India Time

1987, 45:54 min, color, sound

India Time — the first in the Distance of the Outsider series — is a direct observation of everyday life in India, recorded during the artist's extended travels. Challenging the conventional ethnographic documentation of a non-Western culture by a Western observer, Feingold questions objectivity, subjectivity and the representation of cultural otherness. Eschewing an interpretative or narrative voice, his camera records people at work, engaged in the daily activities of labor. The steady rhythm, repetition and concentration of the gestures, recorded in real time, acquire a visual poetry. The viewer is always aware of the presence of the artist as a subjective observer of culture and place.

Camera/Sound/Editor: Ken Feingold. Assistance: Francine Zerfas. CMX Editor: Tom Crawford.