The Earth meets the sky in this public art installation in the Capital

If you visit Sunder Nursery, don’t miss a pleated pavilion that has come up on the lawns. Created by architectartist Ankon Mitra, this public installation is titled The Song of the Earth and the Sky.

In the artwork, Mitra seeks to create an Enso diagram, where the copper of the Earth and the silver of the sky meet and embrace in a meditative bliss. Architecture of the past lies strewn everywhere in the garden, lending the viewer a gem of geometry — a beautiful pointed arch. And in the pavilion, the artist has multiplied the arch nine times to symbolise the nine realms.

The Zen garden represents Yin and Yang — two elements that connect the Earth and the sky. The multitudes of folds in origami create a single pleated song. In that moment of rhapsody, the physical garden dematerialises and like all spiritual energies, becomes the universe.

“This is an unprecedented opportunity, hopefully the beginning of an annual pavilion building project in New Delhi, comparable to the prestigious Serpentine Pavilion in London or the MoMA PS1 in New York,” says Mitra.

Mitra was commissioned this project, by The Gujral Foundation, for which Reha Sodhi is the curatorial advisor. This will be open to the public till April 26. Moreover, temporary pavilions by select artists, architects and designers will subsequently come up at different locations in India.