Read more about Katherine Newbegin in this recent interview with Photogrill.
I found this cinema in Kolkata, India. When I took this photograph, a group of fifty men stood immediately to my left and watched me work. In a way, it almost felt like a performance.
In the Spring of 2010, I began a new project photographing cinemas in India. Although, I had not intended to pursue this project, upon arrival, I realized how quickly India is being altered by the intense economic growth and the loss of these small, single screen cinemas represents the epitome of this change. The fulcrum of the project lies in the exploration of the architecture, which is informed by the human relationships that took place in these spaces, but now only remain in the evidence left behind. The cinema architecture holds a stifling sense of deadness, as if it were a museum. The lingering chairs, ancient posters, and well-worn furniture act as a conduit into a displaced time.
Wandering is a crucial element to the process of making this work. I usually hear by word of mouth the location of the cinemas or cities that would be interesting for my work. Mostly I travel alone and I often spend several days not speaking to anyone. The photographs act as a documentation of a deep isolation and experimentation, which is reached during these travels.
