The [Neo]Colonial Gaze: Postcards to the Past

Kolkata’s identity narrative is a complex one. The imagery of the city falls at a convergence between the architecture of the past and the society of the future and, as we now know, the tourist materials often give an imperially glorified understanding of the city. The anglophilia of the tourist visuals and descriptions do not necessarily give the “full picture” and often leave out the complexities of the colonial project and the legacy that it’s left. For this project I have created a series of 10 postcards that merge the imagery of the past with the imagery of the today. All of the contemporary photographs (in black and white) are taken from existing tourist materials for the city while the older photos are taken from journals and documents archived by British travelers (in sepia tone).

Compiled for Urban Form: Transition as Condition, Harvard University Graduate School of Design, 2019