Wild fragment began with an intuitive urge of exploring wilderness around us. It unfolded as an experiential immersion bringing together vegetation and earthen forms, inviting attention and stillness within the city. Conceived for Abhivyakti -The City Arts Project: Edition 7, wild fragment is a collaborative work of @mansiarch @saloniigajjar @nithinkumar41 @_sohagandhi – curated by Jay Thakkar, Kamna Vyas and supported by UNM foundation.

About Artists:

Mansi Shah is an urban designer and landscape practitioner based in Ahmedabad, currently teaching as an Adjunct Professor in the Bachelor of Urban Design program at the Faculty of Planning, CEPT University. Alongside teaching, she pursues collaborative research and practice at the intersection of ecology, design, and food urbanism through the Productive Urbanism Collective. She is also involved in initiatives such as City Water Walks and urban mapping projects that explore the ecological commons and cultural layers of cities. An extension of this work is her art practice, which emerges from a continuous engagement with species, ecosystems, and urban landscapes-  drawing attention to the fragile, often unseen relationships that shape our environments.

Saloni Gajjar is a permaculturist and a landscape designer based in Ahmedabad. Her approach is informed by regenerative design thinking. She works with outdoor spaces to create close to nature experiences, to connect human to the environment for a deeper interaction. She practices small-scale regenerative farming in and around Ahmedabad with an intention to make clean food accessible to people. Her work in hospitality design focuses on regionally appropriate design, local materials and crafts, and rethinking the meaning of modern luxury. She has worked on public art installations for events like Chetak festival at Sarangkheda, the grand amdavad carnival, and permanent wall mural at Nadabet seema darshan, Gujarat.

Soha Gandhi is an Urban Designer graduated from CEPT University, Ahmedabad. She works as a landscape designer and researcher with Metabolic Office and Productive Urbanism Collective. Her approach is rooted in a deep interest in native ecosystems, plant species, and natural ecological processes. Through her artistic practice, Kali Papers, she creates handmade paper embedded with botanical specimens, using this medium to explore themes of impermanence, care, and seasonal change. She shares this craft through workshops in Ahmedabad and Baroda, inviting others to engage with natural materials through slow, tactile methods.

Nithin Kumar J is an architect and urban designer specializing in sustainable urban design and traffic management in Ahmedabad. At The Urban Lab, he leads waterfront redevelopment and traffic impact assessment projects, shaping resilient urban environments. In Chennai’s lakefront redevelopment, he has guided detailed designs and tender documentation, emphasizing nature-based solutions to create inclusive community spaces. Beyond practice, through Kaley Studio, he explores pottery and customized clay sculptures, enriching his design sensibility with artistic expression. Nithin holds a Bachelor of Architecture from University Visvesvaraya College of Engineering, Bangalore, and a Master of Architecture in Urban Design from the School of Planning and Architecture, Mysore.

Acknowledgements

Photography & Documentation:
Jay Prajapati

Landscape Contractor
Patel Ravi Dineshkumar

Site Team
Raja Babu Kushwah
Rajesh Panchal
Surinder Kushwah
Mithilesh Surinder Kushwah
Chandni Surinder Kushwah
Dharma Kushwah
Shubham Kushwah
Baba Kushwah

Volunteers
Mann Jayeshbhai Pandya
Khushali manishbhai parmar

Visual arts
Mentor: Khanjan Dalal
Curator: Jay Thakkar
Associate curator: Kamna Vyas

Supported by
Abhivyakti edition 7, UNM Foundation