A HALF FORMED ANGEL
5’9 X 4’5

by,
Agaran M, Ananthitha MV, Harshitha S, Ilfa Khadija P M, Kavi Dharshini K & Sriram Subramanian – Madras Christian College (Autonomous), Chennai

Material used:
Plastic (bottles, covers), PVC pipes (discarded from worksite), Cardboards, Waste Papers, Fan guards, Big tubs, Flex

Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars.” – Kahlil Gibran

The half-formed angel represents an amalgamation of things. Constructed almost entirely out of recycled waste that we collected across our campus, the angel is not truly ‘a messenger of heaven’ that one would expect her to be with the title. Instead, she serves as a message conveyed to its utmost only with the rest of the piece – the chair, dubbed ‘The Throne,’ and the backdrop, dubbed ‘The Universe’.

The concept behind our piece mirrors the nature of the materials it comprises – waste, with its tendency to clutter our environment in a manner demanding intricate solutions for disposal. This is a parallel to two things; the external worldly condition and in a more surrealist sense, the clutter of the human psyche.

The angel is constructed with old buckets, damaged fan guards, plastic and paper waste. She hovers behind ‘The Throne’, and represents all that holds back a person. She is both human and what holds back the human, half-formed and destined to linger in between divinity. The choice in the colour palette is intentional – denoting the darkness one’s mind can fall into and the numbness of trauma; holding you back like how the angel hovers over the chair.

‘The Throne’, a damaged chair fixed with discarded PVC pipes, symbolizes responsibility. The environmental damage inflicted upon the planets reflects the consequences of the generations past whilst the current generation faces the insurmountable task of fixing the damage – and that is the responsibility The Throne intends to convey.

We are born into a ruined world, a world – like the angel herself – that was supposed to be divine but got stuck halfway. Here, the symbolism of the angel being constructed out of waste gains deeper significance as waste management reflects a major problem of the modern world – it goes back to our preliminary point of waste and its tendency to clog and block both the universe and the soul.

The backdrop, a repurposed banner and frame, symbolizes the universe. Blues dominate the backdrop, with a slow, near-pink fire at the bottom symbolizing the gradual approach of the universe’s climate calamity. It is still beautiful – however, the angel and the throne come before it. Without beholding the throne, you cannot face the universe and you do not have the time to admire the beauty of it. The angel is blindfolded – casting her as an impartial judge to it all, one abstained from morality. She also wears a belt and a choker, made of old keyboard keys. We aimed to evoke a range of emotions with our piece; it’s construction from waste reflecting the meaning itself. The angel serves as both a reflection and a warning, emphasizing the interconnectedness of the world and the individual. Ultimately, our art piece speaks to the essence of both, as they are inherently interlinked.

Price: Physical artwork not for sale.

The Team, from left to right
Agaran M, Ananthitha MV, Harshitha S, Ilfa Khadija P M, Kavi Dharshini K
& Sriram Subramanian.

For print.

Archival Digital Print for A2 size:
On Hahnemuehle photo rag: INR 8,000
On Hahnemuehle canvas: INR 8,900

+450