The baoli or stepwell, constructed across central and west India from the 7th to the 19th century as a form of life-sustaining architecture, is one of the most well-recognised traditional Indian built forms. The spaces, articulated layers and levels of solid steps in a baoli provided access to water throughout the seasons. For SHROFFLEóN—a design firm helmed by Maria I Jimenez-Leon and Kayzad R. Shroff—this entity becomes the muse for their pavilion Ananta at the Architecture and Design Film Festival's South Asia debut in Mumbai from January 10-12, 2025. The architecture pavilion developed in collaboration with Jindal Stainless (JSL), will take the stage in ADFF:STIR Mumbai's Pavilion Park supported by JSW. The immersive installation responds evocatively and quite singularly to the curatorial brief, Frames of Reference. “We wanted to create a pavilion which was looking at the past but from the lens of the present,” Shroff tells STIR. To this, Leon adds, “We wanted to celebrate Indian architecture, that is why we went ahead with the concept of a stepwell which is extremely representative of Indian history.”

SHROFFLEóN's work is informed by thorough research and an experimental approach manifested through inquisitiveness and intellectual exchanges being central to their methodology. Their oeuvre traverses scales—from large-scale urban proposals to smaller residential designs—and is fuelled by a mix of conceptual thinking and technical expertise. For the pavilion design at ADFF:STIR Mumbai, their concept note, building on the ethos of their practice, reads, “Stepping down and into the space of the baoli feels akin to the theatre, where life is staged on its infinite steps. Both within and outside perceived time, these spaces are historical yet alive; instigating contemplation,” adding a performative twist to the functioning of the pavilion's spatial syntax.

The designers take the distinct morphology of a stepwell and flip it on its axis to create a metaphorical time-space continuum, inviting the audience into a captivating shell of a structure. The pavilion is envisioned as a monolithic mirror-finish stainless steel structure with space folded and refracted interminably. This peculiar mise-en-scene of the baoli becomes the stage for the visitor’s thoughts and fantasies. “There is a cinematic and immersive aspect to the design of the pavilion where the viewer is trapped in a void of infinite reflections or a space of infinite voids—a sort of multiverse,” Leon explains in a candid conversation with STIR ahead of the pavilion's reveal at the expansive film festival.

“From the onset, we were clear we wanted to create a pavilion that exploited material properties which are reflective and structural,” Shroff shares. The studio’s decision to conceive a mono-material frame—from structure to cladding—allows for an in-depth exploration of details, joineries, finishes and the material properties of a singular element. This approach adopted at the architecture festival is an extension of their ethos evident in other projects that use discrete palettes in unconventional ways. Progressing steps reflect on several mirrored planes, the tangible and intangible dissolve into one, while the designers dwell on the inherent materiality of stainless steel in collaboration with Jindal Stainless.

Each structural element is meticulously crafted with stainless steel, an ode to the hybrid material's versatility. The design experiments with the simplicity of stainless steel, turning the two-dimensional into multi-dimensional and challenging the viewers’ perceptions of space. As one meanders through the design installation, a possible sense of disorientation melts into one of revelation. “The collaboration for Ananta with SHROFFLEóN perfectly aligns with Jindal Stainless’ philosophy of blending innovation, craftsmanship and sustainability. By reimagining the traditional baoli through a contemporary lens, the designer’s vision mirrors the brand’s ethos of honouring heritage while embracing modernity,” the JSL team tells STIR.

For ADFF:STIR, Ananta promises an immersive experience, one that visitors may embark on to explore and question their perceptions of the real and the unreal. Through the focused use of stainless steel, SHROFFLEóN hopes to unveil novel ways of engaging with architectural materiality.

For more information, visit the ADFF:STIR Mumbai website for key highlights of the festival, including the 20+ films, 10 cinematic pavilions, special projects the ~log(ue) programme, media and press coverage and more. Stay tuned and keep an eye out for ADFF:STIR Mumbai 2026.