Project India
All © Jim Vecchi.
In 2007 I spent two months as an artist-in-residence in the community of Auroville in Southeast India near the city of Pondicherry. Although I photographed extensively during this time, I left feeling like I had not really completed my work there. As such, in 2008 I returned to Auroville for a month. During this stay I not only continued to photograph but also made a number of videos. The final result of these working visits is Project India. Project India is comprised of 2 photographic/multimedia works and 5 video pieces. I hope that in these works I have succeeded in capturing the range of my experience, from the serene land in Auroville to the chaos of Pondicherry’s big market, and the transitions in-between.
Click on this image to see individual photos.
Click on this image to view the Quicktime movie.
Auroville Moments - Photographs/Multimedia
Auroville Moments is of everyday small moments taken within the community of Auroville. In the multimedia version, I hope to capture the slow and relaxed feeling of being there.
Click on this image to view selected groupings of photos.
Click on this image to view the Quicktime movie.
The Road to Pondicherry - Multimedia/Photographs
The Road to Pondicherry is the result of my many walks along the heavily travelled East Coast Road and in Pondicherry proper. In the multimedia version, the images appear in rapidly changing groupings presented over a soundtrack of Indian jazz mixed with audio from 4 videos that I shot in this area. Presented in this way, I hopes to capture the feeling of the chaotic sounds, heat, smells, and constant change that enveloped me as I walked and photographed. The still image version of The Road to Pondicherry is presented on this site as a selection of the 4-image groupings. The photos are also available as individual images and as any other 4-image grouping.
Click on this image to view the video.
The Auroville Bus to Pondicherry - Video
The Auroville Bus to Pondicherry is a video that I made sitting in the front seat of the old school bus that takes people from Auroville into the city of Pondicherry. This video is of the second half of the ride as the bus turns from Auroville onto the East Coast Road leading into Pondicherry and stopping at the Sri Auborindo Ashram.
Click on this image to view the video.
The East Coast Road Corner - Video
The East Coast Road Corner is a video of the passing traffic shot from a corner of the East Coast Road and one of the the main roads that runs into Auroville. This corners lies approximately 100 meters from Auroville’s Repos Beach on the Bay of Bengal.
Click on this image to view the video.
The Big Market - Video
The Big Market is a video that I made in the chaotic and colorful market in Pondicherry.
Click on this image to view the video.
Auroville Land - Video
Auroville Land is a suite of 4 videos that I made on the open land in Auroville during the early morning hours.
Click on this image to view the video.
Auroville Sky - Video
Auroville Sky is a suite of 4 videos that I made of the open sky in Auroville during the afternoon hours.
