Madhvi Reddi/Gallery

Barbarella

Shaped like a seed pod that has just burst open, it offers kernels to be picked up, turned over and explored by hand.

Kernels: Mixed Layer packaging tubes, jute. Garment tags and fasteners as accents.
Shell: paper clay

10in x 15in x 15in

Pollicipes Plastica Polymerus

Named for its marine inspiration, the work clusters non-recyclable household objects within self-supporting crocheted domes. Viewers are invited to rotate the sculpture and discover familiar items from daily life

Polyethylene Crochet domes + Mixed Plastics Assemblage
12in x 12in x 7in

Khilona

Hindi for "toy," this installation’s title playfully reclaims the familiar ‘this bag is not a toy’ warning found on LDPE and polyethylene packaging—the same materials used to crochet these forms. A central ‘yarn’ ball featuring packaging text helps viewers trace color and stitch back to its plastic origin. The work evolves with the materials available.

Dimensions and materials, L to R:
Clear LDPE and Polyethylene bags, Jute. 72in x 36in x 22in
Plastic film, Hemp. 24in x 11in x 8.5in
Salvaged Polyester garments. 24in x 9in x 12in
Oct 2023 - ongoing

Pholadidae

Named after the rock-boring Piddock clam, this piece recalls the surprise of discovering hidden worlds inside a beach pebble. Meant to be stacked or scattered hole-side down, each form reveals its detail only when lifted and explored.

Stones: paper clay
Interior detail: Single-use plastic ephemera. Next image highlights one stone’s contents: plastic straws, bottle caps, fasteners, and more.
Stacked dimensions: 10in x 14in x 12in

Barni

A bite-sized sculpture referencing barnacle clusters perched on a tree ring. Its fins display infographics and textural details from takeout food containers.

Polypropylene 5 Takeout Containers, Tree ring made with packaging paper
5.5in x 7in x 6in

Walkabout

Plastic detritus collected from the streets of San Francisco.
9ft x 12ft wall installation

Albert

Created for Madrone Art Bar’s window display as part of a community-driven project, this piece responds to the question: If we turn our land into landfills, what might grow from it? It imagines trees bearing seed pods shaped by the waste embedded in their environment.

Fused Polyethylene & LDPE food packaging bags, HDPE detergent bottles
41in x 22in x 22in

Master Pricks

LDPE Crochet, Mixed plastics assemblage
28in x 10in x 10in

Mountbatten

Created as a community project for Madrone Art Bar’s window display, this piece asks: “If we turn our land into landfills, what might grow from it?”

It imagines trees adapting to produce seed pods formed from our waste. Divisadero neighbors collected the materials, which I transformed into sculpture.

One of five sculptures in the series, it pays homage to one of San Francisco’s most recognizable trees, the Magnolia grandiflora.

Kernel: Reconstituted packaging clay
Petals: Polypropylene #5 takeout-container lids and LDPE deli containers
Accents: Pet toys and salvaged wiring caps
40 × 26 × 26 in

Notes from the field

Urnephemera

Placeholder description.