Breaking the Pattern
2017
wall mural
dimensions variable
Breaking the Pattern is a site-specific wall mural (done at my solo show with the same name, at 1Shanthiroad Studio/Gallery in 2017) that uses the pattern of a broken line. What initially started as an engagement with folk art motifs — particularly Gond — the broken line became a way for me to find a pattern that I could relate to and call my own.
Rendering this pattern more and more, the resonance it has with the running stitch became evident. Looking back at my own upbringing and interaction with Gujarati Godhadis, I began to realise that for me the running stitch had stayed with me as a pattern — one that is both forgiving in its form and essential in the role it plays. In this work, as in the Household Objects series, this minimal pattern is given a renewed sense of purpose — subtle, yet establishing its own strength.
Rendering this pattern more and more, the resonance it has with the running stitch became evident. Looking back at my own upbringing and interaction with Gujarati Godhadis, I began to realise that for me the running stitch had stayed with me as a pattern — one that is both forgiving in its form and essential in the role it plays. In this work, as in the Household Objects series, this minimal pattern is given a renewed sense of purpose — subtle, yet establishing its own strength.
