Whispers
in the Void
An Immersive art installation
Sponsors
Godrej Design Lab,
Raw Collaborative
Year
2024
Exhibitions
Raw Collaborative, Ahmedabad
Conscious Collective,
Mumbai
Keywords
Research,
Exhibition Design,
Critical Design,
Urban Narratives,
Soundscape Design
"In the shadow of steel, where whispers fade to night,
The builders of our world remain hidden from sight..."
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Whispers in the Void is an immersive art installation crafted as a team with Ipsita Rajak, that unveils the overlooked voices of those who shape our cities yet remain invisible in our everyday lives. It invites viewers to engage with the idea of presence and absence, highlighting the delicate nature of memory and the forgotten contributions.
Prologue
Ipsita and I applied as a team to the 2024 Open Call by Godrej × Raw Collaborative, where our proposal was selected and commissioned. Responding to the theme of developing cities, we chose a critical design lens to question the narratives of progress that celebrate buildings but forget the people who build and sustain them.
Whispers in the Void emerged from this inquiry, inviting viewers to acknowledge the unseen labourers, vendors, sweepers and countless others whose voices soften into the background of urban life. The installation becomes a quiet space to notice their presence, feel their absence and listen to the whispers that the city often overlooks.
Seen and Said
Experience captured from the exhibition - Godrej Conscious Collective 2024
The Scope
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Conceptualizing the theme of developing cities through a critical design approach.
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Conducting contextual research to understand the lived realities of urban labour, informal work, and invisible contributions.
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Translating insights into a narrative focused on presence, absence, and unheard voices.
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Designing the immersive spatial experience.
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Creating visual, material, and interactive elements that evoke the transient human traces within the city.
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Collaborating with fabricators, sound designers, and technicians to realise the installation at exhibition scale.
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Producing the film, communication material, and on-site experience for visitors.
Project Evolution
Whispers in the Void evolved through a layered process that moved from context to concept to installation.
01
The Poem
This poem was written in response to a thought Ipsita shared about how the city’s overbridges cast both a literal and metaphorical shade — offering shelter to the poor while simultaneously creating a barrier that makes them invisible to the privileged who pass overhead.
Whispers In the Void
In the shadow of steel, where whispers fade to night,
The builders of our world remain hidden from sight.
We walk the streets they shaped with hands worn thin,
Yet their stories, like shadows, are lost within.
As we draw near, their voices hush, our shadows take their place,
Our presence silences the echoes we chase.
We try to listen, but our steps make clear,
The closer we come, the more they disappear.
In fleeting light, their forms dissolve, erased by our hand,
Their lives, like whispers, slip away like sand.
In this quiet void, where we leave our trace,
Each step we take, another voice we erase.
What Evolved From the Poem and the Thought
Metaphor
Using shadow as a core visual metaphor, representing the unnoticed presence of workers beneath the overbridges.
Core Medium
Developing a sound-based narrative, where subtle whispers and ambient city textures reveal voices that are usually unheard.
Motive
Designing an immersive spatial environment that encourages viewers to shift perspective and confront what they normally overlook.
Target
Focusing the experience toward policy makers, city authorities, and privileged urban audiences, prompting reflection, responsibility, and empathy.
Experience
Creating tangible artefacts and sensory elements that invite deeper engagement and make the invisible feel present.
Crafting a layered experience where design, sound, light, and emotion come together to reveal the human stories beneath the structures of the city.
Element of Attraction
Integrating technology discreetly behind the installation, allowing the mechanisms to remain hidden, so the moment of discovery becomes a quiet surprise.
02
The Doing Part
03
The Whsipers/Stories
I chose not to record or publish the stories that participants experienced inside the installation. What may seem like a simple conversation becomes something entirely different within the environment we created. The ambience, the elevated temperature inside the enclosure, the textures, the shadows and the artworks together bring the whispers to life. Outside that space, sharing only the audio would reduce the experience to a mere fragment. I prefer to leave it for you to encounter in person at the next exhibition. And if you are truly curious, feel free to reach out to me.
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Thanks to
Nandini Rajak, Banani Bhattacharjee,
Mother and Grandmother of Ipsita, whose artistic expertise and guidance are reflected in the textured art panels that became an integral part of the installation.
Panini TM
For the ambient soundscape.
Nithin and Aditi
Installation Design Critic & Support
Godrej Team
Nitee Mitra, Henry Skupniewicz, Pinky Akola, Smita Basu Roy, Nalini Kala
Raw Collaborative Team
Fateh Singh, Tanvi Karia, Priyadarshini Rathore, and Vishwa Bhatt Weir