2 Silent Dialogue

In May 2013 I spent 10 days meeting and photographing small traders, shopkeepers within this area of Ahmedabad . These photographs and interview transcripts are part of an on-going dialogue between myself (the photographer), and the traders of the Pol community. The work documents, and celebrates the rich heritage, embodied and preserved through these people who work there.

Using ideas around portraiture and vernacular photography, Silent Dialogue is both a documentation and celebration of a vibrant community, culture and heritage. With the act of photography being the meeting point. Using a slow, formal photographic approach, the process and ritual of being photographed becomes a point of connection between photographer and subject. For the subject this is an invitation to present themselves, within very familiar and everyday surroundings (normally their shop or workspace) , to meet the camera and help to create a document, a moment of pride, dignity and honesty . For the photographer, the photographs are a celebration of the people who contributes to the everyday vibrancy of the culture and community.