Stone to Steel, is a large-scale installation made of health and safety gear, glass / plastic bottles with metal / plastic lids and various objects. The closed bottles consist of air, leaves, stones, mud and various objects. Each bottle has a corresponding hand written note on paper. The title, Stone to Steel, is borrowed from the process of how stone is transformed into steel. This highly complex method starts with mining the iron ore, which then goes through a long and labour intensive process, to finally result in steel.

The artist wanted to narrate the social and psychological experiences of people involved in this extensive corporeal journey of stone to steel. As part of the process, the artist visited various departments of JSW Steel, a factory in Vijayanagar. This enormous factory-like township is located in Karnataka, a southern state in India. Along with the help of factory associates, the artist collected over 200 bottles of air and random thoughts on paper from various employees of JSW Steel. The participants name, date, time, location and the approximate temperature of the day was also recorded on paper.

The bottles and notes are arranged on shelves of an existing library. Various health and safety gear such as jackets, helmets, safety belts, ear plugs and protective masks are juxtaposed with these bottles. Stone to Steel, draws together an ethereal connection between objects and random thoughts, personal experiences and the spaces we work and live in. Upon closer observation the viewer notices the social and psychological connections and disconnections, associated with the manufacturing of steel and the day to day life of people in the township of Vijayanagar.

This is a work in progress and will be further developed focusing on the random thoughts and collected material. Stone to Steel, was developed during Baptist Coelho’s Artist-in-Residence at Abhisaran, Vijayanagar, 2014. The residency was supported by the JSW Foundation, Mumbai. In 2014, the installation was first exhibited as part of the artist’s open studios at Abhisaran, Vijayanagar. The residency and open studios was curated by Amit Kumar Jain.