Valampiri Shankha
Artist – Balan Nambiar
The ‘Valampiri Shankha’, a rare conch with a clockwise spiral, is attributed with qualities including auspiciousness, perfection of proportion, and preciousness. Its sound, when blown, has been equated to the perfect pronunciation of “Om” (a union of root sounds a, u, ma). The sculpture aims not to be a biological profile of the conch, but a recreation inspired by the concept.
Having researched and documented ritual art forms of western coastal South India over several decades, Balan Nambiar’s artistic repertoire embraces a profound understanding of philosophical practices, objects and histories. Besides experimenting with diverse mediums, Nambiar’s monumental steel sculptures embody metaphysical concepts that sensitively respond to their surroundings, radiating innate energy. The sculpture, with an equiangular spiral finely structured in stainless steel plates, represents both the conch and the visualization of its sound vibrations.
