The Leaf Instrument was created when the first wave of the pandemic hit. Living in isolation and being disconnected from the world was a way to reconnect with nature as it healed itself. I wanted to explore and highlight the beauty of naturally occurring, mundane materials that are often missed. This project was a way to celebrate nature's beauty and its absolute rawness.  

I explored textures of naturally fallen dry leaves through their materiality. Dry leaves were used as the base to create various materials including paper, biocomposites and biopolymers. To further explore textures, I experimented with the auditory dimension that led to a beautiful soundscape. These tactile and auditory textures were together crafted into an instrument, one which magnifies the experience of being amidst nature – listening to rain, highlighting the sound of water droplets as they interact with every leaf-based material differently. This instrument represents how materials tell a story not only through the way we see and perceive but also through their tactility, soundscape and even their smell. What we interpret from them is drawn from a multi-sensory experience.