Nayan Shrimali is a furniture and interior design graduate from National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad, who now works full-time as a paper cut artist. The straightforward yet complex organic structures found in nature influence his art. Collaborating with him is Venus Bird, a Watercolour artist and avid birder from Ahmedabad. Her work is inspired by captivating birds and their vibrant colours and she holds a diploma in animation and visual effects. Together, they are the creators of all the tiny paper cut sculptures at The Paper Ark.

The artwork “Vanished Songs” is a specific installation that pays tribute to the bird species once common in Ahmedabad/Gujarat’s skies but now disappearing due to habitat loss and urban expansion. The installation features eight delicate paper artworks of native bird species, handcrafted in The Paper Ark’s signature layered paper technique. Each bird is housed in a custom teakwood and museum glass box and accompanied by a label detailing its species name and musical tone of its call.

The artist wants to build a bridge between people and nature. The takeaway for the audience is to remember that extinction can happen quietly, in our backyards, urging them to recognize that what we preserve now may be all that remains tomorrow.