Human Environment Night-time Interactions in Kathmandu

Using the oil blockade crisis in Nepal as his backdrop, Jatin Gulati’s night walks around Kathmandu aim to unveil the relationship between the cityscapes and their inhabitants.

Using the oil blockade crisis in Nepal as his backdrop, Jatin Gulati’s night walks around Kathmandu aim to unveil the relationship between the cityscapes and their inhabitants.

Walking the city at the dark hour, one could hear the wails of the dogs as if the city awaits its disheartened passerby. ‘On a dark-dark night, I could almost hear her’ is a chimerical conversation between the city and the dweller.

Referring to the Oil Blockade crisis that happened in the landlocked country Nepal in 2015, the work transcends to a time of ‘stillness’ which is seen as a microscopic image of the coexistence of personal and the political.

Unveiled by the mysterious light of the night – occult and hopeful – the recurring resilience of nature to exist against the will of the built environment offers a reflection on humans dis(mis)connection with the environment, dependency on the machine and the loss of the warmth. Exploring the subjects of relationship, conflict and freedom with the subtext of the incident of the past, it allows speculative thoughts – whispered between the 'two' – to intervene in the narrative.

Words and Pictures by Jatin Gulati.

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Jatin Gulati is a visual artist graduated from the Pathshala South Asian Media Institute, with a background in architecture. His work often explores the overlap of history, lived experiences and speculations unveiling non-place territories. He was selected as one of the ‘top 12 graduates to watch’ in 2020 by Phmuseum. He is currently living and working in Delhi, India. Find him on PHmuseum and Instagram.

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This feature is part of Story of the Week, a selection of relevant projects from our community handpicked by the PHmuseum curators.