Artist of the Week Vaidehee Durgude ’25: Tropes, Photographs, and Documentary Journalism - The Phoenix

Vaidehee Durgude ’25 walked into the East side of Shane lounge where I had settled myself with my various interview materials. She introduced herself, shook my hand, and sat down with the casual, self-possessed confidence of someone completely comfortable with her surroundings. I pressed “record” on the transcription software I set up and was oddly struck by how the light blue of her koi fish-embroidered jacket stood out against the gray of the couch behind her.Without skipping a beat, she jumped into it, “Yeah, so I am a film and media studies and sociology/anthropology double major, and for my dual thesis, I am making a documentary right now.”“Oh, so you do anthropology in addition to photography and documentaries. What attracted you to sociology?” I asked.“I was a political science major before that, so anything anthropology is a very natural move out of that. I like it because it’s definitely more people-oriented.”“People-oriented,” I responded. “Do you think that aspect is what go...