Knowing that he had hit upon a treasure trove of ancient skills, Gadi collaborated with the craftsmen, who primarily worked with the monasteries in the area, making silver jewellery for the locals and gates for temples. Together, they created a stunning tableau of 15 tropical fruits, from golden-hued pineapples to sun-kissed pumpkins, that merge artistry with the splendour of nature’s bounty, immortalising them in gleaming metal.
Reimagining Tradition
The metal casting technique from the North East formed the basis for this project. Gadi states, “I had a vision, and they had the skills, but neither of us had worked on three-dimensional fruits before. Each fruit presented its own challenges, and we had to create samples for each design and tweak the techniques to achieve the finished work.”
Parth Avneesh
The resulting collection is a stunning array that creates a realistic representation of tropical fruits. The process started with artisans carefully crafting wax moulds that captured the intricate, unique details of each fruit. These moulds were then cast in brass, with the final pieces being polished to perfection through a series of expert techniques, preserving the essence of the original fruit in metal.
The solid brass fruits create arresting templates of beauty. Just like a fruit, brass changes its colour as it ages and tarnishes, emulating nature and creating a natural flow that is alluring. The metal also bestows the sculptures with both tenderness and tensile strength, allowing them to convey a sense of delicate beauty.
Parth Avneesh
Be it the ridges and folds of banana blossoms, the detailed texture of a pineapple combined with the sharp and metallic golden leaves, or the polished surface of the pumpkin, the stylised forms are visually stunning.
For Gadi, who has always worked with traditional weaves and techniques (from gota work to the Assamese gamocha), this is a continuation of his curiosity to explore the different cultures of our country. He expounds, “I come from a deep-rooted tribal background where we are animists and worship nature. These roots of worshiping and being one with nature have always made me curious about everything around me, including different traditions and cultures.”
Driven by the desire to create something new, this is a collection that mirrors nature’s ever-changing yet enduring resilience evoking a sense of timelessness through its creations.
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