Infinite Loop is a kinetic sculpture at Amul Dairy campus Anand. It is a symbolic representation of the legacy and values of Amul.
Project Name: Infinite Loop – Kinetic Sculpture
Office Name: Craft Quest
Office Website: https://craftquest.in
Social Media Accounts: craftquest_india
Contact email: [email protected]
Firm Location: Ahmedabad, Gujarat
Completion Year: 2021
Gross Built Area (m2/ ft2): 19.08 m2 / 205 ft2
Project Location: Amul Dairy Anand, India
Program / Use / Building Function: To engage people with the art
Lead Architects: Urvi Sheth
Lead Architects e-mail: [email protected]
Photographer
Photo Credits: Kunal Panchal
Photographer’s e-mail: [email protected]
Video link: https://youtu.be/XGI00bepgvA
History
Amul began as a milk producer’s union. Shri Tribhuvandas Patel formally established Kaira District Co-operative Milk Producer’s Union Limited in 1946 which is popularly known as Amul (Anand Milk Union Limited). The company has played a vital role in the white revolution of India. Amul means different things to different people: To a Milk Producer, it is a life-enriching experience, to a Consumer, it is the assurance of having wholesome milk, to a mother it is a reliable source of nourishment for her child, to the Country, it is rural Development and Self Reliance.
Concept
For a company like this, the sculpture needed to have greater depth and multiple layers. We chose the mathematical symbol of the infinite loop which carries various meanings. Infinite loop means love, beauty & power. This relates to Amul’s love for farmers and the power of nation-building. It also means a sense of simplicity and balance, the value that the company has had for the last 75 years. The symbol also represents where we are and the endless possibilities we have before us. We connect this with the fact that Amul has not stopped working for even a day for all these years in any circumstance. People and machines work here 24 hours, 365 days tirelessly. To show this dynamism, we wanted the sculpture to be kinetic. The sculpture rotates on a single axis like most of the machines in the dairy.
Material Selection
Since it is an outdoor sculpture, the material palette was limited. Based on the geometry and requirement to rotate, sheet metal was the obvious choice. The weight of the sculpture would have been considerably less, putting less load on the mechanism. However, we chose to make it in Ambaji marble. We have an affinity for natural materials. Whiteness and weight of stone stand for the white revolution and stability of the company. Stone also allows tactility. Imagine the texture and finishes that we could do in stone would have never been possible with sheet metal.
Craftsmanship
It is a handmade sculpture. The sculpture was generated using codes in Rhinoceros 7.0 and Grasshopper 3D. We made 3D printed scale prototypes. These prototypes were used to communicate with the local craftsman. It was the skills of the craftsman. They translated this geometry from 3D print to stone sculpture. They also made prototypes (600 mm diameter) in different types of stone before they made the final sculpture in Ambaji marble.
