Written & Photographed by Kenn Sava (unless otherwise credited)
Canal Street often feels like what New Delhi must be like. Bustling shops on one side, with as many street vendors out front hawking everything under the Sun you can imagine, sandwiching an endless stream of pedestrians as bumper to bumper traffic inches along, or doesn’t, on Canal Street itself. Yet on this April 2nd Saturday afternoon things were surprisingly chill as I headed over from The Bowery, walking East through Chinatown. It seemed downright sleepy at 3 o’clock in the afternoon. There was actually room on the sidewalks and a paucity of traffic on Canal as I made my way to dimes square for the release of renowned Photographer Nick Sethi’s new PhotoBook, CIRCLE OF CONFUSION.
That’s right. We’re standing right in the middle of one of the busiest streets in NYC- which is open in both directions (gulp)- for a PhotoBook release! April 2, 2022.
There, on the north side of the street, RIGHT IN CANAL STREET ITSELF was a flatbed cart, the kind they feature at mini storage places, holding a bunch of brown cardboard boxes. A small group huddled around the cart. In the center was a man with a white Max Fish sweatshirt, brown work pants and yellow kicks, a virtual blur of activity. Bending to fetch books from boxes, thumbing through one until inspiration struck, then summoning a fairly spent Sharpie to draw a circle, symbolic of the title, and then append his signature. Personable and amiable to all who approached, Nick Sethi was a man on a mission to get his new book into the hands of fans and interested parties, directly, al fresco. Like they probably do in Delhi. And so it was at the “book release” for CIRCLE OF CONFUSION.
“Hey! Mind that UPS truck. They stop for no one!”
The amiable Nick Sethi chatted with everyone who approached.
I’d never met Mr. Sethi, who has single-handedly put India on the map of recent Contemporary Photography here in the West in a big way (in addition to doing numerous fashion and editorial shoots). His debut magnum opus, Khichdi (Kitchari), published by Dashwood in 2018, saw 1,000 copies vaporize, quite a feat for a 1st PhotoBook on India. A sensation the moment it dropped, it’s now both rare and legendary. Though I’ve never been to India, the energy, vibrancy and color he found comes through on every page. As we chatted, the topic inevitably turned to it. I asked him about a possible reprint or new edition.
Nick Sethi’s epic, Khichdi (Kitchari), 2018.
He spoke about the unique collaboration that went into making the book with his Indian printers and how that would be extremely hard to replicate. Translation- Hold on to, and take good care of, your copy! Intriguingly, he mentioned having “behind the scenes” materials that he would like to append, IF, such a thing ever did come to pass.
from Khichdi (Kitchari)
Then, the conversation turned to his new book, the self-published CIRCLE OF CONFUSION . He said-
“CIRCLE OF CONFUSION was photographed chronologically in two short bursts in and around Sadar Bazaar, New Delhi’s largest and most hectic wholesale market. In an impressive display of organized chaos, porters transport goods through the labyrinth of alleyways, intersections, and roundabouts with handmade carts that they adorn to distinguish ownership.
In photographic terms, the CIRCLE OF CONFUSION refers to an optical spot used to determine the depth of field, the part of an image that is acceptably sharp. When photographing in Sadar Bazaar, it’s impossible to stop, observe, and compose a photo without disrupting flow of traffic. So as I feel situations unfolding, I just point and click, allowing technology, chance, and intuition to choose the crop and focus, and in turn expose the final image.”
Nick Sethi, Circle of Confusion, 2022, self-published. The only text anywhere inside or out is the Photographer’s name and the book title on the cover. No colophon. Nothing else.
Born and raised in the USA, his parents hailed from New Delhi, so he has a special connection with the city. He spoke of the chaos of Sadar Bazaar and how Photographing was a unique challenge requiring creative techniques to capture the sudden coalescing of people, things and colors. He demonstrated what he meant using the bright red Covid testing stand next to us with a neon green cord running somewhere behind us and different colored shirts people were wearing nearby, and how it all changed in the blink of an eye.
“Hey, buddy. Wanna buy a PhotoBook?” Naw…he didn’t have to say a word. They sold themselves.
I asked him about his influences, and the first name he mentioned was the great Ukrainian Photographer Boris Mikhailov.
Boris Mikhailov, Untitled (From the Red Series, 1968-75). *Boris Mikhailov Photo.
He also told me that in New Delhi they don’t mind you taking Photos, just DON’T stop moving! Holding things up is a no-no! That’s the way it usually feels on Canal Street. But, today, Nick was able to perform a Push-cart ballet without fear.
Note to self- Having a big piece of steel in your hands is a one way to make it across a busy street safely.
Interrupted only by hugs to greet old friends arriving, all the time we chatted, Mr. Sethi was a whirling dervish as books continued to fly out of boxes, then under his Sharpie, and off to new homes. Each one memorialized in a Photo by the Photographer of the new owner and their book. And best of all: no one was hit, hurt or injured…at least while I was there.
I didn’t have a chance to ask him the backstory of how his cart got that paint job.
*-Soundtrack for this Post is “India” by The Psychedelic Furs, the first track on their debut, self-titled Lp, released in 1980.
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Written & photographed by Kenn Sava for nighthawknyc.com unless otherwise credited.
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