Nation of Five Senses | Dev Valladares

In India, the individual perceptions of the 5 senses become redundant. Instead, there’s a sensory overload – go to any of the busiest spaces here and you get hit by a multitude of stimuli coming from all directions. Whether it’s the yell of the chaiwala to the clink that accompanies the turning of a rickshaw meter, the fragrance of jasmine that wafts through the air trailing behind the occasional female passerby, or hawkers promoting their bubble machines by blowing them at touristy places, the relentless hustle-bustle of India will see to it that you’re overwhelmed by what’s coming at you. It’s not just the land of 5 senses, it’s the land of 500. . Through this piece I wanted to visually capture the feeling of chaos that initially suffocates you and the subsequent deep breath you take in with the realization of just how beautiful it all is. Incidentally, making a montage wasn’t part of the plan. I had envisioned a neat seamless loop but the objects simply refused to be tamed; time and time again the dynamics ensued a ton of unnecessary collisions and high-speed fly-arounds. Call it technical incompetency (because that’s partly what it is), but I enjoy my process informimg the final outcome, and since this fit delightfully with my concept, I thought what better way to show a sensory overload than a high-intensity montage of the takes with a bit of a breather at the end.