Borders to be blurred in India-Pakistan exhibition at the Exchange Ilford

A child in Chandigarh. Picture: William Titley (Image: william titley)

The pictures were taken by artist William Titley and are part of a five-week exhibit exploring the bordering cities of Lahore in Pakistan and Chandigarh in India.

The hustle and bustle of Lahore. Picture: William Titley (Image: william titley)

It is being held at the Exchange Ilford shopping centre, and delves into the legacy left by empire and partition – the separation of India and Pakistan after British rule.

A photo of the Chandigarh court house. Picture: William Titley (Image: william titley)

Redbridge College students are curating the collection, Lahore – Chandigarh: A Tale of Two Cities.

They decide how the photos are displayed and will be showing off their own work too, which takes inspiration from Titley’s photos.

The artist, who is a lecturer at the University of Central Lancashire, said: “The idea of communities being separated by a political border seems ludicrous and I wanted the work to encourage people to imagine the two cities as one place and to generate dialogue around issues of displacement.”

Titley’s 200 photos are displayed in black and white to help viewers focus on the people and places.

He said: “I don’t want people to be distracted by the colours.”

The images look to highlight the similarities between the two cities and have already been displayed in India and Pakistan.

Titley said: “The thing that did surprise me is that the communities I have shown the photos to have really taken it [the idea] on board.

“They speak the same language, they eat the same food and listen to the same music.”

He added: “We are all just one people that are separated by political borders.”

A series of talks and classes – including printing and acting workshops – will accompany the exhibition, which ends on July 19.