2021
2023

Beyond the Veil

Priyanka Shah

Priyanka Shah

Parsons The New School for Design

Anirudh Anand

Anirudh Anand

Parsons The New School for Design

Aarohi Mittal

Aarohi Mittal

Parsons The New School for Design

Parsons The New School for Design

2021
2023

Beyond the Veil

Priyanka Shah

Parsons The New School for Design

Anirudh Anand

Parsons The New School for Design

Parsons The New School for Design

Parsons The New School for Design

2021
2023

Beyond the Veil

Priyanka Shah

Parsons The New School for Design

Anirudh Anand

Parsons The New School for Design

Parsons The New School for Design

Parsons The New School for Design

Beyond the Veil celebrates and laments the fleeting moments of interaction that we all share with millions of other city dwellers each day. Figures that are obscured from view are revealed through shadow and reflection upon a veil. They swirl and mingle, changing with every moment, offering glimpses of silhouettes as they move. These moments of revelation mirror the way in which our only interaction with most of the people we see each day is fleeting and superficial. Although each person is a complete individual with a life story, complex emotions, and a unique point of view, all we see of most people is a quick glance. We never see past the shadows and reflections, just as we never come to truly know the people we see each day. Our understanding of the totality of the city is limited to the glimpses we get as we go about our days. Through its play of shadow and movement, the installation mirrors the simple and profound loneliness of our existence. It celebrates the transient beauty of the precious moments we share with strangers - the rare, unique moment when diverse, complex individuals interact for the first and only time. It laments our incapacity to engage with our fellow humans more deeply, and our inability to perceive humanity more holistically. Beyond the Veil prompts us to appreciate the beauty and complexity in everyday moments, and to question the nature of our existence within the larger circle of life. Do we ever see the truth behind the shadow? Is there any way past the veil?

Beyond the Veil