ENVIRONMENT 2
SITE SPECIFIC INSTALLATION
10 STEEL RODS, IRON FILINGS, MAGNETS


IDEAS AND IMAGES,
THE NATIONAL GALLERY OF MODERN ART, MUMBAI, 1999
Environment 2


As part of a group of 8 artists selected to show their works at the NGMA, Environment 2 was a site specific installation and experiential environment.
The domed structure of the gallery was kept in consideration. I installed 10 stainless steel rods, 12 feet long each, cantilevered from their bases. At the end of each rod, a steel cable wire dipped towards the wooden floor, ending with a magnet. Directly under it was a shallow pile/circle of iron filings. Some rods attracted the filings and were closer to the piles, others away.

The feel was like a forest of fishing rods - transparent enough to walk into, yet defined if you kept outside. I had imagined that in time, the rods would bend due to their weight, attract the filings, becoming heavier and shift their centres. This changing effect on the created environment was intended.
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