Saptan Stories : An inspiration for design collabs

I have always been an admirer (read fan) of artistic collaborations. Be it in the field of music, films, dance or graphics, such alliances have been a great source of inspiration for me as an architect/designer. I find the whole idea behind 'collaboration' fascinating. People from different fields come together at one stage and work on to create something beautiful – something which is a mix of two (or sometimes even more) different ‘characters’ and attitudes. The artists bring out the best of their arts and the final result is a perfect example of what we call as ‘ek ke daam mein do’ (two in the cost of one).

Now, expand your vision and imagine having ‘ek ke daam mein saat’ (seven in the cost of one)! ‘Saat’, Hindi for number Seven, and that is from where Saptan Stories get its name (saptan is number seven in Sanskrit). What makes this even more interesting is the format. Seven different artists/illustrators from India and UK, each with their different styles and artistic characters, come together to interpret a storyline which grows every week as the Indian audience contributes a line to the platform. As they say, it is “India’s first ever crowdsourced digital art project” – a 7-week series which is a part of British Council’s ongoing India/UK 2017 – a yearlong celebration of 70 years of relationship between the two countries.

I was fortunate to witness the unfolding of the ongoing story in its fifth week. In the premises of their beautiful building, British Council India organized a small get-together where the artists revealed their fine artworks. The artists Adrita Das (Mumbai), Gavin Strange (Bristol), Gemma Correll (Suffolk), Janine Shroff (London), Priyesh Trivedi (Mumbai), Saloni Sinha (Bangalore) and Tom Mead (Bristol) were brought together by the Oscar award winning Aardman Animations, and were given this tedious yet never-done-before kind of project. As an artist and illustrator myself, I do relate to them and understand the complexities of interpreting the line of the story into an artwork especially when they do not have any idea of what lies ahead. As the story progresses every week, and a line is selected by online voting, it is impossible to guess what turn the story would take. That is what, in my opinion, makes it the most exciting campaign ever. Nobody knows what’s going to happen next.

The Illustrations for the Week 05 for which the winning lines were -

"I was falling through what seemed like a long tunnel, blinded by lights. I somehow landed on my two feet and found myself in a large hall. Walls covered in photographs. Photographs of my entire life."

Adrita Das

Gavin Strange

Gemma Correll

Janine Shroff

Priyesh Trivedi

Saloni Sinha

Tom Mead

Personally, I was bowled over by Tom’s inputs. The way he has managed to interpret the whole thing in his own characteristic manner is commendable. Unlike others, his interpretation in black and white gives the whole story a different edge. On the other hand, I was also shocked to see Priyesh’s signature ‘Aadarsh-baalak’ like-character in this very different and unknown realm! With each and every artwork that was revealed, I was forced to think ‘How they managed to do it?’ I found the whole idea of this project so unique and fascinating. Kudos to the team at British Council. Their efforts and hard work of all the artists have brought this never-done-before kind of project to its last stage. Everyone, even the artists, wishes that the story gets a happy ending!

The whole ‘experience’ brought me back to the point where I was asking myself, “Why don’t we, as designers and architects, do something like this more often?” Saptan Stories has definitely shown us a new perspective to look at the collaborations and cross-country art projects. 

Why Cooking is a good idea for Designers?

Advantages of having a super- cook mom -

1. You get endless variety of delicacies on the menu every time you sit for a meal.
2. You don't need to experiment with cooking, as you don’t even realize that it is a necessity until your mom is out for a trip. 

The same happened with me a few months back. Our mythological books talk about devi Annapurna. Apart from being the world to us, moms are definitely that devi, for sure! Thus, the whole idea of trying my hand on cooking started with my mom planning a short trip out of town for a week. Well, quite frankly, even though I always had this feeling that I would do justice to this 'art', I was quite scared of trying it in the beginning. But very soon I realized the magic and 'Design' behind the art of cooking. I realized why it is called an art. I realized the importance of 'details' required to be applied (just like any other design) to get the perfect result.

Months after my initial trials, last night, while preparing vegetable pulao the idea of charting out these 'details' came to my mind.

Cutting/Chopping

Like any other design process, the earliest stage is 'preparing the resources'. And for the same, one needs to be precise and fluent with the tools. In this case - knife and other cutting instruments - play the lead role.
During that epic moment when you hold the knife for the first time in your life - it all seems easy. But the actual problem begins here only - 'holding' the knife correctly is an art in itself. Well, it took me more than a couple of trials to get closer to the right technique. (Yes, I am still figuring out how it works!) 


Things you learn  
1.Analysis of the science behind the design of knife.
2.Textural study of vegetables - as each vegetable needs a different angle.
3.Visualizing the aesthetics behind cutting - for eg. You have to judge and choose whether the so called potato-fries-type-cut is ok for making curry potato or not.

Adding the spices
Spices are the integral part of cooking process in India. And I must admit, it is the trickiest and one of the best kept secrets too. From Daadi-Nani to Maa, you ask anyone about the quantities of spices and the answer would be, "andaaze se". Actually, it is the wisdom that they have earned during all those year when they were learning this art. Its like asking a painter the quantity of colors he has put in while preparing a masterpiece. 


Things you learn
1.Elements like Proportions. With each and every trial, you get closer to what it needs to be like.
2.The aromatic sense of cooking - suddenly you realize that you have this ability to smell and tell what seem to be good and what not.
3.Cultural and agricultural appreciation of our country - Its awesome to research a bit about all the spices that you have put in, it will connect you with what you are making.

Veg Pulao 

Mixing it all together
Now this is another tricky part. This heading actually has two meanings - mixing of the already cut veggies and masalas AND mixing all the work together... yes, TOGETHER!
Dealing with the first, one needs to be super precise about mixing technique as this stage can either make or break you 'design' apart! 
One needs to be THERE while mixing, each and every second. Consider as if you are blending two separate layers of design together.  A good blend will mold out the final product well.
While looking at the second perception, you need to be good with your management skills. It is all about time and project management. Unlike other design problems, cooking doesn't give you the privilege of trials. Every single step here is the final step. You can’t keep strolling around while the water is boiling in vessel. 

Pao- Bhaji

Things you learn
1.Time management - no one can teach you this like cooking does.
2.Innovation - mixing spices? Done your study? Try out what you can add.


Patience
At last, when all is prepared, it’s the time to ‘cook’, literally. This is the time which if spent less wouldn’t bring in the taste and if overdone would spoil the whole design. This phase is like meditation, one need to forget every other thing in the world and concentrate on the design. One needs to be super patient with the veggies and spices while they do-the-dance together. Just be a silent spectator and keep your eyes and nose open as the moment the ‘chemicals’ start reacting, you will know that its done!

Things you learn
1.As the topic says – patience!
2.Self-analysis – you realize your mistakes and you note down where do you need improvement during this stage.
3.Overall, any design – if done with dedication – will give you happiness and cooking is one of such forms of art/design. I find cooking as a stress buster and a practice that a designer must always try to improve him/herself! I hope I am improving!

With some garnishing 

Special thanks to my friend Anuja Khokhani, whose cookery blogs inspired me to take up this art as a challenge. You can check her blog here.  

Books for Urban Design

A quick guide for the Urban Design Studio. We were introduced to the subject of Urban Design by Razdan Sir when he started taking the ‘The theory of Town Planning’ subject for us and learning from someone like him is like diving into the ocean of information and knowledge. Though we stuck to the syllabus in that semester but Sir kept telling us about good books of Urban Design. But ‘how theory could help us design’, this was another quest, which was answered in eight and ninth semester when we actually started working on an Urban level studio. At this time, Aditya Sir added on few more good reads to the 'list'. Also, Urban Design is an all new language in design and thus to learn and understand a new language you must be aware of its basics, I feel.

Recently, one of you asked me for some inspiration for Urban Design and I realized that I should share the list of books (some I have read myself and some I know are good) with you guys so that you can dig into something right for the subject.

So, here we go, My favorite 10 UD books. (in random order)

1.  The Image of the City – by Kevin Lynch

2. A Pattern Language – by Christopher W. Alexander

3. The timeless Way of Building – by Christopher W. Alexander

4. Urban Design Handbook: Techniques and Working Methods – by Urban Design Associates

5. Good City Form  - by Kevin Lynch

6. Design With Nature – by Ian L. McHarg

7. The Death and Life of Great American Cities – by Jane Jacobs

8. The Theory of Good City Form – by Kevin Lynch

9. Urban Design (Series) – by Cliff Moughtin

10. The Architecture of Town and Cities -  by Paul D. Spreiregen

Well, these will help you for sure. Moreover, you can also look for the How Buildings Learn Series (videos by Stewart Brand) . Those who are interested to read in depth about architecture in ancient India can get a copy of Architecture of Manasara for themselves. There are nine volumes of the same but I have seen and read (partially) the Seventh Volume till now.

All the best. 

Be bold and sketch it out!

We often meet architects with 'part-time' hobbies and passions, many of them actually change their 'line' and jump into other creative professions. Thats the beauty of B. Arch. Other 'design-oriented' bachelor courses have the same advantage and eventually they call their practice as the 'multi-disciplinary' one. One such very common passion is Photography. Its a very effective tool of viewing things from a 'different' perspective. I, too, had this passion in college days which brought me quite a lot of appreciations. IIID organizes a photography competition, 'Mumbai Moments', every year and I was fortunate to bag a special mention in one of its edition.

There was something even more fortunate in that award function. I got a chance to attend an open discussion of a panel comprised of eminent artists like Jatin Das and Subrato Bhowmick; including architects like Kamal Malik and Ravi Sarangan. The whole idea of the conversation was to discuss the 'quality' of architecture and art in present times. There, Jatin Sir mentioned that experience can only be created if the designer has the 'sense' of experience. Whether its art or architecture, its the sense of understanding 'experience' that matters the most. Pointing out to the architects present in the seminar he asked how many were carrying a 'sketchbook'. And only two hands were raised.

Surprised by this, he paused for a while and mentioned that he used to draw '300 sketches' per day in his college days! This bowled me over.

Why it is important to sketch? Why its important to document what you experience? Why in our course we are told to sketch out things again and again? Its the relationship that matters. The continuous dialogue between the 'subject' and you. The moment you sketch out a building in front of you, you will actually understand 'depth' of it. You will get the best possible knowledge about the materials, the construction techniques and other details which you would never notice otherwise. 

[This sketch (right) was done during one of the MD studio.The Krimachi Group of temples, date back to centuries and are supposed to be constructed in Vedic times. Once you start replicating a built form on paper you get into the details like the texture of the material and thus discover the importance, depth and effect of a material on built form. Sciography, sense of scale and perspective, etc. are the additional benefits of the exercise.]  

I started writing this article talking about photography and mentioned that I "had" that passion. I quit when I realized that I was actually missing out all the 'details' by clicking a shot in micro-seconds. Sketching lets you concentrate on a subject for hours and sometimes, days.

[The perspective view (below) was drawn as a part of design proposal for a School. Though incomplete, it still clearly provided the sense of scale and massing.]

  

So, start keeping a sketchbook and lets start sketching! Be it cartoons, rough sketches, conceptual sketches, flow diagrams, detailed drawings, anything. Be it in any medium. No matter how bad or good it is. Remember that it is meant for 'you'. There are two types o drawings in architecture : one that you make for the client and one that you make for your own self.

Start sketching for your own self! The early you start the better it is. I realized its importance quite late but now am enjoying it. I am still about to try my hands on 'proper' architectural sketches. Its never late to start anything!

So pick up your favorite medium and 'sketch it out'!

Architectural studies are considered to be the most laborious of all. Keep this in mind and whenever you feel you have got time for a good nap, instead try sketch out something! Believe me, his 'hard work' WILL pay off ! Happy Sketching!

[Have a doubt or want some help regarding the subject, mail me at dishantbhatia@yahoo.co.in]

LIGHTS!

Light… natural or artificial… is like jewelry, an accessory for a building. Its like the 'sringaar' that is applied to beautify something - ornamentation. I admit that I had never noticed before how even the bland buildings get a colorful flavor with the help of ‘lights’. This time the Diwali celebrations pointed out that to me in open. 

After a routine long day, coming back from work, spending an hour in the pale yellow/white light of metro compartment, walking down back home you are greeted by the same buildings that you see daily – the same ‘block’ architecture with common elements, common technical faults and even common looks. But once, during this festive season you are welcomed by lights… all over the place. The buildings, for once, lose their boundaries and merge into one another as if they lie with a layer of lights on them. Everything – the corner balconies, the glass railings, the MS-balusters, the out-of-context cornices and motifs, the excessively provided glass doors – everything is overpowered by those beautiful lights spread over those boxes (no offense) uniformly. Suddenly, the road is converted into a ‘space’ highlighted by the lights around. On the other hand, very seldom you see such lights placed according to the architecture of a building – enhancing and justifying all the niches, parapets, voids, and massing. Whatever way they are used, they indeed put life in (though for short time) what seems to be a dead immovable mass.

Louis I. Kahn, the master Architect said, “The sun never knew how great it was until it hit the side of a building..”

The randomly clicked ‘show of lights’ on my way back home. Delight!

Wake me Up when September ends...

Saw one 'yogi' on my way back to home and was listening to this song..  and you can see the result 

Dev D - Tribute

Bye Bye 2013

The Year that Was.. 2013!!! 

Its been an awesome year full of friendships and adventures! 
Be it Thesis or Mumbai Trips, the BP-raising Thesis Jury or the NIASA Competition, the 'to-be-remembered-always-trip' of Ladakh or discussing just anything the whole day at Indian Coffee House...