The sea of life

An ordinary, gruelling workday turned into an extraordinarily enjoyable one for the daily wage workers in this photograph. At the time of hiring, the only information conveyed to them was that they were going to be photographed on the beach by Subodh Kerkar, an Indian artist.

For Kerkar, the ocean has been a recurring theme for 20 years. He has created "ephemeral" installations on beaches using shells, sand, light and boats. This time he employed men to depict the inseparable connection between fishermen and the sea.

Aptly titled The Shoreline, he says, the photograph captures this concept of inseparability and shows how lives of fishermen are anchored on the shore.

"I tried different combinations and postures with 40 workers.
I clicked photos throughout the day," says Kerkar, who
experiments with different media and has created a niche in the field of land art and installation.

His protean direction resulted in different formations: of a boat with arms outstretched like oars, fish with hands representing bones, and in a queue to seek the blessings of the sea. By sunset, the workers who usually inure drudging work told him they had never worked in this manner before.

This photograph was taken at 10am with a Canon 5D camera at Morjim beach in Goa, India. Kerkar decided on the location because "the area is fairly deserted in November and devoid of commercial symbols of branded paraphernalia".

The Shoreline is part of his exhibition* Anchored Ocean which opens next week. He says, "My whole life is connected to the ocean. The sea has been my teacher, friend, inspiration and medium."

* Anchored Ocean will run from April 29 to June 6 at
The Jamjar, Dubai.

– By Carolina D'Souza, Lifestyle Features Coordinator, Friday