Performing Intersections

We were commissioned by the Chennai Photo Biennale Foundation to create an exhibition design for their international photography biennale.

The exhibition was planned to take place at an arts venue that dates back to 1855. The first photography department in South East Asia was established here, what is now known as the Government College of Fine Arts, Chennai. Its pioneering role in formulating the Indo-Saracenic Architecture movement became the starting point of our design script.

We wanted the exhibition space to initiate a social dialogue that will make this historical institution more relatable. The concept was to speculate a uniform spatial rhythm whilst maintaining the distinct individual worlds of the artists represented on the walls of the structure. In contrast to the existing monolithic structure, the installation acts as a device for the audience to experience art works in their entirety, as well as maintaining a sense of fluidity while moving through the space. The visual ambiguity and spatial continuity evoke a feeling of walking through a city of arches; an intimate journey punctuated by moments of pause.