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 →

Architecture, Design Thinking, Discourse, Essays, History

Andrew Boyd and Minnette de Silva

March 4, 2015 Matter 9 Comments

Two Pioneers of Modernism in Ceylon

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 →

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.

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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.