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Alphabet Tree

Art Installation – Outdoor Sculpture

External Affairs Ministry, New Delhi

Alphabet Tree is an outdoor art installation crafted in stainless steel and Jaisalmer yellow sandstone. The brief was to design an art installation with an Indian identity for the entrance of an office block for Ministry of External Affairs. In an office space people from different cultures, regions and speaking different languages work together. The design intent is to represent this unity in diversity by highlighting the regional languages in one single form of an abstract tree. The ‘Alphabet Tree’ also reminds people to connect with their roots and inspires the younger generations to appreciate all regional languages and cultures.

The installation is 6 meter high, 5.7 Meter wide and weighs 10 tons. The Alphabet Tree structure has alphabet stones and a set of branches placed on a steel base. There is one stone on every branch, which is connected to the base. The stone alphabets are cut using a water jet process and have a water-repellent finish on the surface for protection from weather. The key challenge was to balance different shapes of alphabet stones on branches at different angles. Every part of the structure is well integrated and no screws or hardware are visible from outside. Alphabets from 12 different regional Indian languages have been used to explore the graphic composition of the tree.

The design approach is graphic led but the process focusses on engineering of the form and detailing using materials right for outdoor environment.

Keywords

Art Installation, Language, Regional, India, Alphabets, Sandstone, Stainless Steel, Technology, Engineered, Sculpture, Outdoor, Scale

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