The butterfly counts not months but moments, and has time enough
–Rabindranath Tagore
longwing, brooch
silver
leaf insect, brooch
copper
a study with silversmiths in thailand
prototype 2025
I wanted to celebrate the precious, fleeting moment when an insect lands on you, through jewelry.
Some leaf insects begin life the color of dry brown leaves and transform into vibrant greens, matching their environment. I was interested in using materials that grow uncontrollable patinas over time, just as the insects do.
#contemporaryjewelry
Nature educates us into beauty and inwardness and is a source of the most noble pleasure
– karl blossfeldt
mantis, brooch
‘karungali’ or ebony wood, spring steel
a study with artisans in tamil nadu
prototype 2025
The insect collection stems from personal encounters with tiny beings across my adventures in South Asia and SE Asia. I began to feel in awe of insects, seeing the kami (or spirit) in all things and finding beauty in their shapes, colors and movement.
I wanted to celebrate the precious, fleeting moment when an insect lands on you.
Forest water flows gracefully through rice fields, sanctuaries protect endangered species, a reverence for nature unites.
Nestled within Nagaland’s waves of green mountains was Khonoma, a stunning hilltop village with incredible efforts in conservation.
In the late 90s the Angami Naga community established the Khonoma Nature Conservation to protect their lush forests and biodiverse wildlife for the next generations. This shift was pretty revolutionary since the Angami Naga tribe were infamous hunters and warriors, known for their resistance to British colonial rule in the 19th century.
Khonoma, Nagaland
Feb 2024
#northeastindia #nagaland
A gesture of resilience
Santiniketan, meaning ‘abode of peace’, is a university town, established in 1901 by Rabindranath Tagore in rural West Begal, about a two hour train ride north of Kolkata. (Repainting of a fresco on campus. Photo 2)
At a time of prevailing British colonialism, Santiniketan was an experimental university with a pan-Asian modernity built on ancient and indigenous traditions across the region. It's a 'total work of art' where life, learning, work and art along with the local and the global intertwine seamlessly.
Across WB I visited artisans specializing in indigenous tassar silk, Baluchari story sari weaving, fine jamdani muslin and dhokra lost wax casting. Since meeting Santiniketan artists @beejandco & @oikkyo_22 the ambition and spirit of Santiniketan has grown a part of me.
Santiniketan & Rural West Bengal
Jan 2024
Song of the open road
Recounting moments in West Bengal. Of goats grazing paddy fields, aromas of adivasi cooking, and folk songs and dance echoing off classroom walls. Witnessing scenes that directly inspired Satyajit Ray and ways of life fostered by those like Rabindranath Tagore.
The butterfly counts not months but moments, and has time enough
—Rabindranath Tagore
Santiniketan
Jan 2024
The last major city on my list this past December was Ahmedabad. After this I shifted my focus and travels to India’s villages. Here I grew a deeper understanding for Indian textiles and the dichotomy of clothing as a means to adorn the body and soul rather than to cover it. The same can be witnessed in its architecture too, like the Adalaj stepwell and Sidi Saiyyed Mosque in Ahmedabad that I got to capture.
Imagine in peak Indian summer entering this naturally cool, grand underground staircase and reaching this surreal flooded atrium to fetch your water.
The jali screen work at the Sidi Saiyyed Mosque was one of the finest I’ve ever seen. The majestic tree shows two entirely different expressions from outside vs within.
For me the magic of India really lies in its cultural diversity and natural biodiversity. To visit a Temple and take a few steps to a Mosque of equal majesty is something I realized is sacred in itself.
Ahmedabad
Dec 2023
A still life, enchanted by the everyday.
After seeing the museums, palaces and gems of Jaipur I found myself outside the walls of the Amber Palace upon a landscape seemingly detached from the world. Something told me to follow the kites to see where they may lead.
The soul of India lives in its villages - M K Gandhi
Dec 2023
#indianarchitecture #jaipur #rajasthan
Translating to instruments and formulae, the Jantar Mantar is an open-air campus comprised of stone-built astronomical instruments designed to be used with the naked eye, thus the architectural scale. Individual structures measure solar time, the celestial paths of the sun and moon and the latitudes and longitudes of planets and constellations, among other functions.
Jantar Mantar was a place I visited once as a child and revisited countless times in my dreams thereafter. I'm in awe of how our dreams can build off of experiences and add story, layers and meaning. The Jantar Mantar of my dreams and the one I visited in December are entirely different, but both remain playgrounds for curiosity.
Jaipur
Dec 2023
#jaipur #indianarchitecture
A visit to the Capitol Complex in Chandigarh, one of the first planned cities in India. Although not perfect, the buildings and urban planning of Chandigarh offer us a glimpse into 20th century visions for a newly independent India through the eyes of modernist architects from India and across the globe.
Now a UNESCO heritage site, the Capitol Complex features three government buildings and The Tower of Shadows, an open pavilion used to study solar movements.
Chandigarh
Dec 2023
#chandigarh #lecorbusier #pierrejeanneret
