When words fall short to describe the place we visit, photography comes to our aid. It’s a right medium to celebrate the instantaneity of a moment and to also preserve it for posterity in due course. Aruna Chandaraju’s photography show ‘Voyage with the lens’ at Alliance Francaise takes you to nearly eight countries with diverse French influences, from Belgium to UK to Poland, Mauritius and beyond.
From capturing vivid moods at several cultural sites in these countries to celebrating man-made beauty, the show’s primary focus remains cultural diversity. Most of the destinations here are indeed photographic treasures, although there’s much to it beyond the image-meeting-the-eye.
Some of the sites here include The Temple of Debod at Madrid, Grand Place Square at Brussels (Belgium), moments from the Float Annual Carnival, Seychelles and the historic Mother Mary Statue, Spain.
“Most of the photographs here, though not in France, celebrate a unique French culture to date. My heart lies in the cultural side of each of these places. Having learnt music and dance, my mind is always tuned towards that dimension. Though I’d love to have spent more time here, my work doesn’t allow me to. I do my best from the limited time I have during my official trips,” the self-taught photographer Aruna Chandaraju states.
Aruna uses simple cameras mostly in the auto-mood for her captures, she goes onto say that not a single photograph of hers has been digitally touched/beautified to date. She keeps herself updated with contemporary techniques by glimpsing at award-winning photographs from time to time. (‘Voyage with the Lens’ is on at Alliance Francaise, Banjara Hills till December 16)