Modern technology is great, really. The industrial revolution in the past century is one of the most incredible progresses of the human species. And while there is so many various, even numerous inventions that take our breath away and try to make our lives a little bit easier and convenient, we tend to neglect the amazing beauty of human craftsmanship that was especially on display in the past. Things like brickwork, cobblestones, latticework and so many more are a piece of genius and most of times a state of the art pieces of work, but have become insanely expensive and time consuming, which in the modern era of “living in the fast lane” is a resource no one can afford to spend anymore. So instead of those amazing things, we see faux bricks, paved streets and drywalls – convenient, easy!
And that’s why photographs and other information like those of Victoria Lautman’s work in the ancient Indian Stepwells are so special and even more exciting nowadays. Those giant, massive, masterfully carved stone wells were designed to serve as water reserves of the ancient Indians for the hot summer months when the Earth is dry, something that was extremely vital and needed for the purpose of their survival. But the talented, hardworking Indians did not just build those incredibly strong and efficient wells, they also decorated and engraved them with all sorts of domes, arched doorways, patterned columns and carved out stairwells which turned their primitive reservoirs into something much more than just an effective necessity – a real piece of art and craftsmanship. And even though those times feel so inferior and primitive to us, and even called “the simpler times”, there was such beauty and amazing sense of detail and the whole complexity and perspective on life they had, tells us a different story.
