The Franse White Town in India
Weaving on a Four Harness Hand Loom
I chose to focus on the scaping pastel houses and windings streets of Pondicherry: the quintessential ‘Franse’ town in India, which while representing the most beautiful parts of Western influence, also showcase years of imperialist conquests and colonialism that the South Asian subcontinent was subject to. I focused on the small details of the French town which have been preserved and continue to live in the secular fabric of the ethereal Pondicherry: the paint which scrapes off the turquoise doorways, the shadow of the first ray of sunlight on Anger’s minimalist staircase, the foliage which frames the nooks and crannies in the pastel houses. I chose to begin my exploration with questions which prompted me to examine the cultural and physical architecture and topography of the space. For example, I wonder: what lives in the saffron house behind those rusted wooden doors? With time, I started examining the layers of complexity which live in spaces I captured earlier. How did the French ochre slathered on top of the Indian bhura (brown) represent the larger colonial history which still captivates Pondicherry’s memories? Even after visiting Pondicherry every year of my life, I wonder, how do I see Pondicherry as an Indian who is still captivated by the whimsical Franse Town?
Moodboard :
Stripes :
Reference Images :
Architectural & Perspective Studies :
Reference Studies :
Material Studies :
Reference Images :
Contrasting Sampling :
Reference Images :
