Snapshots of the UK — its lush highlands, marvellous architecture, busy streets and various moods formed the visuals of Unplugged: The Best of the UK. The three-day photography exhibition, in collaboration with Indo-British Scholars’ Association (IBSA) and Bengal Heritage Foundation (BHF) held at ICCR from March 10 to 12, was part of the Great British Season that the British Deputy High Commission Kolkata is hosting to celebrate the United Kingdom and India’s shared living bridge.
Peter Cook (extreme right), acting British Deputy High Commissioner to Kolkata with Amit Sengupta (extreme left) and Subrata Paul, president IBSA, at Unplugged: Best of the UK
A glimpse of the photographs displayed at ICCR
Taken by 19 photographers from Calcutta and London, the exhibition comprised 84 photographs. The photography exhibition was conceived by Amit Sengupta of the British Deputy High Commission and Saptarshi Kar of Indo-British Scholars’ Association. Sengupta, who had studied photography in college and who went to the UK in 2019, captured the various moods of the region. He said: “I went for a course from my office and I utilised my free time there to capture beautiful monuments, streets, and the transport system of the place. There’s symmetry in every corner and it’s a photographer’s paradise. I also went to Edinburgh and Glasgow, so I could capture nature and architecture as well. I am thrilled that the pictures that were just lying in my hard disk for so many years finally got an opportunity for public viewing.”
Talking about the exhibition that took place for the first time, Peter Cook, acting British Deputy High Commissioner to Kolkata said: “This is a wonderful project put together by the Indo-British Scholars’ Association and Bengal Heritage Foundation and a number of them got together to share photographs of their experience in the cities of the UK. Many of them are gifted. Their perspective of the country is very impressive and it’s almost like visiting Britain while coming to this exhibition as they give a glimpse of London, Scotland and also some of the hills and countryside. It captures a very powerful glimpse of the modern-day UK along with some historical architecture. So, it’s a vivid and colourful capture.”