For laxmi
Virupaksha Temple, Hampi — India
Developed during a residency at Hampi Art Labs, located within the UNESCO World Heritage landscape of Hampi, the project centres on Laxmi, the temple elephant, and the mahout family who care for her.
Developed during the Tracing Blue residency at Hampi Art Labs, For Laxmi emerged from sustained observation of the temple elephant at Virupaksha Temple and her daily life with the mahout family.
Rather than producing an ornamental object, the work began with a question:
What material care can be offered within a ritual structure?
Laxmi participates in temple processions across heated stone surfaces and through dense human presence. Elephants belong to soft earth, water, and shade. The project sought to introduce plant-based materials that respond to climate and body rather than spectacle.
Indigo was chosen not for symbolism, but for its material properties. Traditionally cultivated in agrarian systems, indigo-dyed textiles are breathable, cooling against the skin, and free from synthetic chemical finishes. The dyeing process allowed the fabric to remain porous, responsive to air and movement.
A head mantle and extended indigo-dyed textile were developed in collaboration with Lambani artisans and the mahout family. The intervention proposes that ceremonial materials can remain culturally rooted while shifting toward ecological responsibility.
This work does not attempt to alter ritual practice through confrontation. It offers a material alternative grounded in care, soil-based colour, and agricultural knowledge.
Mirror fragments and sea shells were incorporated as extensions of craft knowledge, and as a material exploration of how light interacts with the body during procession.
Organic cotton shirts were also dyed for the mahout family, acknowledging shared labour and care.
On the final day of my residency, after offering the mantle and blanket, I remained overnight within the temple environment alongside Laxmi and the mahout family. This time allowed me to witness the quieter rhythms of care beyond public ritual.
The project became a shared reflection on balance and responsibility. Laxmi is a blessing for many, yet she is also a living being requiring attentiveness beyond visibility. The work proposes that devotion can include care expressed through material choice and gentler cycles of ritual practice.
Documentation, Adjustment and Technical assistance in embroidered mantle adjustment and indigo T-shirt dyeing was provided by BUAISOU.
All images courtesy of Kyoko, BUAISOU.