Imagining immensities

From the second the earth mural was conceptualized, I was painfully aware that till this monumental piece is physically hung in the space, I will not be getting any sleep.

I like things to marinate in my head for a while before they are realized. However, once it comes together for me, I step on it. By that I mean the entire team needs to come together to make it happen. My sketch and vision has no value, till the right material, texture, process, finish, packaging, engineering and installation comes together.



I conceptualized the mural and sketched out the vision on February 20, 2023 and mural was installed half way across the world, on March 18, 2023, less than 3 moths later. Approximately 8 metric tonnes of stone mural was modeled, carved and finished in New Delhi, India, transported over 7300 miles to Brooklyn, NYC. Material handlers, 3d modelers, texture developers, auto-cad draftsman, cnc operators, stone craftsmen, masons, installers, fabricators - and the unenviable jobs of the admin and logistics team made this happen.

The intention was to realize a mural which embodies the spirit and promise of Borrowed Earth. We identified and utilized beautiful remnants of blocks and slabs to express intricate patterns and textures from the earth, which are all around us, for us to see and appreciate. It is a composition of five unique patterns which celebrate nature, individually and together.

The entire exhibit “The past is now present” was designed around this mural.

The monumental scale and intricacy of the mural, brings the sheer complexity and magnitude of working with natural stone as a material, to the forefront.

The weight and magnitude of the material, figuratively and literally invites people towards it, to touch, to connect and experience the depths of the material.

The Earth Mural is a tribute to the unspeakable beauty around us. Documented histories in stone translated into contemporary surfaces crafted at the intersection of art, architecture and materiality. Through monolithic scale, I wanted to invite the viewer to experience the earth from a different perspective.

It is a composition of intricate patterns, where seemingly disparate parts come together to become whole.