Whispers of Power

At Kangra Fort, Sarah Singh reimagines strength through silence, collaboration, and space.

- By MALIKA HALDER

Being a former student of history, I've always had a strange fascination with forts. There's something about the way those old, uneven, stone steps twist and climb upward, making you slow down and breathe the past in. Forts don't give themselves away easily. They make you work for the view, almost like it's a power game and the forts are testing your patience. And maybe that's the whole point.

This year, artist and filmmaker Sarah Singh chose Kangra Fort for her latest art salon, titled Ten Nights By A Lost River. Fittingly, the theme was power. “It just seemed natural with the mountains and this ancient military fort to explore the theme of power,” Singh says. “The mountainous landscape lends itself to the theme of power as it has an impenetrable façade. It has withstood many battles, won and lost. Himachal itself is known as the land of the gods and the brave. It's a natural barrier—a place many have attempted to conquer.”

Since 2018, Singh has been transforming forts across India into living artworks. Each fort has its own personality, she asserts. But she never uses it as a backdrop, rather it becomes part of the art itself. “For me, each fort is a unique site,” she explains. “The entire project becomes an artwork unto itself. It's not a canvas, it's more like an unfolding gallery.” And in Kangra, that idea came alive.