When I first saw Ranjani Shettar's Just a bit more, I was instantly mesmerized by the delicate installation. The piece is hung at the back of the Scaife galleries next to a large rectangular window that lets the light flow in.

Looking at the installation at different times during the day, the light changes the look of the piece. Small spheres hand molded out of beeswax in shades of blue are connected by tea stained thread intricately woven together like DNA. I love how the blue spheres seem to be suspended in space as though they were frozen in time and also under a microscope viewed with scrutiny.

The more I looked at the installation the more I became interested in her art. Blending references to the organic and the man made, the landscape and the urbanscape, Shettar creates ethereal sculptural installations that both remind us of and speaks to natural structures like beehives, spiderwebs,and constellations such as Vasanta and Sun sneezers blow light bubbles.

I interpret Just a bit more as an exploration of biology, a symbotic relationship between man and nature,  the basic components of nature and what it physically means to be human.

As I was reading through the comments on the piece one really stood out to me. It was a comment by Natalie, she said: "I couldn't help but be amazed by this stunning work, if not for its pure visual appeal than for its encapsulation of spirituality. Though Shettar used the simplest and most organic materials, she has created a piece which transcends the mundane and more cluttered aspects of daily life and instead serenely sweeps above all human action. She seems to be suggesting a sort of universal spirit, much like Jung's collective unconscious, which connects the entire world in one fell swoop. It is in this universality that this piece's power lies, for no matter how religious or spiritual you may be, you can't help but feel drawn in and connected to Shettar's world."

Check out these photos of Shettar installing her piece in the galleries.

Posted by Tyler