(1888PressRelease)
May 05, 2009 - A city in northern India and a city in Latin America couldnt have been more different from each other, yet Chandigarh and Brasila, are more alike than anything else. Photographed by Stephane Herbert Chandigarh-Brasilia, an exhibition of photos, studies the two cities that gave modernity a whole new meaning. What is inspiring about the tale of two cities is that they both were planned and built in around 1950s-60s in countries that were, then, largely underdeveloped. Both cities were commissioned by governments and created by internationally renowned architects.
Herberts photographs are a study in similarity that highlights the striking resemblance between cities that are continents apart. Brasilia, the capital of Brazil, was conceived with the notion of being the centre of the modern world and although that truly might not be the case today, it surely represents an important step in Brazilian civilization project. Chandigarh on the other hand was envisioned as a symbol of Indias modernity and since its genesis in the 1950s this Le Corbusier creation continues to hold the distinction of being a landmark of universal work of an architect of the 20th century.
The photographers vision beautifully captures the essence of Brasilia and its aesthetic fluidity as well as the unspeakable place of Chandigarh. Herbert has spent a lot of time in putting together this project which is more than visible in the fifteen pictures of the two cities that wonderfully compliment each other. Be it the sunlight filtering in the alley of Secretariat Building in Chandigarh juxtaposed with sunlight warming the insides of Santa Maria dos Militares chapel or the joy on the face of young boys of the Superquadras mirrored on the faces of children playing cricket in the residential sectors of Chandigarh or the starkness of the fluid curves of the Metropolitan Cathedral contrasted by the stillness of the reflected image of the Assembly Building of the Punjab city, all images suggest that perhaps one person was at two places across the globe at the same time.
Visually enriching, the photos almost look like parts of one big city rather than two. The two photos that depict residents of Chandigarh and Brasilia walking across the parks in their respective cities are blessed with a similar quality of light. Having survived the test of time both cities have seen a rise in the fortunes of their countries since their inception. Stephane Herberts affinity with the subject doesnt come as a surprise considering that he grew up in a Le Corbusier building in France. Born in Guatemala City in 1968, Herbert has been a photographer furnishing images for leading press magazines across continents. A unique exhibition, Chandigarh-Brasilia celebrates these man-made concrete poems like never before. The distinctiveness of the exhibition would have surely benefitted from larger and better reprints but thankfully thats an after thought.
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