"The garden of the world has no limits except in your mind. Its presence is more beautiful than the stars, with more clarity than the polished mirror of your heart."
- Rumi

The philosopher asks the Earth and the Sky, “do you meet at the horizon?” They reply, “our bonds are more subtle than a physical meeting. A garden is the yearning of the Earth to embrace the Sky, and a man’s yearning to meet his maker.” In this rediscovered garden of Sunder Nursery, renewed and revitalised from history and brought into the present; we seek to create an Ensō diagram, where copper of the Earth and silver of the sky meet and embrace in meditative bliss. Architecture of the past lies strewn everywhere in the garden, lending to us a gem of geometry - a beautiful pointed arch. In the pavilion, we have multiplied the arch nine times to symbolise the nine realms. The Zen garden represents yin and yang, wind and water - the two elements that connect the Earth and the Sky - this is the subtle connection between things, the interconnectedness of all realms, just as multitudes of folds in Origami create a single pleated melody. Through that song, the physical garden dematerialises and like all spiritual energies, becomes one with the universe.

The Pleated Pavilion was supported by the Gujral Foundation in association with Outset India. The Gujral Foundation envisioned a Serpentine Pavilion kind of initiative in India, inviting an architect, designer or artist to create a new spatial / sculptural work in the Sunder Nursery every year. This was the inaugural pavilion project for this initiative.