Vicky Roy Photographer's Delhi show

WTC : NOW

: NOW WTC2009 Vicky Roy

28 January – 19 February 2010 The American Center, New Delhi 110 001

WTC These photographs have been taken by Vicky Roy from March to August, 2009 at the World Trade Center (WTC) site in New York through the WTC Documentary Arts Project supported by Maybach Foundation and Silverstein Properties.

Vicky was one among the chosen four photographers, from across the world, who got an opportunity to photo-document the rebuilding of America’s most prominent landmark.

Vicky used a Cannon 5D Mark 2 camera for this project.

Untitled, 28x 42 inches, edition 3+1AP, 2009

Untitled, 24 x 36 inches, edition 5+1AP, 2009

Untitled, 24 x 36 inches, edition 5+1AP, 2009 Š Wilhelm & Karl Maybach Foundation

Untitled, 24 x 36 inches, edition 5+1AP, 2009

Untitled, 24 x 36 inches, edition 5+1AP, 2009

Untitled, 24 x 36 inches, edition 5+1AP, 2009

Untitled, 24 x 36 inches, edition 5+1AP, 2009

Untitled, 24 x 36 inches, edition 5+1AP, 2009 Š Wilhelm & Karl Maybach Foundation

Untitled, 24 x 36 inches, edition 5+1AP, 2009 Š Wilhelm & Karl Maybach Foundation

Untitled, 24 x 36 inches, edition 5+1AP, 2009

Untitled, 24 x 36 inches, edition 5+1AP, 2009 Š Wilhelm & Karl Maybach Foundation

Untitled, 24 x 36 inches, edition 5+1AP, 2009 Š Wilhelm & Karl Maybach Foundation

Untitled, 24 x 36 inches, edition 5+1AP, 2009 Š Wilhelm & Karl Maybach Foundation

Untitled, 24 x 36 inches, edition 5+1AP, 2009

Untitled, 24 x 36 inches, edition 5+1AP, 2009

Untitled, 24 x 36 inches, edition 5+1AP, 2009

Untitled, 24 x 36 inches, edition 5+1AP, 2009

Untitled, 24 x 36 inches, edition 5+1AP, 2009

Untitled, 24 x 36 inches, edition 5+1AP, 2009 Š Wilhelm & Karl Maybach Foundation

Untitled, 32 x 48 inches, edition 3+1AP, 2009 Š Wilhelm & Karl Maybach Foundation

Untitled, 24 x 36 inches, edition 5+1AP, 2009

Untitled, 24 x 36 inches, edition 5+1AP, 2009 Š Wilhelm & Karl Maybach Foundation

Untitled, 24 x 36 inches, edition 5+1AP, 2009

Untitled, 24 x 36 inches, edition 5+1AP, 2009

Untitled, 24 x 36 inches, edition 5+1AP, 2009

NYC

Untitled, 24 x 36 inches, edition 5+1AP, 2009

Untitled, 24 x 36 inches, edition 5+1AP, 2009

Untitled, 24 x 36 inches, edition 5+1AP, 2009 (Top and above)

Untitled, 24 x 36 inches, edition 5+1AP, 2009

Untitled, 24 x 36 inches, edition 5+1AP, 2009

Untitled, 24 x 36 inches, edition 5+1AP, 2009

Untitled, 24 x 36 inches, edition 5+1AP, 2009

Untitled, 24 x 36 inches, edition 5+1AP, 2009

VICKY ROY

www.vickyroyphotography.com

Born 1987, Purulia, West Bengal, India Education Course in Documentary Photography from International Center of Photography(ICP) New York, March-August, 2009.

Diploma in Photography from Triveni Kala Sangam in 2005.

Solo Show WTC: Now (2009) at American Center, New Delhi, India; January 2010, organized by American Center, Ojas Art and Asia Society.

WTC: Now (2009) at Bodhi Art, Mumbai, India; September 2009, organized by American Center and Asia Society.

Street Dream, at Nehru Centre, London, England; November 2007.

Street Dream, at DFID Office, Palace Street, London, England and further traveled through England; March to October 2009, supported by Department for International Development (DFID), Govt. of UK. Street Dream, curated by Dr. Alka Pande at India Habitat Centre, New Delhi, India; March 2007, supported

by British High Commission and DFID.

Selected Group Shows Where Three Dreams Cross: 150 years of Photography from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh at Whitechapel Gallery, London, England; January 2010.

Wide Angle, at Galerie Romain Rolland, Alliance Francaise, New Delhi, India; October 2009 organized

by Wonderwall.

Expressions at Tihar, curated by Anubhav Nath & Johny ML at Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts, New Delhi, India; August 2009 organized by Ojas Art and Ramchander Nath Foundation.

WTC: Now, a three-man show at World Trade Center, New York, USA; August 2009, supported by Maybach Foundation and Silverstein Properties Chaos in Order, curated by Anubhav Nath at 29 Hang Bai, Hanoi, Vietnam; October 2008 organised by Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi in collaboration with Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Socialist Republic of Vietnam and Embassy of India, Hanoi, Vietnam.

Click! Contemporary Photography in India at Vadehra Art Gallery, New Delhi, India; March 2008.

Shared Histories: Inner Voices, curated

by Dr. Alka Pade, Johanesburg, South Africa, September 2008.

Relative Values, John Hansard Gallery, Universty of Southampton, England, September 2007.

Street Life of Children, Express Art Gallery, Express Tower, Mumbai, India, October 2007.

Awards, Residencies & Recognition Guest Speaker at Annual Conference of IAYP in London, Novemeber 2009.

WTC Documentary Arts Project by Wilhelm & Karl Maybach Foundation from February to August, 2009 involved photo-documentation of reconstruction of World Trade Center in New York, USA under mentorship of Joe Woolhead.

Recognised as 25 achievers under 30 for the next generation by Time Out, Delhi, July 2009.

Gold Medalist, India Award for Young People (IAYP), 2004.

Mentors Joe Woolhead, WTC Documentary Arts Project by Wilhelm & Karl Maybach Foundation from February to August, 2009.

Anay Mann, Photographer, New Delhi, India; Febraury 2005–December 2008.

Vicky Roy An interview by Anubhav Nath Anubhav Nath (AN): Vicky, please tell me about your experience in New York and its impact on you.

Vicky Roy (VR): I had some great learning experiences living and working in New York and the experience has really changed me as a person. I feel much more confident in all ways – personally and professionally. I think I was a different person before I left for New York in February 2009.

AN: What are the before and after (New York) differences?

VR: There is a big difference.

Personally, I feel a lot more responsible and independent. I have been on my own for a long time now, but living in New York was very different. In a single day, I would interact with people of atleast ten different nationalities.

Another thing that I learnt there is punctuality as everyone is very busy and then you have to be on time – traffic is not an excuse.

AN: And professionally?

VR: There is a vast difference. I have become much more experimental. Earlier, my professional work demanded the use of black and white film and all the images for my first solo show Street Dream were black and white.

The vibrancy of New York made me use color in my photographs, so you can say, New York has added color to my work! Since I was photo-documenting the reconstruction of the WTC so I had to take a lot of architecture shots, which was challenging as my previous works revolved around humans. In the buildings too, I was trying to find the human element.

AN: Mentors have played a very vital role in your life. What do you think makes a successful mentee?

VR: Yes, my mentors have helped in making me what I am today – personally and professionally. I have learnt everything from them and by first-hand experience. All my mentors at Salaam Baalak Trust have been especially helpful in

shaping me as a hardworking and honest individual, without whom I would be nowhere. There have been numerous people who have helped me in many ways. I have learnt my photography skill from Anay Mann to whom I will be forever indebted, for being such a patient and understanding teacher.

To be a successful mentee one has to listen and to be open-minded and most important is to trust the mentor regardless of what someone else might say.

AN: The WTC was catastrophically destroyed in 2001 and you were now photographing the reconstruction. What was the general feeling at the site?

VR: Before I visited the site, I felt that the atmosphere there will be very gloomy, but on the contrary the atmosphere is very positive and all the workers and people involved feel that they are not just making another building – it’s a historical monument, a voice against terrorism and the most closely

watched construction site in not just America but probably the entire world. There are also sad moments as while digging many times the workers find bones or other human remains and suddenly one gets an eerie feeling, remembering the inhuman way in which the WTC was destroyed.

AN: Any contrasts you noticed between living in New York and photographing at the site?

VR: The one thing that struck out was that living in NYC, foreigners, especially non-white and young men like me, are looked at suspiciously. But at the site it doesn’t matter as there are people of all nationalities and colors working together towards a common goal. Also, people are the same everywhere in the world – they are people beings first and later identify with a certain nationality, race and religion.

AN: After your return, when you think of the WTC what is that one

memory or imagery that you remember?

VR: There are all types of memories of working at the WTC site – happy, sad, depressing and encouraging. Probably the one that stands out is going to an adjacent building to see the construction site from above. We were very high-up, from where I got an absolutely stunning view of the New York skyline. Looking down at the construction site, I saw halfready buildings piercing into the sky, American flags and in a corner some flickering candles, which I later recognized as the WTC Memorial. I cannot forget this image and it made me realize the importance of the WTC in today’s history and why I was there.

through different and maturing experiences. There is no doubt that I wish to continue with photography, even more seriously now. I want to be known and recognized for my work and I think at some point once I am professionally more established it would be important for me to give back to the society that has given me so much.

AN: Thank you for sharing your thoughts, Vicky. I wish you all the very best.

VR: Thank you very much.

A special thanks to Anay Mann and Dadi Pudumjee.

AN: How do you see your work progressing?

VR: I consider myself to be lucky to have gotten this opportunity but I am still very young and I think my work will still evolve as I go

Anubhav Nath is founder trustee of Ramchander Nath Foundation and the director of Ojas Art and is reachable at arn@rnf.org.in

Salaam Baalak Trust

Ramchander Nath Foundation

Since its inception in 1988, Delhi-based Salaam Baalak Trust (SBT) has been dedicated to the care and protection of street children, providing nearly 3500 of them annually, with the basics - a safe place to stay, nutrition, food, clothing, education and counseling, through various programs, shelters and activities. SBT concentrates their work mainly around New Delhi Railway Station, crowded bus stops and slums.

Ramchander Nath Foundation (RNF) is dedicated to the memory of Shri Ramchander Nath, a multifacetted personality. A true connoisseur of the arts, he strongly believed in the power of mentorship.

SBT’s mission is to create a nurturing environment that can foster normal physical and mental growth of such children to allow them to regain their self-confidence and to return to the mainstream society and eventually contribute to its development.

Originally from Purulia in West Bengal, Vicky Roy became a part of the SBT family in 1999, aged 12. He started going to school and serendipitously met with a volunteer photographer at SBT and showed a keen interest for the camera. He attended formal photography classes and got apprenticeship with a Delhi-based photographer and is now an independent and successful young photographer.

RNF strives to be a think-tank on the development and restoration of the arts. It employs the arts as effective tools to reach out to and help in the reformation and rehabilitation of marginalized societies and also helps to fundraise for organizations working for the betterment of disadvantaged children.

RNF has an outreach program in Delhi Prisons wherein jail-inmates are given training in the visual arts. In recognition of their efforts towards restoration, the Statesman Vintage and Classic Car Rally, Delhi decided to dedicate one of their important trophies in the foundation’s name.

RNF nominated Vicky Roy, photographer extraordinaire, a graduate from the Salaam Baalak Trust (SBT) for a mentorship program organized by the Maybach Foundation through which he photo-documented the reconstruction of the World Trade Center in New York for six months in 2009. www.rnf.org.in

Maybach Foundation

The American Center

Founded upon the humble origins of the great engineers Wilhelm and Karl Maybach, the Maybach Foundation builds on a legacy of engineering, invention and design that played a pivotal role in the development of the automotive era. This is our inspiration as we help a new generation of exceptionally promising young talent release their potential.

Through our mission to promote mutual understanding between the people of India and the United States, the American Center and Library supports the youth of India with exciting educational and cultural programs and exchanges. Both the American Center and Library are part of the U.S. Embassy. Our Library specializes in American Studies, and has 22,000 books, 185 print journals, electronic access to major American newspapers and more than 30,000 journals. The library is Wi-Fi enabled and also has Internet terminals available.

Library membership with borrowing privileges is available for a nominal 400R/year; walk-ins are welcome to browse the library collection.

WTC Documentary Arts project was launched through the partnership between the Maybach Foundation and Silverstein Properties. Four young photographers, including Vicky Roy from India were granted the opportunity to document the rebuilding of the World Trade Center from August 2008 to August 2009, under the mentorship of Joe Woolhead.

By supporting the power of photographic storytelling, the Foundation aims to motivate society to make positive changes. The four young documentary photographers brought their own unique perspectives to the project to document the rebuilding of America’s most prominent landmark and also explored the issues they want to raise awareness of in the future.

All American Center programs, which include weekly film screenings Fridays at 6 p.m., concerts, lectures, workshops, and other activities, are free and open to the public. To receive our program information, please send an e-mail to amcenternd@state.gov, or become a fan of American Center New Delhi on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/ americancenternewdelhi) Please visit us between 8:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m.

Monday through Friday and Saturdays, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. American Center, 24, Kasturba Gandhi Marg, New Delhi - 110001 Tel: 91-11-2347-2000.

www.maybach.org http://newdelhi.usembassy.gov

Back cover: Untitled, 24 x 36 inches, edition 5+1AP, 2009

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