UNDERWATER
2024Displayed in Bondtite Innovation Gallery at
Raw Collaborative in Gandhinagar, Gujarat.
Sponsored by Astral Bondtite,
made with Glasshouse Bangalore.
This sculpture is a collaboration between a botanical and a glass artist who blend natural and industrial elements to create a dynamic, multi-sensory experience. Crafted with glass, steel, light, flowers and adhesive, it emphasises the unique strengths of each material. At its core lies a glass cube constructed with 25 pieces of sheet glass layered with preserved flowers in between. The cube captures the fragile beauty of the botanical elements, preserving their vibrant colours and intricate forms while simultaneously offering them strength through the rigidity of glass.
This project got me to think in layers shifting from flat surfaces to dimensional arrangements. The 24 botanical layers gradually took on the form of two mirrored beings: compositions of 12 layers each, meeting at the heart of the sculpture. They feel like quiet reflections of one another — two entities suspended in stillness, held together by light and glass.
There was a quiet sense of gratification in building the sculpture layer by layer, like assembling a slow and intimate archive of care. As light interacts with the refractive properties of the glass, the sculpture transforms, presenting an ever-changing optical spectacle. Its appearance evolves with the time of day and the angle of the viewer, making the experience deeply personal and interactive. This fusion of art and nature invites contemplation on the delicate balance between fragility and resilience.
There was a quiet sense of gratification in building the sculpture layer by layer, like assembling a slow and intimate archive of care. As light interacts with the refractive properties of the glass, the sculpture transforms, presenting an ever-changing optical spectacle. Its appearance evolves with the time of day and the angle of the viewer, making the experience deeply personal and interactive. This fusion of art and nature invites contemplation on the delicate balance between fragility and resilience.