Namaskaram
A sculpture of a figure extending an Indian welcoming gesture signifying that the divine in me bows to the divine in you. Celebrating and exploring a part of everyday life, the gesture embodies many meanings, including hospitality, respect, peace, and empathy.
This project is a recipient of a Black Rock City Honoraria art grant and was successfully installed at the 2025 Burning Man.
Design
Here is a brief timeline of our process.
Life Cast
Sri's friend Vamsita graciously modeled for the project. We used a silicone mold for the negative and then cast using Hydracal. It was a time-consuming process, but the results were excellent, except for some lost body hair. Sorry Vamsita!
3D Model
It was fun using clay to add hair and to try on sarees. We then scanned the cast head and created a working 3D model.
Engineering
Using the 3D model, we created a wire frame of the steel structure supporting the head and hands. Our engineer is using this wireframe to conduct their structural analysis, informing us of the specifications of the steel to use.