Jul '12 - Jan '13
Almost 300 years ago, an astronomer by the name of Sawai Jai Singh II built 5 observatories. Jantar Mantar, in Delhi, is the largest of the five and now stands as a park in the middle of the business district. The Samrat Yantra, or 'King of Instruments,' is essentially a gigantic sundial. Its gnomon is a 65 foot high triangle pointing north and flanked by two semicircles on each side. The gnomon casts its shadow onto these semicircles, which mark the hours by its adjacent stairs.
Like much of Delhi, it is not well kept, and is falling into disrepair. Its current occupation is the hosting of obscure physical competitions by the young Indians who visit. Souvenirs are broken away, and names are left carved into the sun baked orange plaster.
Samrat Yantra
The sun's shadow is cast along this strip of white plaster. The stair to which it meets tells the time.
An Indo Inquisition is a thirteen-week train expedition across India. The journey will document the influences of international modernism and British occupation, as well as compare the effects of wealth accumulation, culture, religion, and poverty with economic growth and their effect on the built environment.
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