Category Archives: Contemporary Practice

Architectural Education, Contemporary Practice, Design Thinking, Discourse, Essays, Urban Design

Cities: Between Metaphor & Reality

June 26, 2015 Matter 1 Comment

How the empirical and the scientific can sustain together. – By Narendra Dengle.

Narendra Dengle talks about the inherent contradictions in the much discussed ‘Smart-City’ idea that has captured political imagination by inclining the argument in favour of a city which has a place for all and not just the economy which builds it.

Once a client of mine discussed at length the requirements of an institutional project and stressed the importance of being rational, functional, economic, and energy conscious in approach. We agreed. The next day he called up to say, “Please make it Eco-friendly.” We said, ‘Oh yes’. Then he dropped by to insist that the Continue reading Cities: Between Metaphor & Reality →

Architectural Education, Contemporary Practice, Design Thinking, Dialogues, Discourse, Lectures, Praxis

In Conversation – Charles Correa, Raj Rewal and Mahendra Raj.

June 24, 2015 Matter 1 Comment

From The Z-Axis Climactic Session – Moderated by Riyaz Tayyibji.

The complete edited video from Charles Correa Foundation with a landmark conversation between Charles Correa, Mahendra Raj and Raj Rewal. Continue reading In Conversation – Charles Correa, Raj Rewal and Mahendra Raj. →

Architecture, Contemporary Practice, Discourse, Essays

AN ERODED PRIVATE REALM: P Venugopal

March 11, 2015 Matter Leave a comment

In this comment, P Venugopal objectively observes our changing architectural perceptions of homes as a society and the subjective dimensions of the missing levels of humanising factors shaping the designs.

Museums are regulated environments. Artifacts on display are confined to tight frames of glass, and watched under spotlights. Curios in glass boxes are hermetically sealed. Relieved from the incessant gaze of the spectators, if they are taken back to the store, after the day’s work, they may recoup in the warmth of their ordinary storage alcove and breathe! They too can enjoy the privilege of a private realm. Continue reading AN ERODED PRIVATE REALM: P Venugopal →

Architecture, Contemporary Practice, Projects, Studio

Mobius House: Girish Dariyav Karnawat, GDKdesigns

March 5, 2015 Matter Leave a comment

Elemental in its approach, the Mobius House in Goa by Girish Dariyav Karnawat of Mangalore-based GDKdesigns invites a reading less as an object of design but through an exploratory process, of a site of transformation. The architecture of the residence is grounded in an understanding found within inherent gestures of domestic occupation and the slow shifts of architectural representation.

“Mobius House is a resultant of the pursuit of the archetypal image of a pavilion in the landscape through processes that strive to accommodate contemporary building and living conditions, while in simultaneous dialogue with rich traditional and vernacular references,” writes Siddhartha Singh for GDKdesigns. Continue reading Mobius House: Girish Dariyav Karnawat, GDKdesigns →

Contemporary Practice, Installation Design, Projects, Studio

An Allusion to a Cloud

February 9, 2015 Anusha Leave a comment

In the Himalayan mountains of Kalga village in Himachal, a group of artists and designers created ‘An Allusion to a Cloud’, an installation made of light, sound and organza silk, enlivening it with the energies of dancer Wei, Ching-Jui.

Installations are fascinating objects. Or are they subjects? Perhaps both. An Allusion to a Cloud, fabricated during the KYTA artist residency, although not a public installation, is nevertheless an interesting specimen when it comes to artistic collaboration. KYTA (Karma Yatri Travel & Art) residency brings together practitioners from varied backgrounds be it Electronic and Experimental Music or Dance, Photography, Music Theory, Sculpture, Architecture and Art into one place – a village called Kalga in Himachal Pradesh – for a month. The participants work together and the confluence of these creative energies in the pristine surroundings of the mountains, fresh air and nature, produces inspiring works of art.