FADED WALLS

BIJU RAMANKUTTY

// Biju is a fine art photographer from Kerala, India, and one of the founding trustees and trust member of the museum of photography PhotoMuse. His love of photography started when working as senior research fellow on a fish ecology project in the Western Ghats of India. We present some photos from his series entitled “Faded walls: faces telling stories”.

“I am a nature lover, researcher, and photographer from Kerala, India. My favourite categories in photography are abstracts, documentaries, and pictorials; my ambition is to continue my research on contemporary practises in modern photography and publish my works through books,” says Biju.

We recommend checking out PhotoMuse, India’s first private museum dedicated to the art, history and science of photography, which documents, interprets and promotes the natural and cultural photography heritage of India. It also has a beautiful online photo gallery.

“You don’t make a photograph just with a camera. You bring to the act of photography all the pictures you have seen, the books you have read, the music you have heard, the people you have loved.”

Ansel Adams

What draws you to the arts?

“I love art in general and photography in particular. I believe art can make people love nature, respect humanity, and preserve our culture. I follow all types of art and support and promote all artists. I became a part of the photography museum in India to support and promote artists.”

What do you like most about abstract photography such as the images you have shared with us?

“It’s a multiple exposure project which compiles two images; I used the same images for blending to get a blur character, which indicates the fading memories.”

Biju calls this series “Faded walls: Faces telling stories.”

What is the meaning of a wall to our collective psyche? By their very nature, they separate the sanctity of that which they shelter, provide security and protection, while they can also divide and separate us from each other. Sometimes it all depends on a point of view and where we find ourselves.

Walls can hold many secrets and if we look close enough, they also tell stories. It is their symbolism as well as practicality and availability that makes city walls, in particular, perfect carriers for street art, advertisements and political messaging, as they become smothered by colourful posters and paint. By its very nature all this comes with an element of impermanence. With the onset of monsoon and the scorching heat, the rich tapestry of letters and faces begins to fade away. It reminds us that all that is new and important at this very moment inevitably falls prey to entropy. This process makes room for new messages, while it also creates an opportunity for an artistic expression and contemplation for this photographer.

The photographic series “Faded Walls: Faces telling stories” was inspired by the idea that capturing fading walls is worth preserving as a form of story telling, giving another lease on life to fading letters and fading faces and an opportunity to tell their story to a new audience.

Images may be cropped for layout. Click on the photos to see the full images.