The sweetheart capital has once again inspired a lensman. Its testimonies are up for see at India Habitat Centre
The sweetheart capital has once again inspired a lensman. Its testimonies are up for see at India Habitat Centre
They say Delhi was built and rebuilt five times. That's why every crumbling wall here, barring the ones that are razed to remove encroachments, has a rich history attached to it. 
No wonder why the more we explore the hub of Mughal Empire, there's even more left to explore. Photog Sundeep Bali, who prefers to be addressed as a lens-based-artist and not a photographer, has found muse in the monuments and historically relevant places that with time have become vital to the cultural fabric of the city for the first season of his series of works on Delhi -- Delhi Drama.
Not a photographer
"I don't like to call myself a photographer because I was not into it initially. I was a student of heritage management and archaeology and have worked on documenting monuments and museums. Yes, photography was a part of the documentation process. When I was in the US, my friends who glanced through my casually shot pictures advised me to showcase them and let the viewers judge.
That's how Delhi Drama came into being," says the artist who's exhibiting a set of 49 images selected from the first season of performances staged and captured between August 2009 and January 2010. So what is it that gives Sundeep's works an edge over other such series'? "Several artists have shot monuments but I've worked on those that are still used for the purpose that they were originally made for.
Like Jama Masjid. People still go there to offer namaaz. Secondly, when photographers compose a frame, they ignore the people who are standing near the monument. I haven't done that. Mine is performance-based photography, where each shot has a story, scripted and connected to the monument.
For instance, people usually don't interact with women at Jama Masjid so while shooting there I've shown the female protagonist spending time with children. The works were executed with the intervention of a performer whose dress (from jewellery to footwear) and demeanour as well as actions and body language either affirm a certain socio-cultural profile of a certain site/public space of Delhi or contradict it," adds the photog.
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Perfect 'season'ing
Just like tele-serials, Delhi Drama too will have different seasons. The work on first season which is on display was started in August 2009 and ended six months later. "I had shot eight performances, five of which are on display at the centre. I've also started working on my second season, and shot some pictures at the last Queer Parade. I plan to conclude Delhi Drama in 2012. After the closing of the show, it would be presented and showcased as an exhibit as part of 'Urban Visualities: An International Art Seminar' in Dakshinachitra near Chennai.
Preach of conductu00a0
The photographer clarified that the series doesn't aim to be a public art project per se nor is there any 'activism' attached to it. "Every performance is finally moulded by the reactions and interactions of immediate witnesses and locals some of whom always end up participating in it," says the artist. Delhi-Drama encompasses sites across the length and breadth of the city and NCR -- Jama Masjid, Kinari Bazar, Majnu Ka Tila, North Campus, Mehrauli archaeological sites, Mutiny Memorial, Connaught Place, Mangar Bani and more.
Do watch this visual extravaganza.
At: Lobbies 5A, 4A, 4B andu00a0 6A, India Habitat Centre, Lodhi Road
On till: January 18
Timings: 10 am to 9 pm
Ring: 24682001
View it online on: www.delhidrama.com
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