In the ‘Dance of Death’ the body is not present, but Kurulkar’s presence is evident through numerous flickering bulbs suspended from the ceiling, which mark the date (01.06.1971) the artist’s body came into being. ‘Dance Macabre’ by Camille Saints Saens plays in the background in tune to something that is going to end unforeseen – much like birth, time and death. The flicker of uncertainty and the deception of eternity promised to human life are depicted through the silently dancing light bulbs. The lit up numbers flicker unseen to celebrate this date and their passing time. The flickering light, which appears steady, is not visible to the human eye, due to its high ‘Flicker Fusion Rate’. The ‘Flicker Fusion Rate’, a function of the brain, differs for each individual and being, depending on their persistence to capture moving images; thereby making intermittent light appear constant. It is the balance point between our need to function in the world and the brain’s ability to process and store information. As time passes, the bulbs die, and the dance begins to fade away. Darkness begins to punctuate the light and what we see is split with time. The bulbs over time will fuse and the work will cease to exist – the heartbeats stop, the body becomes lifeless; the flicker dies, we are left in darkness.

Just as we do not see everything before us, what we may consider reality may just be an illusion. Eventually, eroded memories allow us to conjure, believe and give rebirth to new remembrances, the way we want to see them with overlapping associations. One can ally the passage of time in the ‘Dance of Death’ with several personal experiences from the everyday. The manner in which we appreciate moments, people and objects only towards the end or after their death is always too late. There are only memories left as residues of time, which too will eventually get buried under newer ones.

The fragility of strength becomes starkly evident only after it has been shattered. This stands true for belief, faith, relationships, time, life and even moments that we often take for granted as being permanent. These are things, which are born with the nature of temporary and through desire and human want are convincingly believed to have become eternal. When this belief snaps, there is a sudden collapse of faith as fear, shock and sadness comes pouring out uncontrollably. There is a release of something that has silently pent-up over time, and the ephemeral takes over.