A balance of contradictions

Rooshad Shroff is an architect and designer based in Mumbai. His work often begins with a material contradiction. Wood is asked to cantilever, embroidery migrates from textile to timber and stone, and solid marble is hollowed out to translucency. Rooshad tests the thresholds of materials and techniques through experimentation and prototyping, allowing the process of making to shape the final object. By collaborating with specialist artisan communities across India, he approaches craft as a system of knowledge that can be questioned and pushed into unfamiliar territories.

In this piece, chosen for Homo Faber 2026, a vase sculpted from orange calcite takes the shape of a stone resting effortlessly on another stone. Part of Rooshad’s Balance collection, it is an ongoing exploration of forms found in nature. The vase is formed from a hollowed ellipsoid that has been sliced horizontally and set against a smaller ellipsoid. The larger form appears to lean with ease although its stability is determined by carefully resolved proportions and poise. It was created in collaboration with artisans in Jaipur, whose carving skills translate a complex idea into a single, resolved object.