CYLINDER OF LIFE

A circle in the sand becomes something entirely different when viewed from above.

In Subodh Kerkar’s participatory artwork, people walk together in a circle on a small patch of beach surrounded by the ocean.

From the ground, the action appears simple. From above, their shadows stretch across the sand and transform the flat circle into a cylinder.

“Life is not a circle.
Life is a cylinder.”

Inspired by Rumi, the work reflects on how much our understanding can change when our perspective changes.

The people create the circle. Their shadows create the depth. The aerial view reveals the complete image.

A simple but powerful reminder that what we see is often only one dimension of what is really there.

The illusion depends on the relationship between bodies, sunlight and viewpoint. Without the shadows or the elevated perspective, the apparent volume returns to an ordinary arrangement of people on sand.