• Reha turned to the lathe after experiencing a mind-to-hand disconnect
• She learned her craft by watching master woodturners on YouTube
• Beachcombing along the Chennai coast is an integral part of her creative process

After a decade of working as an architect and interior designer, Reha Salvi found her way into craftsmanship at the lathe. She taught herself woodturning in Chennai, as no formal path into the craft existed. Working with heavy and physically demanding wood, mounting large sections onto the lathe on her own is the daily reality. Reha works from her studio Lakkadghoom, turning, carving and charring Indian neem and teak wood into hollow forms that sit between vessel and sculpture. Their shapes are inspired by the shells and seed pods that she finds on the shore and carries back to the workshop. “Working on a lathe means committing to the moment. There are no rehearsals, no undoing. Whatever grows, cracks or resists becomes part of the work,” she says.