Sumit Kathuria | sumitkath@gmail.com

Class Apart

Guide Tarun Deep Girdher
Sponsor Sham Lal Kathuria
 
Keywords annual income;diptychs;economic contrast;exhibition

This project is a visual expression of the economic contrast present in the city of Chandigarh and adjoining towns in the state of Punjab. The project is special in its nature because it does not depict the situation directly by showing people, but it shows the contrast through the objects or products which people own or use; in this way, it represents the generic of the people who are rich and poor and the relative gap between them.

Objects of both the economic classes which were shot and compared with catered to the same end use. In this way, the audience would get a clearer picture of how both the poor and rich met their requirements. The economically weaker section depicted through the photos comprise people who earn 32 per day or less; the affluent section depicted here has an annual income of 8 lakh or so.

This project culminated in an exhibition of 28 diptychs in which categories such as hygiene, objects of daily use, household furnishings, retail markets, food, transport, and tools of trade were depicted. The shoot took place at different places, so again, the challenge of maintaining visual consistency was significant and as a result of having done it satisfactorily, the photos could be successfully used in the diptychs.

The exhibition was open to the public, who it was hoped, would reflect on the stark contrasts existing in society today. This project was a good opportunity to interact with people from diverse economic strata.
Communication Design
ED (6)
AFD (22)
GD (28)
FVC (13)
IID (14)
PHD (6)
I.T. Integrated Design
NMD (12)
DDE (11)
Interdisciplinary Design
SDM (11)
DRE (15)
Industrial Design
FID (13)
TAD (10)
TGD (8)
PD (28)
CGD (7)
Textile Design
ADM (10)
LAD (13)
TD (23)