound, projection, and audience immersion to create intimate encounters with Joyce's characters and the worlds they inhabit.
Beyond performance, the programme creates multiple entry points into Joyce's work. Public workshops explore stream-of-consciousness writing, improvisational theatre, and creative storytelling. School outreach initiatives introduce students to Joyce through writing exercises, multimedia experimentation, and literary discussion. Literary quizzes, book giveaways, and public conversations encourage audiences to engage with literature in accessible and participatory ways.
Throughout the year, James Joyce Immersive has travelled across cultural venues, educational institutions, and festivals, including the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art (KNMA), Oddbird Theatre, Kohima Arts College as part of the Hornbill Festival, Mata Jai Kaur Public School, and Triveni Kala Sangam. The programme culminates in a week-long Bloomsday celebration featuring performances, workshops, exhibitions, literary activities, and community events.
At its core, James Joyce Immersive asks how literature can be experienced beyond the page. By bringing together theatre, education, technology, visual culture, and public participation, the programme creates new ways of encountering Joyce's writing and discovering its continued resonance in contemporary India.
The three stories explored in James Joyce Immersive include:
Counterparts: Farrington is a frustrated Dublin office clerk whose difficult day at work sends him in search of escape through drink and companionship. As small disappointments accumulate, Joyce paints a powerful portrait of anger, humiliation, and everyday life in the city.
Eveline: A young woman dreams of leaving Dublin to begin a new life abroad, but finds herself torn between family obligations and the possibility of freedom. Eveline is a moving story about memory, duty, and the fear of change.
Araby: A young boy becomes infatuated with a girl and sets out on a journey to buy her a gift at a famous bazaar. What begins as a romantic quest gradually becomes a poignant story of longing, disappointment, and growing up.
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For the James Joyce Immersive, I served as the video designer and the technical director. Each story focused on a different visual style.
For Eveline, my focus was on building an authentic visual world of early 20th-century Dublin using generative AI tools like Veo 2 and Kling AI. Drawing from archival images, art, and historical references, I designed a series of AI-generated video sequences that mirrored Eveline’s psychological landscape—her memories, fears, and longing—all projected through a two-channel setup that surrounded the audience.
For Counterparts, we went with a minimalist black and white line drawing aesthetic that mirrored the tormented mind of our protagonist Farrington. These drawings were made using illustration and some AI-assisted artwork.
For Araby, we decided to explore the aesthetic of a story book illustration, leaning heavily into black, white and golden as an aesthetic with a maximalist illustration style.
For Eveline, I also coordinated the technical integration: aligning video with an ambisonic 4-speaker soundscape led by Anirbaan Ghosh, working closely with director Varoon P. Anand and performer Kriti Pant, and managing production across partners at KNMA and the Embassy of Ireland. The goal was to create an immersive storytelling format where Joyce’s text could be both seen and felt. This effort was mirrored in subsequent programmes at Oddbird Theatre and Triveni Kala Sangam, matching the venue's technical facilities to the artistic demands of the work and working with the crew to create a seamless audience experience.
Creative Team
Artistic Direction by Varoon P. Anand
Eveline voiced by Kriti Pant and Aishwarya Jha
Counterparts voiced by Varoon P. Anand, with Riddhijit Chattopadhyay
Araby voiced by Gaurav Singh Nijjer, with Varoon P. Ananad, Shivani and Riddhijit Chattopadhyay
Sound Design for Eveline by Anirbaan Gosh (Baan G)
Sound Design for Araby by Varoon P. Anand
Multimedia Design and Technical Direction by Gaurav Singh Nijjer
Technical Production and Assistance by Riddhijit Chattopadhyay and Krishan Kohli
Production & Documentation Assistance by Riddhijit Chattopadhyay, Saadgi, Kamlesh Bourai and Shivani
We would like to thank Ambassdor Kevin Kelly, Sophie Rogan, Armaan Srivastava, Arnab Banerjee, Shriya Singh at the Embassy of Ireland in New Delhi for their collaboration and guidance; Divjyot Singh, Ajay Mathews, Hemank and Rishabh Kakar and other staff members at Kiran Nadar Museum of the Art (KNMA); Parul Sood, Shambhavi Singh, Akshara and other staff members at Oddbird Theatre; Manu, Sowmya, Puneet and the other staff members of Triveni Kala Sangam, Aarohan and other staff members of Mool, for their support and opening up their space to this program.
Programme Overview
June 2025 – Premiere of Eveline at the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art (KNMA), New Delhi, as part of the annual Bloomsday celebrations.
October 2025 – Eveline is presented at Oddbird Theatre, New Delhi, introducing the production to new audiences.
November 2025 – Premiere of Counterparts at Oddbird Theatre, New Delhi, marking the second production in the James Joyce Immersive trilogy.
December 2025 – James Joyce Creative Writing Workshop conducted at Kohima Arts College as part of the Hornbill Festival, Nagaland.
May 2026 – James Joyce Writing & Multimedia AI Workshop delivered at Mata Jai Kaur Public School, New Delhi, introducing students to Joyce through creative writing and digital storytelling.
June 2026 – Presentation of Counterparts at the Annual Bloomsday Celebration at the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art (KNMA), alongside readings from Ulysses and a literary quiz and book giveaway in partnership with Bahrisons Booksellers.
June 2026 – Bloomsday Week at Triveni Kala Sangam, New Delhi, featuring the world premiere of Araby; performances of Counterparts, Eveline, and Araby; stream-of-consciousness writing and improvisation workshops; a school competition and awards ceremony; literary quizzes and book giveaways; and the launch of Joycewale: Notes on Photos, a Diary between Delhi and Dublin by Mayank Austen Soofi.
June 2026 – Culmination of the year-long James Joyce Immersive programme across museums, theatres, schools, and cultural institutions in India, in collaboration with the Embassy of Ireland in India.
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