Ecstasy of the mind
Amarjot Kaur
A photograph sure captures a moment in time, for eternity. As Raoul Lornie, a Chandigarh-based photographer exhibits his work at a four-day long exhibition titled, View from the Cusp, at the Gallery of The Museum of Fine Arts, Panjab University, he seems to knit the vivid images of his creative exploits with a reflective view.
“Our brain is designed in a way that it constantly looks for patterns and my photographs fuel the imaginative reserves of one’s mind. So, all these photographs will be what you want them to be,” smiles Raoul. As he points at some of his pictures, which border along the lines of neo-abstract forms of light painting photography, he elaborates on the technique he uses. “I use a very low shutter speed and one or many sources of light to paint while using camera as a tool. In my case, a camera to me is like a pen or a brush to an artist because I have to create a pattern with the lights,” he says while adding that he clicks a picture with his mind’s eye. “Also, all these pictures are straight out of the camera shots, with only a little adjustment on the tones, which add character and depth to these photos,” he shares.
While a few of Raoul’s photographs remind you of the Rorschach technique, there are others which elaborate on the picturesque landscapes of India. “These pictures have been taken over a period of four years and I clicked them while I was travelling to South India, Mumbai and even Himalayas. I think India has a lot of beauty to offer, especially with its diverse topography; it’s a photographer’s playground,” he shares. However, Raoul maintains that as photographer, he considers himself to be quite eccentric. “I don’t just stand behind a camera. This sort of a technique calls for a lot of movement of camera from the photographer’s end,” he says.
As one takes a look at Raoul’s photos, which appear as little stages for the dancing lights on one hand and a dramatic landscape on the other. For instance, his photograph titled Sunrise at Chaupati details a beautiful cityscape with its soul captured in a monochrome and another photograph titled Dancing Aura, draws a vivid imagery of electric play of red and yellow lights on a black background making it look like the dance of fiery souls. “Someone actually said that this photo reminded him of his kidneys,” he laughs. “I really want people to look at a picture and find a new thing in it every single day rather than making it look like a showpiece that serves no other purpose other than accentuating,” he adds.
While the exhibition has been curated by Tirthankar Bhatacharya, the chairperson of the Department of Art History and Visual Arts, he introduced the concept of Manasollasa. “Manasollasa is a concept that means the ecstasy of mind and we have been promoting young artists through this concept,” he says.
(On till December 8; closed on Sunday)
