MindHeartSoul is a presentation derived from my family photo archives spanning over seven decades. While it is essentially a photobook project, MindHeartSoul was inspired after I revisited the archives not via a timeline or historical context, but more as a subconscious journey wherein I organised the photos based on how the subject of an image resonated with me . That’s how the context of these varied portraits evolved into reflections of the mind, heart and soul.
Statesmen and leaders appealed to the mind, entertainers and artists touched the heart while mystics and gurus elevated the soul.
Robert Kennedy, Indira Gandhi, Sean Connery, Vinod Khanna, Amitabh Bachchan, Lata Mangeshkar, Persis Khambatta, Priyanka Chopra, Mumtaz, Dev Anand, Muhammad Ali, Osho and many more… these were no longer just famous names but emotional connections which had come alive, each with a unique backstory in how we as a family connected with them.
As a lens-based artist, I had an enriching experience in traversing through the treasure that is analog photography especially considering that these photos in various formats – slides, prints, negatives – survived decades of extreme temperature, humidity and dust as they remained tossed away in unmarked boxes.
But it was a meeting of the analog and the digital which made this journey so rewarding. Digital scanning was the driving engine and here I give full props to the wizardry of the SilverFast software used with the trusty Epson Perfection V700 Photo scanner. Color restoration was even more breathtaking which literally brought many images back to life.
The final product in the shape of a landscape book featuring high quality photo paper was created via digital print-on-demand offered online by VistaPrint.
While I was planning to do this project for many years, there was one major inspiration which galvanised me into action. In October 2023, the Film Heritage Foundation held a workshop in New Delhi on restoring films, photos and documents as part of their long-running series of workshops in various cities which featured leading international experts from various fields. I am grateful to FHF Director Shivendra Singh Dungarpur who invited me to get a feel of the workshop for a day where I attended the various sessions including one on restoring archival photos. That was the spark I needed to take the plunge into an ocean of images and introspect to arrive at a balance of Mind Heart and Soul.
The real reward is in sharing this experience and to see people discovering their own truth as they travel through time. The experience can end up reflecting a valuable insight by Osho – “Witnessing is the art of transcending the world.”
– Nyay Bhushan
Nyay Bhushan 