At the entrance to Rabindra Sarobar, a 15-foot-tall seahorse now rises as a reminder of a marine threat the world has been fighting for years now. Its surface glinting with the afterlife of things we once threw away.
Nets, plastic scraps and discarded bags come together to form ‘Tide-tales: A Phoenix of the Ocean’.
First shown at the Kala Ghoda Arts Festival 2026 in Mumbai, the work has travelled to Kolkata and been refurbished with the help of the Inner Wheel Club of Central Kolkata, a women's service organisation focused on promoting friendship, personal service, and international understanding.
Its lower half is stained with used machine oil, mirroring the pollutants saturating marine ecosystems.
Up close, the textures are unsettling but from a distance, the form is graceful.
The seahorse, often seen as a symbol of resilience in marine life, becomes a fitting metaphor here. It stands at a plastic-free water body, yet carries the weight of polluted oceans far beyond the city.
Conceptualised by Sukrit Sen of the Living Waters Museum and crafted by artist Vyom, the piece calls attention.
“Art can make people look twice at what they usually ignore. If that pause leads to reflection, it has done its job,” Sen said.
