Square Petal is conceived as a self-portrait, depicting a parrot tulip in full bloom, its petals raised by hand from sheet brass and airbrushed with polyurethane paints. Valay first encountered the flower in the illustrations of naturalist Maria Sibylla Merian. The parrot tulip is a hybrid and he saw his own life in it, as a form that flourishes through adaptation. Valay’s work is driven by his Jain faith, an Indian religion whose first principle is to do no harm. "My work can honour the order of tradition while moving to its own rhythm," he says. The petals appear caught mid-motion in unmoving metal, holding a still centre within their abundance.