Today we’d like to introduce you to Safwan Chowdhury.
Safwan, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
It’s said that your first language is the one you dream in. English, I suppose, is the language I speak and write most fluently in. But, the language I dream in is a creole of Bengali, English, Spanish, Vietnamese, Arabic, Farsi, Turkish, Hindi, and Urdu, among others. My dreams, and my worldview, are built up by all of my experience with these languages. My mother tongue, the language I’m most educated in, the languages spoken by the incredibly vibrant Latinx and Vietnamese communities which surrounded me growing up, and the languages which I engaged with as a result of my heritage and schooling in a devout Bangladeshi-Muslim-American family — all of these make up the language of my world.
In short, I find my greatest comfort, strength, and inspiration in diversity. Much of that is owed to the privilege I had of growing up among the various languages, cultures, ethnicities, creeds, socio-economic status, and stories which characterized my hometown of Garland, Texas. Another source is my experience as a first-generation American, born to immigrants working tirelessly to live out their version of the American Dream. I look also to my upbringing during a time of massive technological innovation. I grew up glued to computer screens, insatiable for immediate, infinite information from all across time and geography.
With all of this in mind, I approach my work in educational and professional theatre/performance art with a dedication to interdisciplinary creation. Art imitates life. Therefore, it should be created with respect and reverence to as many voices, techniques, and stories as possible.
For most of my education in Garland ISD, I developed my abilities as a public speaker and stage performer – working to best interpret language as it defined a theatrical work. In the final years before my graduation from Garland High School, I began to cultivate skills in design and directing. Now, I’ve chosen to pursue studies in an unconventional blend of design skills (lighting, video, sound), and criticism of emerging media and communications at the University of Texas at Dallas. Originally, I felt called to specialized training in acting or design in theatre programs like those at Playwrights Horizons Theatre School at NYU Tisch or the New School for Drama. But, I feel comfortable in my choice of staying in a community as diverse as the Metroplex so that I can study in a school as intellectually diverse as UTD.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
The decision to pursue a creative career forced me early on to challenge much of the worldview that defined my upbringing. From an early age, as the child of South Asian immigrants, I was aware of an expectation of academic success connected to an explicit expectation of my future in a field like medicine or engineering.
As a first-generation American, I truly stand on the shoulders of giants. I simply will not ever fully understand what the experience of withdrawing from the culture, history, ancestry, and comfort of home—Bangladesh—was like for my parents. I will not ever fully understand the sacrifices they made for my siblings and myself to be able to enjoy the multitudinous privileges afforded to American citizens.
I have chosen to forgo the reliability and stature of the careers they hoped for me to pursue with the education they fought for me to have. To some extent, the challenges I’ve encountered while pursuing this career and life — with my financial situation, my physical and mental health, among other things — connect uncomfortably to that fact.
But, I find solace in that I can work to honor them and their decision and their sacrifice in my creative endeavours. When I describe creating work with respect and reference to diverse voices and stories, I am first and foremost thinking of the voices and stories of my parents and people like them — immigrant people of color who so often go unheard and unseen in the media and arts that dominate our society.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Squared Circle Creative – what should we know?
Squared Circle Creative is a new company that carries out my mission of creating original works of multimedia, interdisciplinary, experimental performance art that provokes audiences into new understandings of themselves. Inspiration for the company and its name come from two main sources. On one hand, the squared circle is a name for a boxing or wrestling ring. On another, the squared circle is the name for a circle inscribed in a square inscribed in a triangle — found in classical alchemical literature.
The respective disciplines of martial arts like wrestling as well as the magical, scientific study of alchemy can be distilled down to knowledge of how a person can best develop something into a greater version of itself – or how someone can best transform themselves into someone greater.
I believe that performance art — based in theatre, movement, music, or otherwise — should cause an audience to grapple with their ideas and emotions regarding who they are and the world we live in. When an audience has truly wrestled with their thoughts and emotions, performance art is truly transformative. An audience member entering a performance should be transfigured, caused to improve and be better by the time that they leave.
Squared Circle Creative is, then, a company that seeks to apply artistic disciplines like lighting, sound design, and physical performance in the same way that an alchemist might mix chemicals or a wrestler might train their skills. While the product might be a physical work of art (like the wrestler’s body or the alchemist’s gold) it implies a greater emotional, intellectual, and spiritual transformation of the artists and audience involved.
I’ve only recently determined the mission and aims of this new company, but am planning the production of an original piece, beginning in 2020, that explores the experience of members of the immigrant communities of Garland.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
I think the village raises the child, and in the same way, I have developed into the artist and person I am today as a result of the contributions of an innumerable amount of people.
I’ll begin by recognizing Michael Wesley Cleveland, who was one of two of the theatre teachers at Garland High School and one of the cofounders of Artstillery, as one of my greatest mentors. I cherish a lot of my artistic experiences from when I was a student at Garland. Much of that is owed to Michael, who brought a broad foundation of expertise and skills to how he approached leading his students through classes and educational productions. My belief in an interdisciplinary approach to performance art comes from watching him work. Since starting at UTD, I’ve been privileged to work as Assistant to Michael in his role as Technical Director/Production Designer at Artstillery, and it has been very rewarding. I hope to continue learning from Michael and to be able to work alongside him on more equal footing through Squared Circle Creative.
Similarly, I have to thank Brittany Claar de Gonzalez and Lory Stewart, the head of theatre at Garland and then the speech and debate coach respectively, for rounding out my education as a young artist. My knowledge of the theatre and its conventions come from Brittany, and my abilities as a written and spoken communicator come from Lory.
Outside of my specific field, I had incredible advocates before entering college in my Scoutmaster Steven Sanderson, who taught me an incredible amount about how to be a strong leader and team member. I grew to define myself during my Scouting experience as a servant inside and outside of my creative aspirations. In that pursuit, I learned an incredible amount about how to build up a community from Pam Swendig at Good Samaritans of Garland, a food pantry in my hometown.
There’s many more people I could thank, especially my sister Nusaiba and other members of my family and community more broadly. Suffice to say, I think so many people deserve credit for playing a role in my growth and success – I hope to be able to honor all of them through what I do.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/squaredcircle3
Image Credit:
Zachary Greenberg, Alisa Eykilis, Tnr Zdl, Brandon Tran, Chloie Lewis
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