Ship of Theseus

How come your doctor back home allowed

so much time after the first surgery?

No, I just felt that…

it would be too painful to go through another operation back then.

Keep your head straight, child.

You mean emotionally?

Yeah.

Besides it's also rare for people to donate eyes back home.

Religious prejudice?

Is this the coughing man?

Are you going to do anything about it?

Yeah.

What are you doing?

That looks nice.

But which one do you like better?

This one or… - Edit

Undo - this one?

Show me again.

Edit

Redo

Hmm… that looks better.

Do you want the background so dark?

Yeah.

Maysoon said you've been featured in today's Al Haram.

Yeah, they did a phone interview.

I am so excited! I wish I could be present.

I'll send you pictures and videos from the exhibition.

Is he coming? - Is who coming?

Of course, he is! Mom, come on!

I won't put my bets on a man…

who lives in the same city as his daughter and sees her ten times in two years!

You say these things about each other…

and then behave like everything is normal…

laughing and bitching like teenagers!

That's a healthy romantic idea you have about your parents.

Vinay, hello dear! - Hi Hala!

How are you?

I'm Okay. I'm Okay.

Is grunge in again? - Grunge? Well, I'm just lazy.

You never sent me the animation you made. - Oh, I'll send it to you… very soon.

And have you recorded any new songs? - Yeah, we did. I'll send them across too.

And how is your Arabic? - Pink. Fantastic. What-the-hell!

I'm working on it.

How is your mother?

She is very good. She sends her regards.

Uncle, what are these?

Those are bamboos. They hold the building together.

They are holding the building together? - Yeah.

How come?

Bright orange. Deep yellow.

Bright orange

Red.

What?

I was just seeing where you are.

Red.

Aunty, is this glass?

Yes.

I'll close it for a second okay?

And I just hung around in their house and explored the spaces…

and I let them just be as they were and…

then I was really intrigued by the kid. He was really friendly and…

I just kept following him and that's when one of those pictures was clicked.

So, you mentioned in your website that you actually took up photography…

after you lost your eyesight to a cornea infection. -Yeah, true.

Why photography?

Well, first to document, archive, and remember.

Then, to kind of… explore, understand and see.

So, I guess all art evolves from a need to record the apparent…

to a need to capture the essence?

That's very well put. I mean that's exactly how it's been for me.

When I first started taking pictures…

I was very much amused by the character of the perfumer in Suskind's novel.

Just the idea of a man trying to capture every scent…

starting from people to surroundings to experiences.

You know, it was very much amusing.

That's a very interesting analogy.

Why black and white?

It just gives me more control over the elements of my pictures.

But do you ever feel limited by anything?

Umm… No!

That's… that's amazing.

Is it? I mean… why is it so amazing to not have limits or doubts?

Honestly, I just can't wait to begin my life as a photographer.

But you are a photographer… I mean, you're a good photographer!

Hello!

Hi! - Hi.

Is that your house? - Yes!

So, I hear ducks, and lots of animals. Are they inside?

Yes.

Orlando! Are you ready?

Yeah.

Aunty, can you start splashing?

I will take the pictures from there, okay?

And I just want you to splash the water on this side.

Yeah, this one is quite an image.

Alright, there's a very small pond at the bottom.

And…

there are four ducks swimming in four opposite directions.

And the one in the center is frozen in the middle of its flapping of the wings.

There's one sitting at the corner of the pond, away from us.

It's wet.

And there's one flying in to the frame from the right,

and one flying in to it from the left.

Wait, it's actually a pair.

And the woman?

Oh, she's right behind the pond.

standing upright…

looking towards the top left corner of the image.

And… she is splashing water in the same direction as well.

She's got some sort of a contraption on her left hand.

Yeah… it was sprained.

Well, it's giving her character.

And what about the background?

There are a lot of trees in the background.

Small house… with a gable roof.

Gable roof?

A sloped roof.

And what about the light?

I like the way the light is falling. It's sort of angular,

coming down from top left and behind.

I think the background would have looked better with lesser elements.

It's just too crowded at the moment, I think.

Also, there are yellow pillow cases.

Yellow?

Yeah. It doesn't work as well in black & white as it does in color.

Why were you looking at the colored version?

I was curious.

Okay, so will you vectorize it please?

It doesn't work as well with all the elements in the image…

to be brought down to a line drawing.

Yeah, I know I'd miss most of the details. I'd still like to see it though.

Sure. Yeah.

Do you want to see another one?

Stop… Stop! Reverse… Reverse.

See, there's one where the guy in the right side…

is actually being covered by a passing rickshaw.

And you can only see his…

right hand pointing accusingly at the other guy.

I think that's the one. It looks nice. - No, leave it.

What?

Why?

Doesn't sound exciting to me.

But… It's a crazy moment here. It's nice.

Will you start making the sauce? It'll be forever before we eat.

All I am saying is that it's a very good image.

It's accidental.

Oh, please! Don't start that again. - Don't start the "don't start again".

All I am saying is you don't have to

be in conscious control of your art all the time.

You can be intuitive. - It is intuitive.

I am not writing intellectually stimulating essays here.

I am very much aware I am just taking pictures.

Well, then? - Then what?

What's your problem? - I don't have one.

What's your problem with this picture?

I don't even know this picture. What's your hang-up?

Look, I just feel you're throwing away…

a brilliant piece of your art just because of a stupid hang-up.

I don't like it. That's why I am dumping it. Is that fair enough for you?

Okay, let me just give you a perfect description, alright?

Let's vectorize or etch it…

and write a piece of poem to capture the essence, and then you decide.

No. - What "no"?

Listen, these are the things I depend on, right?

I have to draw opinion and assurance about my own art from what others say.

Yes, but you've continued to produce great work…

Says who?

Says everybody.

Who the hell is everybody? Everyone is so fucking stupid.

They watch stupid soap operas. They fight over religion and ideas.

What are we arguing about?

Okay, I'll tell you what…

Remember the other day at my parents' when…

Uncle Kumar was talking about the orchestra I shot for?

Remember what he said? - That he thought they were alright, so?

No no. He said something to the effect of…

that he was wondering whether it was the music…

Let me finish first.

What's it got to do with Kumar Uncle anyway?

Let me finish my sentence!

You don't even know what I am going to say. - Okay, make the point.

I know where this is going… - NO!

So, fight alone then… if you already know where it is going.

Okay, what did he say?

Okay, he said something to the effect of…

that he didn't know whether it was the music that was being

celebrated or the fact that they were all blind.

I knew that you were going to say this. I was there.

He didn't say anything like that.

Fine! Good for you. I was hallucinating!

Besides, why would he say something like that?

Why are you being so obtuse?

I am being obtuse? That's very nice!

No… I can't understand why

each time I have doubts… - I don't want to go there…

Exactly! Just being a lesser dramatic will help!

Every time it doesn't have to be this drama.

I am just so fucking scared of what will trigger off…

another unending phase of painful introspection…

and I'll be left outside, guessing what the fuck you're going through.