Book Review: Zakir Hussain Maquette
Hussain 2019 © Dayanita Singh
Dayanita Singh is an Indian photographer who loves to publish books. She is currently twelve books into her portfolio, coining the term “book-objects” which serve as photography books, art objects, exhibitions, and catalogues, several of which she’s produced for the book publisher Steidl. Her 2019 publication, “Zakir Hussain Maquette,” is a bit different. Her books tend to incorporate very little text, but this one is full of handwritten notes strewn beside old photographs. As the maquette of her 1986 book “Zakir Hussain,” it holds substantial archival value, exhibiting Singh’s initial process while designing the popular book, down to her pencilled-in notes regarding the layout.
This book is simple and tender in its approach, highlighting the six years Singh spent traveling with famous Indian tabla musician Zakir Hussain. Hussain invited her to document his tours after she was shoved by a security officer at one of his concerts. Hussain is the son of a well-established tabla player in India, and over the span of his life he has become one of the most celebrated classical musicians worldwide. The tabla is a percussion instrument, similar to a set of two drums, that originated in the Indian subcontinent. It has proved itself as a vital beat for classical Hindu music. He founded an indo jazz group called Shakti, and has performed with musicians like Yoyo Ma and Georgia Harrison.
Hussain 2019 © Dayanita Singh
Singh’s maquette features handwritten notes of interviews with the prodigal musician, placed throughout radiant black and white images of his experiences on tour, life with his family, and his various instruments. He is pictured with his child in his hands, staring directly into the lens, in an intimate fatherly portrait. He is captured mid-drumming on a tabla, eyes closed and head raised up to the ceiling as he sings along. In many pictures, viewers can see Hussain joyously playing the tabla amongst respected bandmates on tour. The pages and pictures resemble old family photos, giving the maquette its own set of informal and intimate advantages compared to the original “Zakir Hussain” publication. The viewer feels like they’re getting a glimpse into the Hussain family photo album.
Hussain 2019 © Dayanita Singh
Hussain himself is a wildly fascinating subject. His eloquent words are dusted throughout the book. Singh credits him for teaching her the value of focus, as her first creative mentor. He saw music and performance as an active and ongoing process, arguing that there is no fixed time to begin learning an instrument and broadening knowledge. To the left of a dapper portrait of Hussain in aviators, reads the quote “Day and night we play concerts. It’s all a concert, getting ready for a concert is a concert, its all one big performance.” Amongst many edited, polished photography books that perform aesthetics, Singh’s “Zakir Hussain Maquette” provides a self of relief because of its vulnerability and honesty.
Hussain 2019 © Dayanita Singh
