The photographic strategy in Sea of Files centers on methodical visual documentation capturing the texture and tactile nature of archival materials. Dayanita Singh explores the physical and metaphorical layers of files and papers, emphasizing their embodiment of memory, history, and bureaucracy. The work reflects a meditative engagement with the collected remnants of information, inviting reflection on preservation and disorder within the sea-like expanse of paper.

Throughout the 152 pages, scenes of stacked, folded, and assembled files unfold into a rhythm of repetition and variation, revealing the quiet intensity of objects ordinarily overlooked. The images avoid human presence, focusing instead on the objects themselves to evoke themes of time’s passage and the accumulation of cultural and personal history. This approach situates the book within contemporary documentary practices, blending conceptual rigor with tactile aesthetics.

Published by Steidl in 2023, Sea of Files complements Singh’s broader photographic oeuvre and dialogic engagement with archive as both subject and form, underscored by the recognition of her Hasselblad Award in 2022.