Unusual Framework
POOL|POOL 89

Dayanita Singh has combined her training in design with an eye for the extraordinary to create striking book-objects that create a whole new architecture for photography. One of India’s finest photographers, she shares with Pool her journey from mother’s muse to visual archivist…

 

Unusual Framework

How did your tryst with photography begin?

DS: It started when I was a few months old, when my mother placed me on a chaise longue at the Oberoi Hotel in Kashmir because she wanted to prove to her friends that she had been there. She photographed me to validate her own experiences. So, photography was the most annoying thing in my life and the only trauma of my otherwise very wonderful loving childhood.

When I went to NID to study visual communication, it was only because my mother had instilled in me that you have to be economically independent. I wanted to be an artist but she said that as an artist you’re not assured of making a living, so go for design. I didn’t have any larger ambitions, I wanted to be a typographer and spend my life just painting type fonts and building new type fonts.

In my first or second semester at NID, we were sent to photograph the moods of a person for a short course in photography. And I thought I would be very clever, I would go to a concert and photograph Zakir Hussain; so I went to IIM where he was playing and took photos. But at the concert somebody pushed me as I was taking a picture and I fell. As an 18-year-old, my pride was severely wounded and I sat outside crying, very upset. When Zakir Hussain came out after the concert, I stood up, put my hands on my hips, and said, “Mr. Hussain, I am a young student today but someday I’ll be an important photographer and then we will see.” He asked me to come to his hotel room the next morning to photograph him when he was doing his riyaaz.

Denne historien er fra POOL 89-utgaven av POOL.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra POOL 89-utgaven av POOL.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA POOLSe alt
A Legacy Continues
Designindia

A Legacy Continues

Leveraging the success of his family's export business, Naman Jain is focusing on creating a retail presence in India

time-read
5 mins  |
Designindia 143
Creating KAIRA
Designindia

Creating KAIRA

Long fascinated by Indian fabric, Nikita Gupta has launched an attractive line of contemporary apparel in traditional block prints

time-read
4 mins  |
Designindia 143
Stories faces tell
Designindia

Stories faces tell

Aditya Narula dabbled in various vocations before he realized portraiture was the best way to express the fascinating complexities of the people he encountered along the way

time-read
6 mins  |
Designindia 143
time tested DESIGN
Designindia

time tested DESIGN

Surrounded by art and architecture as a child, Sarah Sham went on to take the family antiques business in a new direction through her interior design venture

time-read
3 mins  |
Designindia 143
DANGEROUSLY DELICATE
Designindia

DANGEROUSLY DELICATE

Kavya Potluri's attention to minute detail is what sets her intricate and unconventional jewelry apart

time-read
5 mins  |
Designindia 143
music as muse
Designindia

music as muse

A multidisplinary visual artist, Aaron Pinto, also known as Kidsquidy, has had an interesting journey that started with MTV and has him now working on everything from music videos to stage design

time-read
8 mins  |
Designindia 143
DEVELOPING A DISCOURSE
Designindia

DEVELOPING A DISCOURSE

Documentary photographer Taha Ahmad believes his work has a greater purpose than merely being admired by a select audience for its esthetic value. It's when people are able to see the underside of society and understand the prevailing social injustice that the work tries to reveal that it is truly worthwhile.

time-read
10+ mins  |
Designindia 143
Tiny little Stories
Designindia

Tiny little Stories

Creating miniature worlds allows Ruchika Nambiar to continue to play childlike games of make-believe

time-read
8 mins  |
Designindia 143
The Richness Of Handmade
Designindia

The Richness Of Handmade

Amit Vijaya and Richard Pandav are committed to bringing together many hands and hearts through their clothing label ‘amrich’

time-read
6 mins  |
Designindia 114
The perfect balance
Designindia

The perfect balance

Aniruddh Mehta is as much graphic designer as visual artist, and he tries to do justice to both through his work at Studio Bigfat

time-read
5 mins  |
Designindia 114