Aniruddha Dey

Growing things on difficult soil

The idea behind this project came as a reaction to the radical, dystopic, and stifling change in lifestyle I was forced into since the start of the lockdown. For the most part of the day, I would sit by the only window of the room looking at the street (which had become my world) outside as far as my eyes could reach. Without access to a standard image-making device capable of instant production, I began to wonder how to document my new life and whether creativity could thrive in such primal conditions. After having found some photographic paper in my possession, I started to make images with them by using a pinhole camera that I made from a disposed of tea-bag box and aluminum foil – items that I could get my hands on inside the house – and a darkroom printing process by utilizing coffee powder and washing soda (and a frying pan as a developing tray) instead of the standard chemicals to develop my prints. As I began to experiment with my newfound engagement, I started to realize that inanimate things have an immanent ability to act subtly and dramatically to influence thoughts and perceptions. The resulting series of images became more of a collaboration with these objects than a sole creative expression in my own right.