When the foundations of life seem unstable and the future uncertain, the concept of the shell gains new significance. Reflecting on my own internal conflicts - the individual desire to go inward, hide and protect, and the opposing societal need to be seen, vocal and public - revealed once more the longing to be seduced by the quiet, private place that is the shell.

As a child, shells captivated me - their precise geometry and smooth contours, the mystery of their making. The philosopher Paul Valéry described how the mollusk exudes its shell: