Arpit Nigam

Student. Photographer. Explorer.

[arpit-nigam]

Updates

Hello everyone, 

I just wanted to let everyone know that I am currently migrating my portfolio from tumblr to a new website I’m designing and will be launching. As my main focus has switched to launching my website, this page isn’t fully up to date with all of my latest projects. 

Thank you for your patience during this time, and if you’re interested in my work, keep an eye on arpitnigam.com for updates! 

Cheers!

[arpit-nigam]

I am OK. 

I am OK is a short video which takes the viewer through a panic attack, helping them to understand the feelings of anxiety, stress and paranoia that people feel during these distressing events. 

This video is not meant to be an objective depiction of a panic attack, as all panic attacks are different due to personal history and cause, but, I hope to provide some insight into this disorder by sharing my experience with these episodes. My experience with panic attacks begins with a sense of being overwhelmed by my surroundings, unable to control my thoughts, feelings or emotions as the fear or anxiety takes over. My brain, attempting to resolve the danger it perceives, begins to take in and process as much information as it can, which ultimately makes the problem worse.

This video was shot is one continuous take then cut and edited together to convey my perception of reality during an attack. A considerable amount of the sound-scape of the video had to be spliced together in post, as sound is often an overwhelming part of my experience during a panic attack. Gathering all the sounds my ears picked up and hyper-focused on while filming proved difficult, so a considerable amount of work went into gathering sounds from the environment after the filming of each take. The audio component of this piece was greatly inspired by the work of Canadian artist and sound designer Janet Cardiff and her sound walks.  

This video uses rhythmic background hum to create a sense of unease, which builds as the volume increases. This sound plays a key role in helping the viewer get into my mind during this video as it is almost imperceptible when it begins to play, but the viewer feels a sense of pressure almost instantly when the sound begins. This sound combined with the cinematography of the piece help to create a sense of paranoia and being overwhelmed due to sensory overload. The intensity builds as the situation begins to get overwhelming and a high pitched whine begins to play and the background noise is overshadowed by the immense sound, building the anxiety further. The increase in intensity is mirrored by the cinematography becoming more erratic and disoriented, reflecting my emotional state at this stage of an attack. Finally, I am able to find a place which is quiet and feels relatively safe to deal with the situation properly and prevent myself from being overwhelmed further. With the help of my wristwatch, I am able to regulate my breathing, reminding myself that my brain is overreacting by saying my mantra to calm myself down. When I feel calm enough to handle moving on, I get up and check the time and walking towards the subway; a reminder that life doesn't stop even for a panic attack and I have to keep on moving forward.

Thank you very much for watching my video, I hope that it helped to provide you with a new insight into what it means to experience a panic attack.

Please remember, if you’re dealing with mental health issues, homelessness or any other issue, you are never alone. There are lots of people you are able to talk to; if you live in Canada, you can follow this link which connects directly to Crisis Services Canada’s website, the perfect first step on a path to recovery. We can make it through this, together, I believe in you.

[arpit-nigam]

“As Long as it Works”

For me, this piece holds a lot of sentimental value, as it is a persistent representation of all of the various memorable injuries I have sustained to my, now, nondominant hand. 

The piece is a composite of multiple casts of both of my hands, which were shattered, mixed together and then carefully pieced back together using thin copper rods welded, bent and glued together. Each piece was selected carefully, with thought given to each imperfection in the mould to ensure that it reflected the severity of the injury both physically and emotionally. Certain areas are left without a plaster mould, which reflects how much those injuries mean to me. I look back on some injuries--such as the area missing from the lower half of my palm--with a great sense of nostalgia as they were the results of positive and formative experiences in my life. 

However, they are also a reflection of how I view my mental health, barely holding itself together, which is reflected in the style of the piece. Copper corrodes and the method in which the repairs have been conducted, do not lend themselves to longevity, but that doesn't matter, as long as I am able to make it through the next little bit... Then we can implement a quick fix. You know how at that one place you worked, there was this odd solution to a problem, for me it was starting a generator. We knew the generator needed to be repaired but we didn’t have the time to pull it from active service and fix it properly, so we developed a method of starting it involving a screwdriver and, what was probably an OSHA violation or two. We knew it would break eventually, that it didn’t solve our problems for good, but that didn’t matter as long as we managed to get the current job done. In the same way, it doesn’t matter if the current set of fixes holds, as long as I am able to make it through whatever is coming at me, right now. 

If you’re dealing with mental health issues, homelessness or any other issue, please remember, you are never alone. There are lots of people you are able to talk to; if you live in Canada, you can follow this link which connects directly to Crisis Services Canada’s website, the perfect first step on a path to recovery. We can make it through this, together, I believe in you. 

-Arpit Nigam Student. Photographer. Artist. Above all else, a friend.

[arpit-nigam]

A Month in My Head

A short video that tries to explore my experience of the world through my memories, trying to convey feelings of claustrophobia with time, stress and the excitement that comes with this new chapter in my life of attending OCAD. This video was inspired by I Touched her Legs by Eva Rødbro. 

The photo series featured in the video (What we Choose to Forget): https://arpitnigam.com/post/178771211451/what-we-choose-to-forget

Video Sequence of What We Choose to Forget: https://youtu.be/oss4VSad77o

Thank you very much for taking a look at my work! I hope you have a nice day and remember, you're never alone in this world. Things will get better, all we have to do is march on and focus on improving ourselves.

[arpit-nigam]

What We Choose to Forget

Before you begin to read my artist statement, please take a moment to appreciate the work, and attempt to imagine what is behind each block of colour.

My concept for this piece was based around memory and what we choose to remember and therefore, what we choose to forget about the world around us. I decided to use bright, pure colour blocks to censor out the things we choose to forget, to draw attention to them. The first image in the sequence (Green Rectangle), is censoring out a man handing out fliers near Dundas Square. While this is a regular occurrence in this area, most people would be lost when asked to recall what the man was handing out, what he was attempting to market and, almost certainly, why he was doing so. To many, the man may as well not exist, for how little effect he has on their life in the brief moment he interacts with them and therefore, our brains choose not to remember him. The next image (Blue Rectangle), is of Mike, a homeless man who lost the life he once had after a series of unfortunate events. He lost his job, then his family and after moving from Ottawa to Toronto, the last of the money he had attempting to find work here. He had the little belongings which were left to him, stolen by another person doing their best to survive on the streets. I spent over an hour speaking with and photographing him, learning his story and the troubles he faces, how he is working hard to recover from the theft, find a job and put a roof over his head. In that time only a handful of people spent more than glance looking at Mike before they too chose to forget about his existence. It was heartbreaking, seeing the way people regarded him. He was once a framer in the construction industry, but due to factors outside of his control he lost his life, a sequence of events which could happen to anyone and yet, no one had an ounce of sympathy for him, only pausing to make quips or spew put-downs about him or his “authenticity” as a homeless man. The thousands that passed him in the time that we talked, almost all turned a blind eye to his plea for help, money for food, to his circumstance, to his humanity… to him. They chose not to remember him or acknowledge his existence. They treated him like trash, or worse so, as more people would have stopped to pick up and throw away a piece of litter on the sidewalk, which brings us to the third and final image in this sequence (Magenta Rectangle). The block of colour is censoring not a person but a piece of trash, based on the previous two images the intention is to subvert the viewer’s expectations as the other two images have been of people. The angle is supposed to be of a bystander, walking by, looking down on the subject both literally and metaphorically as that is often the treatment we give those we believe are lower than ourselves. My intention with this piece was to challenge the way we see the world and the things, or people, which we believe are lower than ourselves. I wanted to ask the question, why is it that we choose to be blind to certain things in the world?

Video Sequence of What We Choose to Forget: https://youtu.be/oss4VSad77o

These photos were taken on the Canon T7i with the Canon EF-S 18-135mm lenses with post work done in Adobe Lightroom Classic CC and Adobe Photoshop CC 2018.

[arpit-nigam]

The Bluffs (May 2018)

Recently I went down to the Bluffs with some friends and managed to get a couple nice portraits of my friend Hayden and his friend Sue who came along for our adventure. It was a really fun experience and the view from the location was great! I wanted to capture a sense of awe and adventure with the photos I took of my friend Hayden, and the confidence Sue was exuding while we were there. I think these pictures turned out fairly nice and I intend to go back sometime to capture some nice photos or time-lapses of the view from the top of the cliffs!

These photos were taken on the Canon T7i with the YongNuo YN 50mm F/1.8 and Canon EF-S 18-135mm lenses with post work done in Adobe Lightroom Classic CC.

[arpit-nigam]

A Quick Portrait

This photo is a quick portrait of my friend Noah that I took while we were exploring the Distillery District. I wanted to test out my new  YongNuo YN 50mm and see how far I could push it for portraits like these. I believe that a tool is useless unless you know how to use it and testing out how this lens performs through changing conditions was extremely important in learning how I could potentially use it. I also wanted to learn more about using shallow depth of field as I hadn't worked with lenses with such wide apertures before. All in all I think it was a good experience to learn how to use this lens and I've definitely gotten some interesting ideas as a result! 

This photo was taken on a Canon T7i with the YongNuo YN 50mm F/1.8 lens with post work done in Adobe Lightroom Classic CC. 

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An Hour at the Subway

Here’s the final form of an idea for a photo I’ve had floating around my head for quite a while now. I wanted to capture movement and the passage of time in some way but not in a common way such as through a time-lapse or single long exposure of say, the night sky or something else of the like. Personally, those sorts of things aren't very appealing to me as I have a passion for taking photos of and capturing people. I combined my passion for people and my idea to capture a few moments of people commuting on the TTC. 

This photo was taken in front of Dundas station on Line 1, in front of the CF Eaton Centre and is a composite of 11-13 different images combined in Photoshop. 

This photo was taken on a Canon T7i with the Canon EF-S 18-135mm lens with post work done in Adobe Lightroom Classic CC and Adobe Photoshop CC 2018.

[arpit-nigam]

Your Adventure Awaits

I just wanted to make a simple advertisement for GO Transit, specifically their trains because of the fact that they're always on time and always help me get where I need to go! This was just a quick photo I captured as the train was pulling into the Port Credit stop on the Lakeshore West line. 

This photo was taken on a Canon T7i with the Canon EF-S 18-135mm lens with post work done in Adobe Lightroom Classic CC.

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Fun on the Water

Here’s a fun photo from one of my days out at Toronto on the waterfront trail. 

This photo was taken on a Canon T7i with the Canon EF-S 18-135mm lens with post work done in Adobe Lightroom Classic CC (Formerly Adobe Lightroom).

[arpit-nigam]

Hard at Work

A quick candid of a groomer from work I shot. The amount of time, dedication and care she puts into her work along with the energy she brings to her job is absolutely amazing! 

This photo was shot on a T7i with the 18-135mm lens.  Location: Dogtopia of Erindale

[arpit-nigam]

A Cold Day in Toronto

This photo was taken on new years eve and it features a Subaru SUV in a warm pool of water. The steam from the water was intense because the temperatures at the time were ranging around -20 degrees Celcius. 

This photo was shot on a T7i with 18-135mm lens.  

[arpit-nigam]