The Beside Between Beyond Project, is a community based, research driven artistic inquiry into raising awareness about domestic abuse with a highlight on immigrant and refugee populations. I collect and collate knowledge gathered from research, oral traditions, data and interviews, and transform it into intricate paper cuts and found object installations. 

According to a U.S. Census Bureau report, “approximately 3.2 million million South Asians live in the United States, their community having grown 81% from 2000 to 2010. Studies using community-based samples of South Asian immigrant women have reported past-year Intimate Partner Violence prevalence up to 40%. However, evidence on protective factors for abuse among South Asian immigrant women in the United States has been minimal.”- Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6023771/. This data shows the need for resources within these communities. 

Using visual art as a communication tool, I would like to bring awareness to the prevalence of domestic violence, with a focus on immigrant and refugee communities. Based on knowledge from research, oral traditions, data and interviews, I am creating an awareness campaign through art installations called Beside Between Beyond. I was born in India and remember the first few years of emigrating to the US. Geographically isolated, learning about a new environment with no financial income was very daunting. I was fortunate to have a supportive spouse to help navigate these difficult times. This got me to think about vulnerable people who are put into these circumstances with an abusive partner. The vulnerability of these individuals was compounded during COVID. I wanted to research support systems in place to assist these individuals. In 2020, I started the process of collecting and collating data about domestic violence which will then be transformed through intricate paper cuts, found object installations and interactive technology into visual art. 

The cutting and removing of the paper is a very violent act. Piercing, tearing and removing are all destructive. But through this act of destruction, I have discovered the transformative idea of creation. I will use visa and refugee applications as base material to create the papercuts to highlight immigrant survivors. The colors, materials and cuts will be chosen with the intention of representing the domestic violence community. 

In 2021,  I read the statement of an individual going through domestic violence. She mentioned that she was not able to talk to her community for fear of becoming an object of gossip. This statement made me think about how to use awareness and art as a catalyst to bring about societal change. I began collecting donated bangles, a cultural symbol of womanhood and fertility in South Asian culture. Through this process, I engaged with community members through dialogue about creating a safe space for all of us. A space where domestic violence victims and survivors can tell their stories without the fear of judgment.

The exhibit will bring together an immersive, multi part installation that is organized by visual complexity and relationship of individual elements to each other. This is done with the motive of creating an immersive environment for the viewer to enter and explore.

The Bangle Project is a large-scale, community-powered installation that transforms a culturally symbolic object—the bangle—into a powerful visual and emotional expression of solidarity, resilience, and collective healing. Measuring approximately 6 feet tall and 10 feet wide, the installation will consist of thousands of donated bangles suspended from a network of ceiling-mounted grates, forming a luminous curtain of glass and metal that shimmers and shifts with movement and light.

The bangle, traditionally worn by South Asian women as a symbol of beauty, fertility, and marital status, becomes a poignant metaphor in this context—one that interrogates the weight of tradition while offering space for dialogue and transformation. In many communities, domestic violence remains a deeply stigmatized and silenced issue, particularly for women who fear judgment or isolation. This installation responds directly to that silence. It was inspired by a statement from a survivor of domestic violence who could not confide in her own community due to fear of gossip. Her words served as the catalyst for this project—one that uses visual art as a means to confront social norms and open new pathways for empathy and change.

At its core, The Bangle Project is built through participation. Community members are invited to donate bangles and assist in the physical act of stringing and suspending them. This collaborative process creates a sense of shared purpose and trust. It also allows for conversations around domestic violence to emerge in a safe, non-judgmental space. By actively engaging volunteers in its making, the installation becomes not just a work of art, but a collective offering—one that acknowledges pain while also honoring strength and survival.

The suspended bangles create a dense, immersive visual experience—fragile, reflective, and resonant. Viewers are encouraged to walk around and beneath the hanging strands, engaging with the installation from multiple angles. As the bangles move gently in the air, they produce soft chimes, invoking the idea of voices rising—many, layered, and strong.

A smaller version of this work was previously exhibited at the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis and the Kranzberg art gallery at two different exhibits, where it sparked meaningful community dialogue. The full-scale version will expand on that foundation, both in scale and impact. As a living monument to the stories often hidden behind closed doors, The Bangle Project calls on us to listen, to witness, and to create communities of care where survivors can be heard without fear.

The community component of The Bangle Project is central to its creation and impact, emphasizing partnership, participation, and collective care. Volunteers from the local community will be invited to actively contribute to the making of the installation by stringing donated bangles and assisting with suspending them from ceiling-mounted grates. This hands-on collaboration can take place within the gallery itself, transforming the exhibition space into a site of shared labor, conversation, and connection. By engaging in the physical process of building the work, participants become co-authors of the installation, deepening their personal investment and fostering a sense of ownership and empathy. These communal sessions also create space for informal dialogue around domestic violence and cultural silence, offering a quiet yet powerful opportunity for healing, trust-building, and solidarity through art. 

The development of The Bangle Project will span approximately 6–8 weeks to allow for thoughtful planning, community engagement, and fabrication. The first 2–3 weeks will focus on outreach and partnership-building with local organizations, advocates for domestic violence awareness, and community groups. During this time, the artist will also begin collecting donated bangles and preparing installation materials. Weeks 4 and 5 will be dedicated to rallying and organizing volunteers, with scheduled community work sessions hosted in the gallery or partner spaces where participants will help string the bangles. These collaborative sessions will also provide opportunities for storytelling, dialogue, and advocacy. The final 1–2 weeks will be used to assemble and suspend the work from ceiling-mounted grates, ensuring all safety and design considerations are met. The installation will culminate in an opening event that includes a community celebration and artist talk, honoring the collective labor and shared vision behind the piece.

The Bangle Project aims to create lasting cultural and emotional impact by transforming a traditional symbol of femininity into a powerful collective expression of resilience and community support. Rooted in the shared act of making, this installation invites public participation to foster empathy, build trust, and open up difficult but necessary conversations about domestic violence within South Asian and broader communities. The project’s participatory model not only raises awareness, but actively dismantles the stigma that often prevents survivors from speaking out.

By donating bangles and contributing to the construction of the work, community members become co-creators—helping to build a safe, reflective, and healing environment. The gentle chime of the suspended bangles resonates as both a memorial and a call to action, inviting audiences to listen closely to the often-silenced voices of survivors. The visual and sonic presence of the piece makes the emotional weight of these stories tangible, drawing in even those who may not have engaged with the issue before.

This project also generates social impact by offering space for culturally specific dialogue around gender, identity, and silence—topics that are often taboo or under-addressed in immigrant and diasporic communities. Through public engagement, workshops, and artist-facilitated conversations, The Bangle Project builds bridges between art and advocacy, offering survivors and allies a shared platform for visibility, healing, and solidarity.

Ultimately, The Bangle Project is more than an installation—it is a growing, living monument to the collective strength of those who have endured and spoken out. It provides a culturally resonant, visually striking space for remembrance and resilience, inviting all who encounter it to reflect, to listen, and to take part in change.