A sculpture speaks an exquisite language of its own Decorating houses and commercial buildings with exotic work of art in clay or terracotta is the in-thing,

IF VIBRANT colours, brush strokes and presentation styles express a painting in myriad ways, a sculpture speaks on its own. "In sculpting, it is the medium that gives an expression. It could be anything: paper, sand, ice... even a heap of garbage, it will have a character. We see very ordinary things as a form of art," says sculptor A. Selvin. Just walk into Studio Square, the office set up by Selvin, along with Sethu, at Telungupalayam, to understand the identity such creative expressions lend to the environment. Creative masterpiece Instead of latest interior designs and leather sofas, what welcomes you is an array of creative masterpiece. Be it the face of a bull in terracotta, figurine of a woman in cement, sculptures found in the caves of Mahabalipuram replicated on aerocon stone, faces in clay that can serve as letter holders and lampshades, a plaster of Paris hand giving a feel of a rock jutting out from soil ... each piece at the one-year-old Studio Square has a character. Tree trunk Even the trunk of a tree has the form of a human face here. "That's what makes a sculpture special. You don't need any decoration - the matter you take gives the expression. For instance, the trunk, I have just hung it upside down with the roots on the top, and have just carved in some space below the eyes and a neck, the rest of the human face is already there. We have coloured it black," he adds.

Catching up As in the metros, interior decoration based on such concepts of art and creativity is catching up in Coimbatore, and the artists say that such decorations lend a unique identity to the atmosphere. "Now, builders in Coimbatore also keep aside funds for decorations. For instance, they are going in for mural in puja room, religion-based concepts or abstract themes in hall to give different identities to every room," Selvin says. The choice of media ranges from stone to metal, fibre, terracotta to wood, based on the concept. In the case of a painting or a photograph, the chances of them becoming stale are high after a matter of few months. But the combination of abstract themes with a touch of realism gives a new meaning whenever you look at it. "Like the bull's face that represents the face of a ferocious human being in it's current location. When the lighting changes, its character also changes," he adds. Selvin draws his inspiration from Michelangelo's works and those on the caves of Ajanta and Ellora. He has also created a teapoy or a centre table in terracotta, an inspiration from adivasi style. The budget The budget for such decorations begins at Rs. 10,000 and can go up to Rs. 10 lakh and more. "Most of them stick to a budget of Rs. 1 lakh. Though at households it is restricted to a huge mural of Lakshmi and Saraswathi in puja room, commercial establishments are willing to experiment with abstract themes to make the decoration stand out," he adds. Exposure Though the media exposure has helped people understand the availability of new materials to create art, when it comes to appreciating the value of art, it is still a long way. "So, we prefer to operate through the network of architects and engineers rather than direct clients. It is very difficult to make clients understand that our effort is involved in every inch to give a structure to an idea. Budget and time consumption are other constraints," he says. Long lasting People also prefer to invest in an art form that is long lasting, so it is terracotta all the way, followed by stone. Some of the works created by the duo include astronomy and astrology-based concept for doors in sheet metal, don concept in fibre, animal-based concepts in different materials to name a few. "We applied chemicals and changed the colour of the sheet metal to produce different colours, which is a rarity. We brought out the effect of the blue sky, the rays of sun and the green of lotus leaves on a brass sheet. Faces representing Chinese, French and Italian look, and that of forest brigand Veerappan, all emerging from stones was created in fibre, something on the lines of don concept for a hotel-bar environment. We have used animal-based abstract themes, using dogs to portray soft and hard nature and simple things such as face of a spider to show ferociousness," he adds. Freedom of expression Selvin says what is needed is freedom to express their ideas. "Most of the time we are forced to compromise. We want the clients to understand that the amount they pay is for the effort, the sleepless nights we spend on developing an idea.