Water Towers - Architectural Photographer

Sector 5, Saket, New Delhi

2015

Pigment print on archival paper

Edition of 7 plus 1 AP

Water Towers

In a speech inaugurating the construction Bhakra Nangal Dam in 1954, the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru spoke of the dam as a “temple of modern India”. Large scale industrial projects such as dams, steel and power plants, factories, social housing, scientific research institutes along with bridges and other infrastructure (all built with concrete) promised a path towards self sufficiency for the country and a way to modernise a largely traditional agrarian society. Water Towers are inherently industrial in nature and also act as physical markers in the landscape of the city.

In approaching this project, I drew inspiration from Nehru’s language to focus on the utilitarian structures of the modern city. The Water Towers are shown in the centre of the frame silhouetted against the sky with the city unfolding around them. The photographs function as a typographical study of these structures allowing for comparison of features and also as an alternate mapping of the city with a focus on parks, housing colonies, factories and other types of neighbourhoods.

Pigment prints

Edition of 7