Seemingly moved by Le Mépris, his obsession became Upadhyay’s body parts, and especially how they can refract desire and our experience of the world. Through this framework, the duo edited the book in a way that the images are in direct dialogue with each other, addressing the intricacies of intimacy, alienation in a new city, and the apparitions of past lovers. The real and the subconscious images intertwine with internal states and anxieties…
I’ll be looking at the moon, but I’ll be seeing you is enclosed in a black box with a full moon painted with a glow-in-the-dark ink on the cover, identical to the book itself which is beautifully bound with a red thread – a repeating element in the book, tying all the materials together. The artists’ direct interventions in the publication are apparent, be it in the form of diaristic and poetic texts or hand-made elements. They apply the techniques of embroidery, mark-making, and erasure to emphasize the complexities of the self and relationships. Such additional layers mark the artists’ presence within the pages where the protagonist, Upadhyay herself, appears and disappears simultaneously throughout the book. She is taking charge of her narrative that touches upon secrets, lies, and suppressed memories.