Ardha Rahasya - अर्ध रहस्य

Mahija Mandalika (MA Art and Science, Central Saint Martins) discusses her work making fabric and concrete sculptures

Between the physical states of solidity and fluidity lies an in between - a state of flux and uncertainty. The uncertainty of what is and what can be, oscillating between the fantasy and reality, mythology and materiality. Festering in this uncertainty is a question that needs to be answered, or rather unraveled. What is the in between? Does the uncertainty point to a notion of the gestalt, where thought exceeds the physical and the material?

To answer this question, it is important to understand the role of time in my research into material. Concentrating on temporal geology and how time affects material, I look at architectural ruins so as to obtain a sense of interconnection between material and time. Through the lens of mythopoetic architecture, I have attempted to unravel the threads of this connection.

Concrete and Fabric - two very opposing materials - have created a delicate balance in exploring the boundaries of solidity and fluidity. This niche between the two materials blurs the boundary between the two mediums. There is a certain intimacy in associating a mundane material like fabric with an industrial material like concrete. Weaving between the two materials creates bridges, traversing the rooted boundaries of materiality.