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Baldev Duggal has been described as the quintessential New York success story. He emigrated to the United States as a young child from India. His eyes were opened to the world of photography when he received a Kodak brownie camera from his grandfather (with no film). And since then, Duggal has become one of the premiere names in the imaging world.
His latest project, Milestones to Recovery, was an extraordinary photo exhibit celebrating Lower Manhattan's rebirth in the years since September 11th. It has fulfilled his lifelong dream of bringing art to life in the city he now calls home.
"New technology has forced us to reinvent ourselves, which has allowed unlimited possibilities for growth," said Baldev Duggal, owner of the New York City imaging and digital graphics facility. This is without doubt a powerful statement coming from an industry member whose business, along with many other visual output providers, were hit hard in the wake of the World Trade Center disaster.
Following 9/11, every New York image-maker took a financial hit: photographers, ad agencies, artists, graphic designers, printers, and last but not least, imaging labs. On that fateful day, Duggal's overnight film processing division stayed open well past midnight, with his son Michael and the store manager stepping in to process the film because his staff could not make it into the city. "We wanted to make sure that news organizations could process their film and send it around the world. Some newspaper people shot digital; but back then in 2001 many other photographers were still shooting film."
Duggal Visual Solutions opened up in 1961 and today is a 200-person business providing visual solutions to many of the world's leading image-makers and Fortune 500 companies. Duggal has witnessed a great deal of change over the years—from the growth of both the photographic and arts communities in the Flatiron District, to moving his mid-town offices into the currently massive 23rd Street location to the horrors of 9/11.
Milestones to Recovery was a revolutionary photography exhibit by award-winning New York Daily News photojournalist Susan Watts. Presented by Duggal and the Alliance for Downtown New York, the exhibit ran in Battery Park from June through September.
The exhibition featured 30 four by six-foot photographs that celebrated the rebirth Lower Manhattan has experienced over the past five-and-a-half years and the resilience of a neighborhood that has overcome staggering obstacles.
"Susan has been a longtime a client of ours. She approached me with an idea for a unique outdoor exhibit. After our discussion, we then approached the Alliance for Downtown New York. They loved the idea helped raise donations to fund the project. Together we created a stunning and uplifting chronicle of the recovery and revitalization of Lower Manhattan. Susan's powerful photographs are a testament to the strength of New York City," said Duggal.
As part of his dream to bring art to life in the city, Duggal developed a new imaging technology called VibraTrans, which allows artists to bring photography to the public in new ways. The 30 VibraTrans images were output on their VUTEk and HP Scitex printers. "We created a patented new technology for this project. With VibraTrans, we are bringing museum graphics outdoors for everybody to enjoy," said Duggal.
The photos were displayed in custom-built aluminum frames mechanically attached to the winding fence spanning Battery Park's lawn. The lawn is adjacent to the World Trade Center Sphere Memorial, which is located inside the park. The images were open in the front and back. If the light was shinning on them directly, they are lit one way. If the sun was shinning from behind, they are illuminated in a different way. "This new VibraTrans media offers the same concept that a DuraTrans in a light box does except the light source is the sun. So the lighting changes from different times of the day and so does the lighting on the photos. The UV coated media is sturdy and has held up remarkably well from the sun, wind and rain. The images are so powerful that they almost seem to come alive. They have an incredible feeling of depth, he added."
"I was very proud to participate in an event that was a very special experience for the city, one that will allow us to share our common story. This exhibit is my ultimate gift to the city that I call my home."
author: BY BILL SCHIFFNER