Scent and Structures

The Scent and Structure series is a compelling material and conceptual investigation that transforms soap—the ultimate symbol of purification and expendable commodity—into monuments of resilience. This collection utilizes the familiar object to explore the hidden architectures of survival that define our lives, from inherited financial wisdom to geopolitical anxieties. The works use repetition and scale to highlight the power of the cumulative, reflecting the tension between permanence and erosion in a world of constant flux.

The Shield dramatically scales up the bar, constructing a brick wall from 624 bars of soap to reflect the pandemic era's desperate quest for security and home.The Nexus initiates this dialogue by permanently fusing Indian and American soap brands with excavated voids in resin, symbolizing cultural friction and exchange. This theme extends into the Untitled stack, a towering metaphor for the accumulation of a mother’s domestic economic wisdom, contrasting inherited knowledge with the harsh necessity of practice in a new environment. The Shield then dramatically scales up the bar, constructing a brick wall from 624 bars of soap to reflect the pandemic era's desperate quest for security and home. Furthermore, Ghar Char Ki Kahani directly honors the care and labor of the woman homemaker through hands carved from multi-colored soap, illustrating how small savings teach the art of survival. Finally, Leg Sanitizer connects modern cleansing mandates with the ancient Indian ritual of washing one's feet, suggesting the world now recognizes the deep need to purify before entering the sanctity of the domestic space. Together, the series elevates personal history to a universal commentary, inviting us to reconsider the value embedded in our most disposable routines.