CHENNAI : After a long week, there’s no better way to unwind than with a scrumptious Sunday brunch. This weekend we were at Courtyard by Marriott’s ‘Picturesque Brunch’, a one-of-a-kind brunch which took both our taste buds and eyes on a gastronomic journey through the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and India. Devouring a piece of classic opera cake, créme brulee, pani puri, some shepherd’s pie and lamb navratan while looking at the works of three expat photographers, Hellmuth Conz, Adam Barr and Magali Couffon de Trevros that present India in all its glory, made the brunch all the more special.
“Our journey in bringing art and food together began earlier this year. After curating a successful first ‘Art meets food’ Sunday brunch in April, we are back with version 2.0. The concept was to display an array of work by photographers from different countries who have captured India’s essence, along with dishes inspired from all four countries. So, we will be serving cuisines from the UK, Germany and France in India’s plate,” says Stephen D’Souza, hotel manager.
Kettering-born Adam has travelled around the world, but is consumed and mesmerised by India. His series of work offers a glimpse at India’s variety, industry, rural life and landscapes. A picture of a 50-something-old man giving finishing touches to a drum frame caught our attention. “It was taken in Meerut in Uttar Pradesh.
India has such an amazing labour force...from where I come everything has become automated. To see this man manually create such a marvel inspired me,” says Adam as he talks about the photograph taken at Nadir Ali & Co, who for hundred years have been making weddings come alive with their brass instruments. After working as a video journalist at The Times in London until January 2017, Adam shifted to India and settled in Pune.
To Magali, living in India for the past 24 years has been an adventure. “Me coming to India and deciding to stay here was all serendipitous. I was on a backpack tour around the world in 1994 and India was my second stop. I landed in New Delhi and then I was offered a job in the textile industry. That’s how it began,” she says. After many trips and 15 years in textile industry, photography came naturally to her as she loved its flexibility and its unlimited options.
Her photographs are a mix of street and conceptual photography, and it connects us with its subjects through their reflection on a framed mirror. While her pictures make an aesthetic statement, she clarifies that it doesn’t have any metaphor attached to it. “It is poetic, but it could mean different things to different people. These works are products of 15 days of intensive work and were taken in parts of Bengaluru that are still untouched,” says the self-confessed colourist who captures colours, textures and backgrounds in a refreshing light. The series on display has been created in association with Christelle Flisch.
For Hellmuth, photography is about painting with light and understanding the equipment. “When you understand your equipment, you can arrive at photographs that are not only aesthetic but also technically pleasing,” says the 70-year-old who took to photography very early in life. Growing increasingly wary of commercial photography, he moved to India in 1997 and took up teaching positions in several colleges in Bengaluru.
He also runs a school of photography, Licht Learn with Light, in Bengaluru. His series showcases the fast-paced lives we lead. From images captured with long shutter speed to double exposure images, he plays with techniques in capturing various facets of motion and stillness.(The brunch will be held every Sunday till October 28 from 12.30 pm to 4 pm at Paprika Cafe, Courtyard by Marriott)