Written by William J. R. Curtis.
An engaging reprint of the seminal book by Curtis takes us through the experiments of the defining years of Doshi‘s practice – a practice that has presented us with some of the most challenging axioms and paradoxes of modern architecture in India and eventually – ‘an Architecture for India‘.
Continue reading Book: Balkrishna Doshi: An Architecture for India
Through the illustration of the usage of oxide in making of floors and surfaces, this is an attempt to revisit the firmly rooted existence of this valuable building art. It is an elaboration on the uniqueness of a material which expresses through its end product a narrative of its locally crafted creation and the growth of a skill over centuries, which makes it exclusive for an informed pick in design practice.
Oxide, as a raw material, has contributed significantly to the manifested choices of finishes for the built surfaces in architectural spaces. Its earthy, warm and tantalising texture has time immemorially instigated masses and not just practitioners, to reconnect with myriad associations of traditional charm and value of building craftsmanship. By being used as an agent in preparation of floors, walls and other surfaces in typical shades as cherry, crimson, ruby or scarlet, its practice has been polished and perfected to become a selective building process in concentrated parts of India like Kerala, coastal Karnataka and interior Tamil Nadu. Continue reading Oxide: Beyond a material
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
By David Robson
David Robson pens an empathetic memoir outlining the life and works of Sri Lanka’s two pioneering architects – a man by the name of Andrew Boyd and a lady by the name Minnette de Silva – in an attempt to restore their well-deserved place in the history of Modern Architecture from Sri Lanka and to bring into light their exceptional merit.
Andrew Boyd
Born in Cornwall in 1905, Andrew Boyd was the son of an Indian Circuit Judge and experienced a typically dislocated Raj childhood, spending part of his childhood in India and part of it at school in England. His father encouraged him to join the tea business, and in 1927 arranged for him to become a tea taster with Liptons in Ceylon. There he was befriended by the photographer, Lionel Wendt, and moved in a circle which included the painter George Keyt and the poet/diplomat Pablo Neruda. Wendt kindled Boyd’s interest in photography and this in turn led him to architecture. Continue reading Andrew Boyd and Minnette de Silva
A conversation between architect Charles Correa and Art Historian Jyotindra Jain was organised on November 30, 2014 at the ISC Auditorium in Bengaluru. The event also hosted a screening of Sankalp Meshram’s film ‘Into the Unknown’ on Charles Correa’s Champalimaud Centre.
This conversation was dedicated to the memory of Vimal Jain – an architect and founding partner to a Bengaluru-based firm Architecture Paradigm. He passed away in November, 2013, succumbing to injuries sustained from a fall at a project site.
thinkMATTER 