Mixed-media collage 'Truth and motion of life' by Chila Kumari Burman, 2017, showing a Charkha over the Indian flag. The frame embellished with mirror pieces.

Made of card, glitter paper, plastic beads, rhinestones, giclee print, paper.

The charkha is a traditional Indian spinning wheel, strongly associated with Mahatma Gandhi's focus on an Indian economy based on cottage industries. The original design for the Indian flag, post-independence, featured a charkha over the red, green and white colours.

One of 29 works produced by Burman as a commission to accompany the Science Museum’s ‘Illuminating India’ season in 2017-18. The works respond to objects and narratives in the history of science in India particularly to the exhibition ‘5000 Years of Science and Innovation’, as well as to the wider religious and cultural history of the sub-continent. This was Burman's first significant engagement with the history of science and medicine, with the works ranging across print, collage, photography and mixed-media, including experiments with iPad technology.