Let Me Capture Your World: The Maharajas | Nicolas Henry

  • France
  • 2017
  • en
  • [cc]
  • 52'

"My images are like fairy tales. I create an imaginary world to tell the story of the people I meet," explains Nicolas Henry, whom Sibylle d’Orgeval followed to India, from Gujarat to Rajasthan. Received in three families of maharajas, the artist appropriates the memory of lineages and local traditions then stages them in installations that he photographs, thus composing a mental image imbued with modernity.

Let Me Capture Your World: The Maharajas | Nicolas Henry
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Synopsis

"My images are like fairy tales. I create an imaginary world to tell the story of the people I meet," explains Nicolas Henry, whom Sibylle d’Orgeval followed to India, from Gujarat to Rajasthan. Received in three families of maharajas, the artist appropriates the memory of lineages and local traditions then stages them in installations that he photographs, thus composing a mental image imbued with modernity.

What you will find in this film

A dreamlike universe • Baroque staging • A collaborative practice • The memory of the Maharajas and their current life • Well-anchored traditions • Family histories • Inter-cultural exchanges • Royal architecture • Masters and servants • A reassembled palace • The tradition of highlights in India • A travelling studio • The art of recovery • Ambitious installations • Good use of flash • Fisheye or 24mm • The constraints of working in situ • A giant patchwork • Preparatory sketches • A photographic tour

We'll build a little plane for Shiva, and Shiva will play the part of his grandfather.

Film chapters

summary02:11 Ranjit Vilas Palace, Wankaner, Gujarat

summary16:53 Bhinai Palace, Rajasthan 

summary34:30 Ritu and Surya Singh, Jaipur, Rajasthan

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Further exploration

Bibliography

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CABANES IMAGINAIRES AUTOUR DU MONDE - WORLDS IN THE MAKING – Author: Nicolas Henry; Albin Michel; 2016 (In French)

LES CABANES DE NOS GRANDS-PARENTS – Author: Nicolas Henry; Actes Sud; 2011 (In French)