1. What is your earliest memory of how or what attracted you to photography?
My father owns a photo frame shop. As a child, I used to visit it whenever I had a day off from school. There I encountered countless images from posters of Nepali landscapes to family photographs to photographs of the then royal family. All these places and people fascinated me. I used to make up stories of the people in the photographs – give them names, situations, get someone from a photograph married to another person from another photograph, kill the strangers in them. I have forgotten how most of those photographs looked but some are still etched in my memory like the smell of that damp, dark workshop my father used to spend most of his day in.
2. Did you study photography formally in a college or university? If so, what was your experience? If not, how did you inform yourself about the medium – the techniques, the language and the aesthetics of it?
I did not formally study photography. I did my bachelor’s in journalism and communication from Manipal Institute of Communication, Manipal, India. I was fortunate to be introduced to photo.circle fairly early on in my exploration of photography. I received most of my education and knowledge through the many workshops that were organized by photo.circle. The platform created by this organization has hugely helped and inspired many photographers like me.
3. If you were to design a photo program for young Nepalese photographers, what would it look like? Would it be a degree course? Workshop format? Mentorships?
I am a part of photo.circle, which amongst other things, has been conducting workshops for different levels of photographers over the past ten years. Having been a graduate of those programs and now involved in teaching them, I feel workshops are hugely instrumental and the most effective as they are intense, and one learns quite a lot in just a few weeks. Having said that, I do feel a need for long-term commitments with younger photographers as well, and we at photo.circle have been discussing the possibility of a longer term mentorship program – pairing young photographers with more experienced ones so that it’s a much more dedicated, designed and fruitful program catering to the needs of that particular photographer. For me the ideal design would be workshops to build a pool of dedicated photographers and a long-term mentorship program for taking them a step further in their practice.
4. Who or what has inspired you to pursue photography and/or continues to do so?
Photography is quite a new art form in Nepal. Though introduced in the 1800s by the British, in Nepal it remained in the hands of the elite for the better half of the 20th century. Photography as art or documentary is even younger. There are so many stories that need to be told in Nepal and this is what really pushes me. And as I’m involved in the community of young photographers, the community feeds itself. There are just so many inspirations around us that I can’t pinpoint one.
5. Is there a book, exhibition or body of work that has really impressed you and maybe influenced your work / life?
Ramesh and Manjul who traveled to many villages in Eastern Nepal in the 70s and 80s, collecting folk and traditional songs and playing revolutionary tunes to make the locals aware of the country’s oppressive regime have had a huge influence on me. Their songs played a vital role in most of the revolutions that have happened in Nepal since then.
Also, the novel On the Road by Jack Kerouac, the book Karnali Blues by Buddhi Sagar, and Rinko Kawauchi’s Illuminance are huge influences and continue to be inspiring.
6. What draws / drew you to the subject matter you are pursuing in your current work?
Curiosity. The first thing that draws me to any subject is primarily curiosity. When I read, hear, or see something that grabs my attention, I usually dig deeper and try to find out more on that subject. If I find enough to quench my curiosity, I leave it at that. If I think I won’t be able to add more to what is already available or add to the debate in any way, I usually don’t take it up.
I started the project Change of Course because of that. The village of Susta isn’t an uncommon name – it appears in snippets of news, or when the opposition (whoever that may be) wants to rile up the masses. However, what one usually hears is, just its name and the fact that it has been encroached upon by India and the erosion. I could not find what the people there thought about this encroachment or the erosion, its history, what the place or its people looked like. And that is why I decided to go there and see for myself. Though the experience was not so smooth in the beginning, the relationship continues to last up till now.
And it is the same with all my other projects as well.
7. You started working on your project Change of Course in 2011, while still a student. What interested you about this subject? How has the project evolved over the years in terms of the way you have photographed it and the way you look at the issue and how you understand it today?
I started work on this project in 2011, during a workshop organized by Oslo University College, Pathshala, and photo.circle. I was interested in Susta, the village where the project is based, because of all the news surrounding it. Susta isn’t an uncommon name, its name pops up every now and then in the news, especially during the monsoon season due to the floods caused and when the opposition (whoever that might be) wants to smear the government for not taking a stand against the Indian occupation. Even though the village of Susta was in the news ever so often, I had never seen how that village looked. I couldn’t find any photographs or videos of that place; I didn’t know how the people looked, what language they spoke or how the place looked. So, I decided to visit it and see it for myself. When I started, I had the burden of how the news had portrayed Susta, a poor desolate place battered by floods and a border dispute. As the village is quite remote, I had to travel for days, and as I got closer, I heard stories of it being filled with dacoits. The first time I reached Susta, I was viewed suspiciously and was taken to the police station for questioning. I had locals threatening me then. However, now the same person who threatened me has become a very good friend. My idea of this place has changed completely. Yes, the flooding continues, even though rare; the border dispute is still on, even though physical conflict hasn’t happened for almost a decade. There is no electricity, nor a bridge to connect it with mainland Nepal, it’s still so much more than that. It has its own complex history, stories, its nuances… but also it’s just a village like any other. For me this is the story.
In the beginning I photographed it in a very journalistic way, with harsh sunlight and bodies popping out of everywhere and cut off at odd places. I wanted to depict tension that way; but as I evolved as a photographer, and also as my understanding grew of the place, I took a slower approach. As my photographic knowledge broadened, I was exposed to more styles and I thought this approach conveyed what I wanted to say best. The erasure of horizon, an aloofness prompted by overexposure, I thought, would heighten the isolation that the village faces every day.
8. Congratulations on being a recipient of the World Press Photo Joop Swart Masterclass. How has this experience contributed to your practice?
It was quite a surprise to be selected for the Joop Swart Masterclass as, to be honest, I hadn’t expected it. I was thrilled and nervous at the same time. The experience was great. Since the photography scene in Nepal is young and slowly booming, even more so in 2016 when I was selected, it was a great opportunity for me to meet photographers, young and experienced, from all over the world. The diverse opinions of the mentors and participants to my work has been an eye opener. This led me to see my process in different ways, which was really helpful. One big relief for me was that every participant from different parts of the world had similar reservations, questions and doubts about their work. And that was a huge comfort and made me feel like I was part of the community. It was really good for networking, as well, and the friendships I’ve made there are still quite strong.
9. Do your projects typically run in parallel, or do you focus on one project at a time?
Most of my projects are long term and they run parallel to each other.
As I continued Change of Course, visiting the place at least once every year, I also started work on a new project, Mysterious Case of Pushpa and others, and continued to pursue work on my ongoing project, The New Silk Road. Along with this, I’m also involved in other things and media as well as this really helps in keeping me engaged in my stories. Ideas from one project tend to feed the other, as well.
My recent project on the memories of the war in Nepal, is heavily influenced by my research / archival / multimedia work in Fuzzscape, which explores folk and traditional music in different regions and communities in Nepal.
10. How do you measure success or that a body of work is going well?
This is where photo.circle comes in again. This platform also works as a collective where photographers come and discuss works of their own. This sharing of ideas helps us to gauge where we are at in our own work. I also share them with a close group of friends who aren’t afraid of being so critical – this can sometimes be paralyzing however it does help to bring perspective in the work.
I don’t know what success really means, but this process helps me to frame my work better.
11. Do you ever find yourself creatively ‘stuck?’ Is there something that is particularly helpful to you in overcoming this?
Yes, this is something that happens to me more often that I would like to believe. When it happens, I set that work aside and focus on something else, something completely different, usually something that doesn’t require as much effort – mentally, emotionally or psychologically. This helps me look at the work from a wider perspective, sometimes even in a new way which I wouldn’t have been able to if I were still engrossed in it. Reading also really helps me, not just related to work but a lot of fiction and poetry.
12. How much effort do you put into getting your work shown? Is this important to you? Does showing your work feed your creative process, or does it distract you from it?
Not as much as I should, unfortunately. I believe that it is very important for the work to be seen by others, but I don’t really put much effort into doing that.
13. Do you feel that there are adequate opportunities and avenues to share / show your work in your home country, or do you always look for such opportunities abroad?
The photography community in Nepal is very small with not many opportunities. There are only a few galleries that show even fewer photographic works. However, Photo Kathmandu is a great avenue for displaying work that wasn’t there before. It has been instrumental in drawing the spotlight on Nepali photography to the wider region. Slowly, new photography communities and groups are popping up which is very exciting. Having said that, I cannot deny that we do have to look abroad for opportunities, as well.
14. We know that fine art or documentary photography is not always enough to make a living. Some do commercial work, others teach. Are there other photography related areas that you work with in order to supplement your living? Some that you would recommend aspiring photographers to consider?
Along with photography, I’m also involved in a lot of different things. Along with my friends, I also run a multimedia production house called Fuzz Factory Productions, where we make videos for commercial clients including music videos, TVCs, documentaries etc. I’m the director of Fuzzscape, a project exploring traditional / folk music in different parts and communities of Nepal. I also teach workshops with photo.circle, and am a visiting faculty of photography at Kathmandu University Department of Art and Design.
I also do editorial assignments and assignments for donor organizations. I do recommend learning videos because it’s definitely a plus when it comes to getting assignments. Nowadays, I regret not being able to code because I think it really opens up possibilities for your image work both creatively and financially.
15. Digital technology has changed photography drastically over the last few years. Did you initially embrace the changes or resist them? Do you believe the changes have been good for the medium or not? Or has your experience in photography been only in the digital medium?
I did start my practice in film in the beginning but soon shifted to digital as it was getting difficult to buy films in Kathmandu and definitely expensive. If it wasn’t for the digital revolution, I don’t think I could have afforded to experiment as much as I have in photography.
16. Do you think there is a universal language that photography uses? Do you think that Nepalese photographers are finding that they are judged by western criteria and standards?
The language of photography definitely transcends boundaries, and in this aspect it is universal. But then again, the language of photography isn’t always simple and easily accessible to everyone. Even within political boundaries, there are boundaries it has created for itself. Even in textual literature there are easy readings and difficult readings, and that determines what its audience is. And in my opinion, it’s similar with photography.
Photography, barring a few examples, Europe or the U.S. has always determined the ‘trend.’ The works that follow that idea usually get recognition. The curators, editors, gallery owners in that region are considered supreme. It’s not only ‘Nepali’ photography that’s judged by this standard, photography everywhere else is judged, too. Is there a Nepali way to photograph? Is there a Nepali way to do anything? I doubt that. With so many languages, so many cultures, so many identities, Nepal itself is made of multiplicity, so I doubt if there is one voice that we speak.
17. With your years of experience (perhaps not that many) of the lessons you have learned, what is the one thing you wish someone had told you when you were starting out?
I so wish someone had told me to NOT RUN AFTER ‘A STYLE’ or ‘PERSONAL STYLE’ of photography. This idea of finding one’s voice in a particular style was something that I pushed myself to do. Sometimes forcing it on myself even when it wasn’t working. That just ended up frustrating me and doing injustice to my work. Later, I just tried to see what worked best for that particular story, it might not be the best way to say it, but at least now I don’t have the burden of forcing everything into one particular box. There are photographers who work in one style all their lives and I’m hugely influenced by a lot of them, but it just doesn’t work for me.
18. How has it been living through this lockdown period and the pandemic for you, in terms of your practice and /or producing work?
I have been doing some commissioned video work, however photographically not “working.” I have developed a new found interest in birds and have been photographing them a lot from terraces. Would I call that work? I don’t know. It’s definitely something that I really enjoy – the wait, the calm of the slowness of the process and then the identification of birds flipping the guidebook. Maybe that’s because these are photos I’m making without any baggage.
19. How would an interested collector go about buying your work?
They can contact me directly (prasiitsthapit@gmail.com).
20. If you didn’t do photography, what other career might you have pursued?
This is a tough one. I’ve thought about it quite a lot myself. There are quite a few careers I would have liked to pursue, though I have none or very little knowledge of them – like being a fiction writer, ornithologist, astrophysicist, a trumpeter, or a baker.
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Copyright © Rajan Shrestha
20 November