She came to Kolkata as a US diplomat, but will soon leave the city as an inspired lensman. Having served the three years’ tenure of a US Consul General since July 2008, Beth A. Payne is set to bid adieu to her “second home”.
But before she departs, she pays a heart-warming tribute to the city that received her with open arms and nestled her creativity via her candid camera.
A flurry of 40 snapshots in both black-n-white and colour is rightly captioned as the “Face of Bengal” and currently adorns the walls of the swanky, spacious art gallery — The Harrington Street Arts Centre at
the heart of the culture capital.
After lighting the inaugural lamp to unveil the solo show of this talented young snapper, eminent painter Jogen Chowdhury raves about her appreciating skills.
“A foreigner’s analytical vision is somewhat different from a compatriot’s. An expat’s powerful perspective can X-ray elements which are otherwise invisible at a superficial level. Beth’s body of work truly reflects this significant trait and holds onto something special for the viewers to gaze at,” he says.
“The first photo I remember having clicked was of my classmates, back in school for our yearbook with my Minolta
SLR,” reveals Payne.
Her photo-fetish gathered steam, while she was at the university, at the behest of a fellow student and special friend. “However, several years ago, as I struggled to recover from a post-traumatic stress disorder after serving in Iraq, I learnt that photography exerts a therapeutic effect on the mind. I then rediscovered my unused, old, abandoned Minolta. A sense of calmness dawned upon me. And I decided to reinforce my besotting hobby,” recollects Payne with a satisfied smile.
Drawing parallels between the diversity of her home-state Pennsylvania and Kolkata’s old-world charms, Payne says that she carried her Canon 7-D digital SLR, scurrying through a maze of teeming boulevards, avenues, narrow lanes, and dingy blind alleys
of the erstwhile British capital.
“The mad morning rush, the maddening din, hustle and bustle of daily commuters and their conveyances plying on the roads with horns blowing at a deafening loudness, stitch up a befitting collage of a cityscape,” says the self-taught photographer.
Kolkata’s football is also prominently present in
her exhibits, but the other trademark poster of politics
is visibly conspicuous by
its absence from the array.
“I chose not to incorporate it. This is one area which I’ve deliberately left to the people of Bengal. But having said that I’ve subtly included the bandh in one of the titled specimens,” she explains.
“The city is blessed with unique light and prismatic hues. I can at ease experiment with the jugglery of light-n-shadow and colours in abundance. Noticeably, there is also a dominant place for strong women and their values in my pictures -— be it a farmer’s wife, a woman from a well-heeled society or the Durga idol.
The camera uninhibitedly offers me an opportunity to connect and bond well with the people to record their emotions laced with untold stories,” she shares.
Assimilating faces and places galore, Payne’s album of fond memories also provides an ample space for playful children captured in their varied postures and moods.
“Children always speak the truth. They never hide behind a facade. They are the real human beings,” she acknowledges affectionately.
The works will remain on view till June 24 from 12 noon to 7 pm, daily (excluding Sundays).