Larger-than-life photographs at various landmark public locales across Jaipur, such as the Hawa Mahal and Albert Hall Museum, are set to be a part of a new international travel photography exhibition beginning in the Pink City next month.
The inaugural edition of the nine-day 'Travel Photo Jaipur' beginning February 5, will host exhibitions by 14 Indian and international photographers from countries including Guatemala, Japan, US, UK, Germany, Spain and Italy among others.
"The festival will showcase photography related to the idea of travel - a pertinent theme, in particular if we take into account that Jaipur has come to epitomise the voyage to India," Lola Mac Dougall, Artistic Director, Travel Photo Jaipur says.
Mac Dougall added that the event is a "radically public way of displaying photographs."
The curated selection includes photo essays that have multiple interpretations and are in essence popular.
So there are larger-than-life prints hanging from the ceilings of a train station to an abandoned art school being transformed into a site for an installation with postcards.
"Visitors will not have to enter a gallery, which can be intimidating for some. We also want to show that the heritage sites are not just about the past but are relevant to contemporary culture as well and can be reinterpreted in a contemporary context," says Lola.
Organisers say they want to show that heritage sites are not just about the past but are relevant to contemporary culture as well and can be reinterpreted in a contemporary context.
"The residents of Jaipur, who live in one of the most visited and celebrated Indian cities, are used to being photographed. With Travel Photo Jaipur, the gaze is now reversed, and it is their turn to observe the photographic wonders of the world," says Lola.
The festival, she hopes will not only celebrate good
photography but also serve as a platform for debate on the subject.
Film screenings and talks nine internationally recognized photography specialists (curators, academic, book-makers, photo-editors and photographers) are part of the festival line-up.
Some of the speakers include Thomas Seelig (co-curator Winthertur Photomuseum, Switzerland), Mauro Bedoni (former photo editor COLORS magazine, Italy), Yumi Goto (The Reminders Project, Japan), Rafal Milach (Sputnik Photos, Poland), Cristina de Middel (finalist of Deutsche Borse Photography Prize, 2013) and Pablo Ortiz Monasterio (founder of Centro de la Imagen, Mexico).
Apart from these two special interventions, by Aradhana Seth and Akshay Mahajan, emphasise how often travel and photography have cross-pollinated each other.
Artist collective BIND is displaying its travelling photo library - a curation of select photobooks around the theme of travel.
The festival, says Lola was conceived after the Rajasthan government approached the organisers after they heard of the successful Goa Photo festival, organised by the same team.
"The state government has been fundamental in putting this festival together, through the very efficient team at the Tourism department and the Chief Minister's Office.
"We have the conviction that supporting contemporary culture can be a big draw in terms of pulling in tourists and raising the socio-economic level of citizenry," she says.
The outdoor and big format of the exhibition has been inspired by pioneering festivals like Getxo (Spain), Vevey (Switzerland) and Paraty (Brazil).
