Shot over 3 years in the U.K & U.S, and featured in press worldwide, we need your help to back the highly anticipated Sikh Project book.
Hi everyone! We are delighted to be back on Kickstarter!
We never thought it could become so big, but with your support, our Singh Project has evolved into an international movement.
What began as a collection of thirty six photographs of British Sikh men, has evolved with the addition of thirty eight American Sikh men and women. As a result, what was The Singh Project, has become The Sikh Project.
Our aim is to combine the U.K and U.S photographs and make ‘The Sikh Project’ book.
We have always aimed to raise awareness on topics and issues that we feel passionate about through our work. The Sikh Project is close to our heart. A marriage of our faith and skill, it represents our identity as British born photographers and our Punjabi, Sikh roots.
We believe identity is what makes us. It is who we are. We should celebrate this with pride.
We want these images, which show the beauty of the Sikh identity, to live on for generations to come. These are the images that were seen by millions. These are the images that became a piece of history.
But, equally important are the stories behind these individuals. The subject’s stories of perseverance, progress and determination need to remembered. They need to shared. This book will do exactly that.
This project has been a real labour love. It was inspired by the sudden popularity of the beard as a fashion statement, among men of different races, back in 2013.
Being of the Sikh faith, we found this intriguing. In our culture the beard is a constant, a key tradition and an integral and important identifying feature of a Sikh male.
Inspired, we developed a project focused on the identity, the look of the beard, and equally important, the turban of British Sikh men.
Successfully funded on Kickstarter, it became award winning and exhibited multiple times in the UK, receiving international acclaim. You can see how we did it in the video above.
From that success, we partnered with The Sikh Coalition to create a U.S version. It took a year to plan, hand selecting Sikh men and women from across America. We looked for individuals who had inspiring stories as well as their own approach to wearing their articles of faith.
Photographed in New York, with funds raised by the awesome guys at The Sikh Coalition, the exhibition for The Sikh Project is showing between 17th – 25th September at 530 Broadway, New York City.
The Sikh Project book will be a culmination of three years of research, production, shooting and editing. It will take you on a journey from conception, execution to reactions.
Each of the seventy four photographs will be accompanied with words from the subjects as they tell their stories. What does their turban mean to them? How does it makes them feel? How do people perceive them? Why is their identity important?
We will also write about our experiences. How we partnered with The Sikh Coalition and all the work that was involved in making the exhibitions happen, that no one ever sees.
The book will be 10.5” x 11.25” in size. It will be high quality, with a hard cover and dust jacket and will be approximately 128 pages.
If you buy the book on Kickstarter, not only will you help fund its creation, but you will also receive it months before it is released in stores.
But, in order to make this book a reality, we have to hit our target of £46,260.
If we don’t raise the full amount, we won’t receive any of the money, so we really need your support.
We have calculated exactly the funds needed to cover all costs to make this fantastic book.
The money raised will cover the actual book production, the costs of design, retouching, reproduction, printing, storage and shipping.
All the subjects, our assistants and The Sikh Coalition have given up their time to make this project and the exhibitions happen. We are forever indebted to them.
Thank you.
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The Sikh Project will be exhibiting for a limited time in New York at 530 Broadway from 17th – 25th September. Entry is free.
The Huffington Post – Exhibit aims to show the beauty of Sikh American identity.
Mashable – This stunning photo exhibition showcases the beauty of Sikhs and turbans.
Buzz Feed – This photo series showcases badass Sikhs to fight stereotypes, and it’s goddamn glorious
The Washington Post – From turbans to army gear, a photo exhibition shows the stories of Sikhs in America
Slate – These simple yet stylish portraits celebrate American Sikhs
NBC – Photo Project features Sikh men rocking their beards and turbans
Peta Pixel – Portraits that show the diversity of Sikh men
Wall Street Journal – Singing the praises of Sikhs in beards and turbans
The Huffington Post – The striking men of Sikhism get their due
Fast Company – A photographic celebration of the Sikh beard and turban
Buzz Feed – Super stylish photos that prove Sikh men rock the best beards
It’s Nice That – Amit and Naroop explore the changing traditions of Sikhism
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We have secured an amazing book publisher who is just as enthusiastic about The Sikh Project Book as we are. We have planned timelines and had preliminary design and content meetings.
Having experienced running a successful Kickstarter campaign before and with the guidance of a world class photographic book publisher, we are confident all will go smoothly.