Yes! The Following the Box blog is back after an almost 2 year hiatus! This project is based on artists and curators Alan Teller and Jerri Zbiral’s chance discovery of a shoebox filled with 4×5″ negatives and prints made in India in 1945. It is a two part project: researching who might have taken the photos, finding the locations, wondering why; working with contemporary Indian artists to use the images as springboards for creativity. There’s a major exhibit, a smaller exhibit, a documentary film, a website and more. That’s what we’ll be writing about over the next few months that we will be spending in India.
We’ve been at this for a while. You can see our first blog about this remarkable project here: 2011 Blog.
Our most comprehensive and personal exploration can be found here: 2013-2014 Blog.
Our website tells the story, shows all the photos we found, shows the works of our participating artists, provides views of the exhibit, provides links to the extensive press coverage: Following the Box
Here is how we best sum up what has obsessed us for many years (we found the box 27 years ago!):
An estate-sale find of a shoebox filled with old photographs and negatives made in India in 1945 leads a Chicago couple half-way around the world. As they “follow the box” to try and unravel the mystery behind who took these compelling photos and for what purpose, they gather together contemporary Indian artists who each draw inspiration from these images and create new artworks in response. The resulting exhibit and film is a cross-cultural exploration of the power of art to reveal our different cultures and ourselves over time and space.
Following the Box - Part III 