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As told to Nate Storey Photos by Simon Chaput Gallery Through this, I became completely immersed As soon as I sold a couple of Christo’s pieces, GALLERY

Noguchi told me, “Simon, if you love pho love you if “Simon, me, told Noguchi Robert Rauschenberg. One of the people I people the of One Rauschenberg. Robert It’s a museum, basically, that was developed to enough large was It years. 25 for lived I I bought cameras and got into it again. I was away.was different I a in surviving was I When I arrived to New York,New to arrived 1983,came I in I When Christo and Jeanne-Claude were having din- having were Jeanne-Claude and Christo friends. He needed somebody to take care take to somebody needed He friends. the beautiful shapes of these instruments. these of shapes beautiful the the Jantar Mantar and went to photograph it. to go to India in 1995. I, of course, looked up that influenced Noguchi’s playgrounds. After tography so much, why aren’t you doing it?” of his next project, happening in Parisin ’85. happening in project, next his of spaces. The challenge for me, because I love place a was India, across spread sundials met through them was Isamu Noguchi, who Noguchi, Isamu was them through met WarholtoAndy from everybody with ners scene. art Manhattan downtown the in playing with the negative space, was finding 18ththe in the with love century.in fell just I hearing all of his stories about it, I happened make my own darkroom studio. private art dealer, selling Christo’s work. Christo’s selling dealer, art private had given it up, because coming to the U.S., a way to abstract it, while also enhancing all able to find a space on Mercer Street where days after being there and we quickly became of couple a Christo met I SoHo. to directly about my love of photography. At the time I was a beautiful, gentle soul. The Jantar Mantar, a The Jantar series of five ancient Noguchi and I talked a lot, and I told him told I and lot, a talked I and Noguchi - These photographs will be published in the in published be will photographs These Jantar Mantar—the one in Delhi—which IDelhi—which in one Mantar—the Jantar And because it’s a museum and a lot of lot a and museum a it’s because And Buddhist teacher. I just waited. I’d see a group of people of group a see I’d waited. just I Indians go, people were everywhere. yellow ochre color. In Delhi, all the marble the all Delhi, color.In ochre yellow you only get that real contrast and shadow coming along and sit down. They’d leaveThey’d down. sit and along coming that’s repainted every few that’s years. repainted It’s every rather to photograph. So I didn’t do it. The other two wonderfula for worked I’ve because that forneeded patience the have I tographs. graphs, you know what you’re looking at. other two are in Ujjain and Mathura. The one principle: same the on built instruments of - every and special so looks it because shot nity. I’d take one shot and move to another has been taken away; what’s left is concrete It’spainting. a it’s thinks it sees who body in Varanasi is in bad shape difficult and very pho the get to days four me took It place. noise.the all of rid gets black-and-white out this fall. book decrepit. Just by looking at these photo these at looking by Just decrepit. a of sort is Jaipur in one The red. deep a are nearly destroyed. and one in Varanasi. There are five total—the astronomy. There’s one in Jaipur, one in Delhi, and I’d have a one- or two-minute opportu- when the light is really strong. Shooting in The Jantar Mantar is a whole collection whole a is Mantar Jantar The I have only one color photograph of theof photograph color one only have I day,the during becauseshot all was It Jantar Mantar (Nazraeli Press), coming SURFACE 198 9/16/16 8:33 PM - - 132_GALLERY.indd 199 199 GALLERY 9/16/16 8:33 PM GALLERY GALLERY

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