Prema Murthy

DEEP TIME I is part one of a three-part video installation by artist Prema Murthy. It integrates the mathematical language of geometry, line and angle with the play of shadow and light. Moving image and sound become a visual tone poem rooted in an abstract, minimalist aesthetic that bridges the earthly with the cosmic.

DEEP TIME I was filmed at the Jantar Mantar Astronomical Observatory in New Delhi, India. Built in the 18th century by Maharaja Jai Singh II in the 18th century. The video features five massive stone instruments designed for naked-eye observation of celestial bodies and astronomical calculations.

The filming of DEEP TIME I took place over the course of several days. Each morning the artist would arrive at the site before dawn to catch the light as the sun rose over the massive geometric structures. The project slowly unfolded as a meditation on the past, future and present simultaneously. Originating from a still point within that reaches out into infinity, DEEP TIME I ponders the nature of stacked timelines like layers of rock, soil and mineral and the celestial forces that continually shape it.

CREDITS:

Director and Cinematography: Prema Murthy

Editor: Anita Chao

Sound: Myda El-Maghrabi

Accompanying the video installation is a series of 12 archival digital prints in a limited edition of 3. Black and White, 17” x 22”, 2023-25.