Arecanut

Year: 2024
Project Type: Professional, Made in Earth Collective
Team: Shruthi Ramakrishna (Partner), Jeremie Gaudin (Partner), Agnimitra Bachi (Partner), Kune Yatheesh, Rosna Saji, Nikhita Ramdas
Location: Tumkur, Karnataka
Exhibition: Milan Design Week


On a small plantation in Tumkur, an hour and a half drive away from Bangalore, grows Arecanut (Areca catechu) a palm which lends every part of itself to a variety of domestic uses. Plates made out of the areca leaf are a familiar sight at every Indian gathering, from a small family picnic to an extravagant wedding. These plates are made by decentralized cottage industries where the leaves are harvested, soaked, dried and pressed into plates and bowls of various sizes. This network of manufacturing units are key in providing employment to local communities.

The process of making this piece began by soaking dried areca leaves until they had softened enough to be cut with a blade. Once cut into thin strips of about half an inch in width, I began coiling the strips and playing with the different patterns that emerged. The varying thickness of each leaf lent itself to a Van Gogh-esque field of swirls. The areca sheath holds a deeply personal significance for me, as it was shaped from a cast of my own body—a body I have spent years learning to embrace. The making of the sheath was a quiet, meditative act of cutting the areca leaves, coiling them, and carefully pinning them to the plaster bust, knowing they would shrink as they dried. With each layer, I found myself overwhelmed by a sense of gratitude and empathy for my own form—the body that has carried me through life, with all its strength and vulnerability.