A publisher’s lens on three cities

The photographer,who was born in Berlin and raised in Yugoslavia and Virginia,has studied photography at Princeton University as an undergraduate and holds an MPhil in English from Oxford University.

“I visit Japan every two years. Initially I went there in 1997 for a project on Japanese cities. The section you see on Tokyo has emerged from a desire to make some kinds of urban spaces,which are usually very difficult to enjoy. Walking through their stillness,one begins to discern the peculiar geometries of urban Japan. The focus was on the negative spaces,strange parking space and vacant lots. A lot of them even added a sense of humour. For instance,a turntable garage due to lack of space. These minor spaces are at once public and oddly intimate,and easily missed – the open secrets of Tokyo,” the photographer,who has exhibited at the Catherine Edelman Gallery in Chicago and various other venues,says.

Thomas holds his day job as editorial director for the humanities and social sciences at the University of Chicago Press,where he publishes books on literature,cultural criticism and related areas.

In 2006,Thomas started on the Chicago snapshots and here,too,he tried to capture the various nooks and corners of the city from the garages. “This led to an inter play with colours and concrete. These garages serve a particular vision of the city’s future,coexisting uneasily with the infrastructure of public transportation and with the agendas of preservationists. The Japan photos led to the Chicago ones,” he says.

The Kolkata snaps were taken last year during his first visit. “I visited the Scottish cemetery,which was a Gothic wreck but lovely. The Maidan was breathtaking,too. This time I visited three television and movie studios and quite a few churches and temples in North Kolkata. Hopefully,these will feature in another show. We will have to wait,” Thomas says with a smile.