Project Title - Translucency of 1911

The daily life of Calcutta during 1911-1912 demonstrated that the transfer did not leave its mark on ordinary people; their conditions remained largely untouched by the transfer.

The project aims to engage with the significant yet often overlooked event of the capital shift from Calcutta to Delhi in 1911. This historical transition was not a singular, isolated occurrence but a series of interconnected events that collectively altered the everyday life of Calcutta. These changes, in turn, have left a substantial gap in the historical consciousness of the city's colonial legacy. Despite its profound effect, the event has rarely been approached with the intellectual rigor to historicise, philosophise, archive, and engage. The capital shift of 1911 acts as an invisible space or hidden history, which has largely faded from Calcutta's collective memory and social consciousness.

The artworks produced as part of this project result from extensive research while engaging with various memorial and historical sites in Kolkata and New Delhi. These sites were directly and partially connected to the capital shift. The artistic research on the project began during Sibdas's residency at KKCL, where he gathered a diverse range of materials. These materials include speeches delivered during landmark events related to the shift, articles that responded to Calcutta's everyday affairs changes, and policy reforms in crucial sectors such as health, education, and administration. He also gathered situations related to policing, crime, and the general day-to-day experiences of the people of Calcutta during this transitioning period. The aim has been to engage with the different intensities of these alterations and create a space where the events of 1911 and the capital shift can be witnessed.