Inside A Studio of Dust

M. Pravat

On the Studio:

My sculpture studio is a large workshop surrounded by other similar structures in an area of Delhi called Rajpur Khurd. This studio functions as a storage space for materials, tools and finished works, as well as my workspace. My two karigars (artisans) are originally from Agra, and have worked on restoring elements from the Taj Mahal. Even though they’re used to the techniques, it has been a steep learning curve, since they are more familiar working with marble. They also had to learn how to create their own surfaces as opposed to embellishing other objects. I have a separate space close to home that I use to make my large paper works, do my research, etc. since working at home is difficult.

On materials and their transformation:

I have been interested in the constant construction and demolitions that occur in all cities, be it Kolkata, Vadodara, Delhi or Pune. It’s the nature of growth that one needs to follow the other, but I’m entranced by the process because it exposes the interiors of otherwise solid structures like walls, allowing me to see the different layers. The material alchemy that I perform is strongly informed by architectural techniques and ideas, and draws from my first experiments with brick done as part of the Layout Collective in 2012. We had transformed my old two-storied studio with the help of 7000 bricks into a hybrid space within the existing structure. Tempted by the possibilities offered by this versatile building material, my early works sought to transform the very idea of a hard, porous ‘brick’ into something fluid and elastic rather than static. Over the years I have developed an intimate knowledge of the material, and veer between using repurposed bricks, which offer greater strength since they’re seasoned, and new ones which offer great colour variation. In fact I’ve developed a close friendship with my supplier who even lets me pick out the shades and finishes that I like.

I like the juxtaposition of materials: brick with its porosity and roughness, while slate is smooth and layered. For me, slate is something I wrote on as a child, my first memories of writing are on this surface. After much research I found my current supplier from South India. I like its surprising delicacy, and it’s versatile like brick, both materials I’ve borrowed from traditional architecture. I love the organic lines and patterns that emerge in slate and play with them in works such as The Ambassadors, After Hans Holbein the Younger.

On the process behind Movement in Stillness:

The panels Movement in Stillness 1 & 2 which are part of an ongoing show Fugitive Dust in VHC, Pune, weigh 500 kilograms each and are made up entirely of cut brick, mounted on cement board, and encased in a metal frame. I wanted to push the material even further with these works. I experimented and found that soaking them for a few days makes them easier to cut with a grinder. I usually draw out the forms I want on the brick, cut and then dry these in the sun for a few days. Then with a small hammer I knock out bits and pieces. Each panel takes between 2-3 months to make. While making them they’re propped up against the walls of my studio, just like they are displayed in the Gallery. For me the scale is an integral part of the work: it allows me to play freely with the form, from one end to the other; and for viewers to feel a physical impact when standing in front of it. This making and breaking mimics for me the surrounding chaos of every city I’ve lived in. By wetting these bricks and then cutting I eliminate a lot of the dust that is usually produced. However due to the materials I use, my studio is constantly covered in a layer of dust, it settles on the open racks of materials, my tools, even the walls. I wanted to showcase a few of these through a series of photographs titled Granular Structures. When this dust settles in water, it creates a kind of slip that I mix with adhesive to incorporate into my works on paper.

On the process of the works on paper:

I maintain a notebook of collected thoughts, experiments, images that interest me, but most of the drawings in Fugitive Dust came about as a result of being locked in last year, with no access to my large studio and materials. Like with my sculptural pieces, I’m used to working on large canvases, even when I began in 2006 it was on 6×6’ panels. During lockdown however, I used to work on a small corner table at home, and found the intimate size quite interesting. They continue my preoccupation with built spaces and cities and feature imaginary maps and other images from my research. I have deliberately kept the locations vague, because I think these stories are universal. The overlaying of maps, plans, graphic and organic elements, creates a sense of underlying tension between the disparate elements just like in urban spaces. The fragility of the relationship between natural forms and human devices is apparent, as is the continued influence architectural practices have on my work. To me this is also a cathartic activity, a form of meditation, repeatedly drawing forms and patterns, a form of escape during the last lockdown. A year later we are once again in lockdown but the feeling now is grimmer, and surrounded by devastation, my anxiety for the future is growing.

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