Documenting the transition
Over the past few years, he has photographed abandoned factories, ruined industrial landscapes and redeveloped urban areas, observing how cities transform over time. Those photographs will then be turned into CAD (Computer-Aided Design) drawings, paintings or sculptural works.
“What I’m interested in is transition—how an industrial landscape disappears, how communities take over that space, and how the memory remains even after everything has changed,” he says.
During the stay, Jaipur Rugs took Patel through factories, manufacturing units, villages and artisan homes across Rajasthan. The experience exposed him to two contrasting worlds.
“On one side were the large textile industries driven by machinery, repetition and efficiency. On the other side were artisans working from their homes, where everything happened through the human touch and inherited knowledge. This contrast stuck with me and became part of this exhibition,” he explains.
Therefore, the exhibition brings these ideas to life through a series of textile works inspired by industrial architecture and the weaving process.
‘Endless Horizon I’ is a large-scale textile piece created from a blend of wool and bamboo silk. Done on a black background, the center of the rug features an intricate drawing of a large factory interior – outlined in yellow-gold, white and red. Using silky lines that catch the light against the dense background of matte wool, the piece creates a subtle, shimmering dimension.
On the other hand, ‘Layered Ruins’ is a three-dimensional textile installation that transforms the concept of a traditional carpet into a hanging structure. Suspended from the ceiling, the piece is built with staggered, interconnected levels, as if representing industrial scaffolding. Red threads run around the entire structure, imitating the warp threads of the loom.
