[ad_1]
Ask Laksh Puri.
If you’ve never heard of the Raulane festival celebrated in Kalpa, Himachal Pradesh, chances are you’ve still scrolled through a set of incredibly immersive images of brightly veiled figures, clad in jewelery and veils, writhing in emotion. A group effort between adventure travel photographer Laksh Puri and his close-knit community, these photos from March have now, several months later, captured the internet’s waning fascination and obsession.
But these aren’t the first set of ‘viral’ images you’re hearing about. Nor will they be the last. Laksh – who is very grateful to his real and virtual community, claims his authorship on the frames on his behalf – sadly, when it comes to the repetitive cycle of ‘content’ going viral, without a creator it is the exception, not the norm.
Laksh Abhi, is in search of the kind of performance and interaction that most artistes crave for. But it’s hard to ignore that what gave rise to it in the first place was uncredited, faceless appropriation. Photography is art, and the only way the art grows is to reach people – but how does one use blurred lines like these? And how does it feel to be free of the burden of telling everyone that these whirlwind moments captured by your vision and lens are actually yoursEven if just for a hot minute.
“As artists, virginity is not what we look for,” says Laksh; “It’s just about authenticating your work. Our job is to paint art, to tell our story. These photos are everywhere now, but how they got there isn’t great, right?”
As photographers, where else should Laksh and others like him do their work apart from the internet? He says it best, “This is our shop, digital.” But the experience of ‘going viral’, especially in this context, seems to carry its own burden. Speaking about himself and his community of Lens artists, Laksh says, “We are well known in our field. Everyone has been around for years. So going viral has never been the motivation. We’re posting almost everyday. It’s not even about the money. Even if it’s not coming, we’re still out to explore, to capture. That’s what we do best.”
In reality, appropriation is just a fancy word for theft. “This is digital theft. Our work is our soul, it is our work. My photos define me. It is our inspiration. And when things like this happen, it breaks our hearts. If you really want to appreciate our work, talk about us, acknowledge us. Artists need to be recognized better, so they know their work has value. They will learn to continue their efforts, to keep doing good work. If anything, this is proof That one picture is enough.” “Storytelling can impact a lot of people.”
Apparently, the Internet is completely a democracy. So much so, that exercising tyranny over a small portion of someone else is not only possible, but a repetitive, self-fulfilling cycle. At a time when almost every little part of us is on the ‘gram or the cloud, is authorship even a real concept anymore?
[ad_2]
