Which Of My Roots Have Rot?
An Analysis of Culture
Photography and Direction: Pranav Volety

Which of my roots have rot? Daily, I struggle with maintaining latency. How does one view an object with unwavering resolve while privy to the history an item may contain and witness. When I observe my own upbringing, I witness the slow corruption of many a tradition. Yet, I continue to hold my ground for tradition’s sake. This “corruption” falls under the umbrella of extrinsic forces that are adamant on harming and appropriating culture. At the center of this series is the exploration of what traditions and ideas have been struck down and corrupted by the presence of imperialist and extrinsic forces in my upbringing. My analysis is primarily

Noticing the nature of marriages in preceding familial generations, I can easily conclude normalized, harmful dynamics are present. My job isn’t only to notice these issues and address them but to also work on my own relationships and ideals. The impetus for this project was noticing the classic Indian-American artist cliche of “chai” being the vessel of love unexpressed from your guardians. Chai and its hidden love is an almost uniform theme for the initial work of Desi artists, yet it can be a superficial meditation of love. An unbiased analysis of this reveals the very distinct gender roles and packed history that is “teatime” in India. We see the labor of a lower class, processing and outsourcing of our resources, divisions in gender roles in a household, and the resilience within the spirit to continue cultivating our traditional ideals regardless of the appropriation.

In this project, I aim to delineate various traditions and products that have been corrupted by imperialist workings. These traditions, practices, and products are to be depicted in their unaltered and “corrupted” state through studio photography with interpolations of form and color. Within an object analysis, jewelry, fabrics, cuisine, and other cultural artistic expressions and their harmful associations are readily available for critique. My aim is to provide a setting for the subject matter through photos of objects and traditions in their intended format, contrasted with depictions of the oppressive labor and history involved in upholding them. I aim to highlight the intricacies of the objects and tradition through studio work that comprises primarily of closeup imagery focused on texture and color.

This photo work is primarily backed by research and collection of texts and entries from Indian-Americans of the past and present, leading the viewer to understand the significance through scanned text that accompanies the photographs. I plan to also make studio photographs of various Western traditions and designs by contrasting Indian inspiration with imperialist dilutions of the origins (porcelain teacups for tea compared to mud/clay cups). Consequently, adding archival video to be played alongside the photographs may indicate the focus of the project to be on the consequences of colonizing a culture rather than highlighting the existence of the process.