The British left, but left who behind?

Fulbright application submitted on Oct 18, 2010, Phew!

APPLICANT NAME: Patel, Sejal
FIELD OF STUDY: Photography
COUNTRY: India
PROJECT TITLE: The British left, but left who behind?
ABSTRACT OF PROPOSAL: The primary goal of this project is to conduct research and document the remnants of the British Empire, specifically in and around Ahmedabad, Gujarat. I am interested in reevaluating India’s past from a contemporary perspective: what was the ideal vision of post-independence Ahmedabad and how is it relevant to the present state of the city? I will make photo and video portraits of veterans of the independence struggle, as well as of the city itself.

FINGERS CROSSED till February, maybe March, or perhaps April 2011.

At Mobius on 8/23/10

Untitled, 2005

If one understands the act of preposition and exposure of self to be prostitution then the act of making art is also prostitution; a prostitution of self. Much like the role of a prostitute, artists also expose themselves with fearsome power and knowledge of the creative mind, often to be used and abused by its viewers or clients. Art or not, merciless exploitation of images has become fashionable. In this photograph, I dispose the surreal drama of my cultural identity.

Hello

My name is Sejal Patel.  I am a performance based photography and video artist and an Assistant Professor of Photography at the New England Institute of Art, Brookline, MA.