Behind the Shelf
An inquiry into engraved kitchenware, intergenerational conversations, and feminist material memory.
Hidden in the back of many Indian kitchen cupboards are stainless steel utensils engraved with women’s names. These objects are used like any other plate or spoon, yet they quietly hold traces of identity, marriage, and generational history. Behind the Shelf began as an investigation into these engraved utensils and the stories they hold. Through interviews with women across generations, the project uncovers how everyday kitchenware has functioned as an informal archive of women’s lives within domestic spaces.
Medium: Interactive installation; engraved stainless steel utensils, NFC/RFID-triggered audio, 3D projection, domestic objects, archival photographs, printed publication.
Sound includes interview excerpts and music by Darzi⌝
✦ Showcased on May 15-16th, 2026 at Parsons School of Design.
Interaction Model: The installation takes the form of an interactive table that displays engraved utensils within a domestic setting. Visitors are invited into a simple ritual of recognition: choosing a utensil, placing it onto the central registration spot, and listening as the object activates a woman’s story. Each utensil triggers an audio narrative drawn from oral histories of five women across three generations, accompanied by 3D projected visuals that unfold across the table surface.
Audio snippet from installation, sound mixed on audition
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