Category Archives: Visual Culture

Palitana [The City of Temples]: Radhika Pandit

October 19, 2016 Matter 1 Comment

A photo-essay that extends the sublime quality of spaces of monumental and religious significance in Palitana – The City of Temples, the sanctimonious temple complex in Gujarat and tirtha for pilgrims in the Jain community.

Jain temples are called as derasaras. This is world’s only mountain that has 900 temples. These temples are also called Tucks. According to Jainism, since ancient times Palitana has been a major site of salvation and nirvana of Jain saints and sages. Palitana temples and whole mountain are considered the most sacred pilgrimage place (tirtha) by the Jain community, and it is the world’s largest Temple Complex. Continue reading Palitana [The City of Temples]: Radhika Pandit →

Architectural Education, Architecture, Design Thinking, Dialogues, Drawing to Find Out, Interviews, Visual Culture

Drawing to Find Out [03]: Ajit Rao

September 16, 2016 Matter 1 Comment

In conversation with Ajit Rao on his work and insights on drawings, skill and education.

Architect, Animator and Artist, Ajit Rao started his career working with the renowned Indian architect B V Doshi. Ajit’s added passion for the art of cartooning soon developed into a journey exploring diverse skills in varied mediums of expression and communication. An intuitive teacher, he has headed training programs at leading animation studios and has been a visiting faculty at premier design and architecture institutes in India. Presently Ajit has set up a studio in Lonavala, endeavouring to bring these diverse resources to the service of various aspects of Indian cultural expressions. Continue reading Drawing to Find Out [03]: Ajit Rao →

Architecture, Essays, Places, Visual Culture

Dharmapuri

August 19, 2015 Matter 1 Comment

Remnants of a Fast Disappearing Way of Life

A photo-narrative by Sneha Parthasarathy of the quintessential Indian village culture, lifestyle and architecture, against the backdrop of the Godavari River Festival.

The Pushkaras, occurring annually, are river festivals celebrating in a cyclic manner each of the 12 important holy rivers of India. This year was that of the river Godavari and was said to be a ‘Maha Pushkara’ – occurring once every 144 years. The 12 day festival saw over 11 crore devotees, from Telangana-Andhra region rush to the river banks of Godavari to take the emancipating dip and pray for departed souls of their loved ones. There is something very powerful and beautiful about belief but mass hysteria and hype is worrying. Worrying because it leads to herd mentality; when you do something not because you deeply believe in it but because you do not want to be left out. Continue reading Dharmapuri →

Architecture, Design Thinking, Drawing to Find Out, Interviews, Studio, Visual Culture

KSA Architects: Nemish Shah

July 24, 2015 Matter Leave a comment

Drawing to Find Out [02]

In an attempt to understand patterns of work at KSA Architects, we examine their drawings to find nuances of a process that permeates between sketchbooks and computers – a process of structuring an argument through drawing – drawing that represents design thinking.

Continue reading KSA Architects: Nemish Shah →

Architecture, Design Thinking, Dialogues, Drawing to Find Out, Interviews, Studio, Visual Culture

Hundredhands: Bijoy Ramachandran

February 3, 2015 Matter 3 Comments

Drawing to Find Out [01]

In an attempt to decipher and understand the relationship between the culture of drawing and production of architecture at Hundredhands, we look into their drawings to search for synapses where they represent ideas that eventually translate into architecture.