Palace of Pursuit

A common theme in Mughal Miniature Paintings was of men in pursuit of a woman, sometimes climbing castle walls to meet them and court them. Some women would be persuaded, while some others, not as quickly. Hence, quite a few paintings have the woman running away from the man.
This project is a commentary on romanticising unrelenting behaviour in society and how this affects women negatively. The concept was to create a cat-and-mouse chase where the man tries various ways to chase and pursue the lady but is constantly hindered by something in his path. The lady is aided in her escape by the surrounding architecture and nature.
The man follows the lady down in separate balconies that move vertically like a lift. On another terrace, the handrails open only for the lady. The man takes an alternate path with cascading staircases and is eventually stopped by the ladies' handmaidens while the lady continues to relax by the swimming pool.
Unfortunately, the man cannot follow her anymore as flowers grow in the path and block him. In the end, the man turns to a secret weapon: Music, which temporarily captures the lady's interest. However, finally, she decides to go back, much to the man's dismay. The architecture again helps them get to where they need to go.