Water—an element both ubiquitous and scarce—and its innate ability to flow, make space and be shapeless, yet have the power to shape and transform any entity—including light—that enters it, and most importantly, to create and nurture is poetic and mystifying in tandem. From the oceans, with their ceaseless depths beyond the limits of exploration occupying almost three-quarters of the planet, to the water composing nearly 60 per cent of the human body, this molecule forms the foundation of almost everything around us. In the 1980s, French immunologist Jacques Benveniste also claimed that water could retain memory, opening up an avenue for both wonder and debate. What more lies in the element’s essence? What do we not know about this multifaceted medium?

Vibhor Sogani, a contemporary artist based in Delhi, India, takes cues from these mysteries of the aqueous, working on a series of artistic interpretations of its implicit nature. One such manifestation took the stage at the recently concluded edition of the Architecture and Design Film Festival in Mumbai. From January 10 – 12, 2024, Sogani’s installation titled Tidal Tango participated in the JSW Pavilion Park at ADFF:STIR Mumbai; the iridescent and undulating artwork, reminiscent of capricious waves shimmering under the sun, illuminated an otherwise dark room in the National Centre for Performing Arts (NCPA). “Tidal Tango is a unison of two waves. In the dynamic collision or convergence of waves, I see a lot of rhythms of life reflecting,” the installation artist says in an exclusive conversation with STIR.

Born in Jaipur, Rajasthan, Sogani is one of India’s pioneering creatives, renowned for his light and art installations. The Indian artist and designer, through his oeuvre of public art installations, pursues the transformation of urban environments in a way that facilitates meaningful reconnection between people and their context. Although his creative repository spans various mediums, themes of growth, transformation​​ and cultural heritage are common links. A propensity towards metal also comes to the fore, recurring as the artist dabbles with resilient, reflective surfaces in several of his prominent artworks, such as Sprouts (Delhi), Joy (UAE) andPool of Dreams (Amsterdam Light 2023). Metal, specifically stainless steel, became the medium for Sogani’s dynamic expression, once again, in Tidal Tango.

As visitors expectantly entered a dimly lit room, mirror-finish stainless steel waves, reflecting and refracting onto each other, revealed themselves rather commandingly, asking visitors to pause and ponder the minute rhythms and harmonies of life. The sculpture, made in 316-grade stainless steel, mirrored the ebb and flow of the ocean, embodying its perpetual dynamism. Two effulgent waves crashed into each other, symbolising a convergence between power and serenity, the sublime and the mundane. “The installation was carefully crafted in the form of waves, and you could see reflections of the droplets on the edges,” the artist notes. “I wanted to show the duality, and therefore, I chose to have the blue colours and the amber light,” he adds.

An ode to that mysterious quality of water, Tidal Tango unfolds in disparate bands made from a whole, much like the crashing waves emanating from the same ocean—rising, falling, resting, colliding—a spirited, fluid dance. “I often feel that certain emotions in life are at intersections; there is convergence, there is collision. Our feelings, power, serenity, emotions, all reflect in the dynamic waves of water,” Sogani tells STIR. The Tidal Tango, enveloped in a black reflective canvas amplifying its expression, represented these fleeting collisions, mundane and repetitive, impactful nevertheless—the silvery waves of the installation freezing the moments in time.

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.