In the Vishnu Purana, a lotus emerges from the navel of a blue god and marks the creation of the universe. In Egypt, a blue lotus flower at the beginning of time arose out of primeval waters to connect the heavens to the earth. These ancient civilisations of the Nile and the Indus are thus connected by one symbol: the Lotus.

Prophecies say that when the blue lotus flower returns to bloom in Egypt, there will be a rebirth of consciousness rooted in the purity of the heart. Padma is an oasis of lotus flowers bringing this prophecy to life. It consists of 10 brass lotuses handmade by artisans in India and uses pulse sensors to visualise visitors’ heartbeats, inviting them to synchronise their hearts. It is the first installation by an Indian artist at the Pyramids of Giza. Padma is an evolution of lead artist Shilo Shiv Suleman’s installation Pulse & Bloom developed at Burning Man in 2014.

One of the largest biofeedback installations of its kind, it is based on studies that prove that when two people spend enough time together, breathing (beating, being) with each other, their hearts begin to beat in time like fireflies pulsing in patterns. It was first created in collaboration with architects, neurotechnologists, and hardware engineers and has toured the world ever since.