THE PLACE I'M FROM
Industrialisation. Colonisation. These are not abstract concepts in the Himalayas. They are lived realities, etched into the landscape and into the lives of my people. The Place I'm From is my attempt to give form to this complex legacy. Through the interplay of textures, materials, and forms, I have built a sculptural reflection of my homeland – a place of breathtaking beauty, scarred by history, yet fiercely resilient. This is a piece born from the mountains, a homage aimed at starting a conversation on the changes the world brings with it.
An Immovable Mountain
By merging these fragmented elements into a cohesive whole, I explore how identity, environment, and memory intertwine—highlighting the resilience of a community grappling with transformation while holding onto its roots.
The Materials
Limestone
Rust
Deodar Bark
To capture the spirit of a community reshaped by industrialization, I needed a medium as dynamic as the forces I sought to portray. Photo collage and editorial photography, while powerful, remained confined to the surface. My vision demanded a language of three dimensions, a way to sculpt the processes of change. Blender provided that language. I could mould and transform forms, mirroring the interplay between my Himalayan homeland and the forces that have irrevocably altered it
To truly understand the transformation of my homeland, I returned to its heart, to the people who embody its spirit. Through ethnographic interviews, I listened to the stories of residents, learning firsthand how the mountain – their lifeblood – has changed over generations. Their experiences revealed the profound impact of three key industries: mining, education, and tourism. Armed with these insights, and a renewed connection to the place I call home, I gathered textures – tangible fragments of its essence – using them as a foundation to sculpt the vision I sought to bring to life.
SOME OF THE HIGHLIGHT TEXTURES
The Models
Atlas of Mussoorie
The Atlas of Mussoorie bears the weight of a wounded land. In the 1950s, limestone mining began to tear through this Himalayan region, leaving scars that remain to this day. Though activism eventually halted the devastation, the environmental damage serves as a stark reminder of exploitation's cost. This model depicts Atlas, not as a god holding the heavens, but as a man burdened by the extraction of his homeland's resources, a powerful symbol of Mussoorie itself, forever caught between the earth and the sky.
Geminis of Mussoorie
The Geminis of Mussoorie embody the complex legacy of education in this Himalayan region – representing duality and mirroring. The region boasts some of India's most prestigious schools born from the era of British colonisation. These schools, often occupying vast tracts of the mountain landscape, exist in a juxtaposition with the local community; their students are largely comprised of those from elsewhere. This piece reflects that disparity, portraying two siblings – born of the same land, yet shaped by different forces. Their shared foundation, textured in contrasting ways, symbolises the divergent paths of education in Mussoorie.
Natraj of Mussoorie
The Natraj of Mussoorie engages in a new cosmic dance, one driven by the forces of an industrialised world. This is not the traditional dance of creation and destruction, but a reflection of a Himalayan region profoundly transformed. Once a tranquil haven, Mussoorie now finds itself in a complex relationship with tourism, its economy deeply intertwined with the ubiquitous Maggi noodle stalls that dot its landscape and frustrated with how the changes it creates. Reimagined as a vendor, this Natraj serves a dish that symbolises both sustenance and a cultural shift. He embodies the contemporary dance of the Himalayas, a region now moving to the rhythm of instant noodles.