In conversation with the master carpenter with experience in making everything from the smallest peg to a building in wood, the podcast explores the ideas and the philosophical underpinnings of a practice deeply engaged in the idea of making.
For years, Jeevaram Suthar has mentored a generation of craftsmen and collaborated with some of the most celebrated architecture and design firms in India to produce work of integrity as he shares his thoughts on tradition, livelihoods, learning, and the dignity of working with hands.
Originally featured in [IN] SIDE, Volume 02, Issue 02.
With three decades of prolific experience, Matra Architects led by Verendra Wakhloo is a practice based out of Delhi. Verendra Wakhloo writes about architecture as an ever-evolving paradigm – as an institution of values and exploration that is ideologically oriented to many identities and forces. He offers an insight into the ethos, relationships and principles that are essential in conceptualisation and realisation of the ecology of architecture, practice and people of Matra.
The Wood House (2013) located in the hills of Uttarakhand is designed in harmony with its context. It’s a homage to the client’s origin and expresses their bond with the mountains – an association they cherished since their childhood
DESIGN AS A JOURNEY
“Architecture is not created by one, it is by many. And not only dealt by many, but constructed by many, also thought through by many. An idea emerges through a process, a dialogue which we open up,” acknowledges Verendra Wakhloo. A dialogue that Matra Architects has been trying to initiate for three decades under his guidance.
MODERN SOUTH ASIA A Visual Archive of South Asia’s Modernist Heritage
The Modern South Asia (MSA) series is dedicated to exploring modern architecture of historic importance in South Asia through photography-based books. The series will focus on architecture from the 20th century, designed and built by regional and international architects. Each book will provide the reader with an in-depth visual exploration of the architecture through contemporary photographs, architectural drawings, and newly commissioned writing by architects, thinkers, and academics.
The MSA series is edited and photographed by Randhir Singh. The project is supported and published by Arthshila Trust.
The Street As Stage: Charles Correa’s Kala Academy Goa
Essay by Rohan Shivkumar Photographs by Randhir Singh
This could be a sequence from a Buster Keaton silent-era comedy. One summer evening, a man is sitting on the edge of the river, sipping his coffee. There is a warm breeze drifting over the water as the sun sets. He hears the gentle strains of a piano playing Beethoven’s ‘Moonlight Sonata’ over the sound of the waves lapping the shore. Caught in its spell, he walks towards the music. He must find out who is playing. In a daze, humming to himself, he climbs the steps of an amphitheatre to a blue-tiled terrace. In one of the rooms, he sees a woman playing the piano. A student stands over her shoulder watching her hands. The man wants to get as close as he can to the music. He walks straight towards her and collides directly into a pane of glass. The glass shatters. He falls. Everyone rushes to help him – the piano teacher, the watchmen of the building and other people enjoying the evening breeze off the river. Befuddled, he sits up. Luckily, he is not injured. Only his nose is a little bruised, and so is his pride.
A conversation with Abdul Kalam Shaikh, an extraordinary electrical contractor who built his contracting practice on an understanding of what well-executed electrical and power services enable quality work on site.
With over 15 years of experience, Kalam has enriched many projects, including a few at Matter. His work is a constant reminder of the many hands that make a good building. This episode is an insight into Kalam’s practice, his ideas on electrical contracting work, and his passion for things done well.
A Recorded Lecture from FRAME Conclave 2019: Modern Heritage
In this lecture, Pankaj Vir Gupta discusses the conception of Sri Aurobindo Ashram in Pondicherry. Gupta delves into the architectural history of this structure, highlighting its pioneering use of concrete in India. He recounts his personal experiences at Golconde, sharing vivid details about the architecture and its unique features.
Edited Transcript
It is a particular privilege to be presenting a project with which we started our practice in 2003 and in the office archives, this is project 001 (referring to image 01). So, this morning to wake everyone up, I think it is important to understand why we are here to talk about this building and I will try and make it as energizing for you as possible.
My name is Pankaj Vir Gupta, and with my partner, Christine Mueller, I run a practice in New Delhi called Vir-Mueller Architects. I am also a professor of architecture at the University of Virginia, where I run what is called the Yamuna River Project, a multi-disciplinary research project, looking at ecology and urbanity in the megacities of the world. But to go back to how we started our practice, I was leading a study abroad program with some students from the University of Texas and we happened to be visiting Pondicherry, to look at the urban fabric of the city (referring to image 02), and we came across this extraordinary building (referring to image 02) and it was a surprise to me personally, because in several years of architectural education and research, I had never come across this building in any writing or any publication, at least not in the curricular work that we had been exposed to in our education.
thinkMATTER 