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. 

Toh Zinda Ho Tum...

Metro Mil Jayegi Dobara

Platform पे खड़ी है मेट्रो.. और फिर भी चल रहे हो
तो ज़िंदा हो तुम!

सब भाग कर घुस गये.. और फिर भी टहल रहे हो
तो ज़िंदा हो तुम!

रोज़ तो भागते हो.. अब 'फिर' से चलना सीखो..

जैसे मेट्रो से निकलते हो वैसे Tensions से निकलना सीखो..

हर पल Time को देखें जो.. पलट लो वो निगाहें..

Tunnel से आती हवा का मज़ा लो.. खोल कर अपनी बाहें..

दरवाज़ो की ‘Ting Tong’ पे भी... ना तुम मचल रहे हो
तो ज़िंदा हो तुम!

Platform पे खड़ी है मेट्रो… और फिर भी चल रहे हो
तो ज़िंदा हो तुम!

[Metro station pic source - Google Images] 

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!

Good Morning!

Morning!

Early morning crowded metro station leaves me in a fix every day. I see people running like mad to catch the train which is standing at the platform. The hurry is to reach before the doors shut. No offense but I laugh at them many a times, not because of those weird expressions on their faces when they are about to bang on the closing door but because all this reminds me of that wonderful place where life was never in hurry. The mornings used to start when the matador would start its first trip – that too dependent on the seasons. People never used to rush for anything. They had their own targets but were not afraid of the consequences they might have to face if they don’t complete them. No wonder why people in ‘city’ attend motivational classes of some gurus where they teach them how to be 'fearless'. Fear bounds you. Fear of expectations. Fear of performance. Fear of getting late. Its all too specific in city. The ‘9:15’ Metro which will come in ‘01’ minute and would take ‘51’ minutes to reach the destination. And there, people enjoyed being there in that moment. No one ever shouted on the conductor for prolonged halt at different places. No one even had the answer to the question, “Gaadi Kab aayegi?” What all they could say was, “Aajayegi abhi..” Maybe that’s why we used to treat it as the 'country' space. There is no fear. There are no expectations. The life goes on like an organism, which functions smoothly as all the parts are working in coordination, opposite to the city. I always used to call Mumbai a city of machines, where people act like machines operating on some pre-ordered instructions. Delhi is no different apart from the fact that this machine is noisier. 

These machines travelling in Metro are so stressed that they use different ways to ‘disconnect’ themselves from regular things. Some shut their eyes and murmur the names of their gods and some plug in the headphones, shut eyes and concentrate on the music. What they all are doing is ‘forgetting’ or erasing their memories temporarily or getting ‘high’. People in ‘country’ never shut eyes while travelling so as they can see the beauty lying in the nature. For city we have songs like “There’s a big hard sun, beating on the big people, in a big hard world” (Eddie Vedder) I, personally, never like to see the sun when I am in city. And back there, we used to gaze right into the rising sun early morning. ‘Accept’ is something that a city teaches very well. Being one of the ‘machines’, I accept the conditions and try to forget things listening to music. But every time I plug in to “Paradise” (Coldplay) and close my eyes, I find myself in Sahil's room, the place which relates to the song very well. Or while listening to “Don’t you worry child” (Swedish House Mafia), I find Him Anshu sitting next to me doing nothing… 

“Next station is Nehru Place”, time to stop. 

That’s how I start my ‘city’ mornings!

Dilli ki sardi

One of the several ways to define 'Dilli ki sardi'.

The moment you see a "rehri" (cart) with moongfali and gajjak, and the sighdi (matki with coal/wood to warm up the peanuts) you know that Dilli ki sardi has arrived! People spend their afternoons standing around these pit-stops and enjoy the winter sun. Thats how Dilli celebrates winter.

Illustration capturing one such view!

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 

Super Heroes in Metro!

The Super Hero

(Text and sketches by D.B.)

While walking through a crowded market space, street or a commercial ‘hub’, we seldom notice an uncommonly capable race of Super heroes – The Office-goers! The breed is extensively available and is very ‘normal’ in appearance. They look like any other person walking down the lane. They wear no badge or ‘sign’ on their chests nor do they wear their underpants over the trousers. They don’t have laser beams striking out from eyes nor can they fly off like a bird. Still they beat out everyone on the list of Super Heroes. What they actually posses is the immense will power; power to work under any circumstance. Be it any season, any weather condition, any emergency, until unless there is a national holiday (that too, not applicable for BPO employees); ‘The Office-goer’ keeps on working.

The Carriage of the 'Hero'

He wakes up every morning with the list of ‘things-to-do’. Daily, he carries with him the load of work which he couldn’t complete the day before. He rushes from his place before time so as to catch an early bus (his carriage) so that he can reach office tidily. The moment he leaves his place, his struggle to thrive in this cruel world starts. He faces a tough competition at the bus-stand itself. There are many others just like him. He finds that he’s not alone in the world. Like him, there are many, who want to board the bus. He manages to stand one step ahead than others in a hope that the bus would stop just before him. As soon as he gets the first glimpse of it he gears himself up for a ‘clash’ that would decide whether he is a good employee or not. (Remember, it doesn’t matter how much hard working you are, if you are late, you are dead!) The clash becomes difficult when he realises that his conveyance is already overloaded! He brings up all his powers and steps into the huddle. The moment he steps in he senses one ‘shoe-mark’ on the left side of his ‘properly-ironed’ black trouser. After a second or two, he’s been dragged by someone through his shirt damaging the crease on his right. His bag is being pulled by someone continuously. His pen (in shirt’s pocket) is almost ready to jump off. The lens of his specs is being ‘disabled’ with some oil deposit from someone’s head. Those who have the ‘average’ height, senses the ‘aroma’ of different kinds of hair oils and hair gels. This is possible only in the morning. That’s the only time when one can sense the fragrance of the Super Heroes.

The Super-Bus after the crowd enters

The slaughtered Super hero realises his importance and grabs a nook in the bus. His whole journey passes in attempting to reach as closer to the window as possible which, he discovers, is jammed (due to the rust that was deposited in the last rain). Signs of efforts to open that pane could be seen easily on the hook that is being bent and thrashed by the members of the same race, earlier in time. Our hero, now, has the responsibility to open that window so as to relieve the human race from the heat that is being built up inside the bus. He draws together all his powers and opens the jammed pane followed by appreciations & gratitude flowing in from all sides. Once again, he saved the human race.

As he reaches his destination, his fight with the time begins, again. Why the bus took three minutes extra at the last traffic light? Why the ticket collector had to stop this bus only? Why don’t humans understand the value of time? Why the roads are so narrow? Why the buses don’t use the BUS LANE? With such thoughts in mind and an eye on his wrist watch, the Hero starts rushing towards the office. On his way, he notices many other heroes, but as he is late by three minutes, he ignores all his mates and moves on.

Finally, he reaches the place where his own powers are of no use. The place where there are other heroes but they too lose their powers; the place where his heroic deeds and stories are ‘too common’; the place where his efforts to save the humanity are futile and ineffectual; the place which is headed by a Higher spirit, not good, not decent, for sure. As soon as the hero enters, he’s welcomed by the messenger (another hero in his own sense) of the ‘Higher Spirit’ with a message, “Come late by five minutes, again, and you’ll be marked absent!” Thus, the Hero & his heroic deeds are shunned off and he loses all his powers. The place is ‘The Office’ and the higher spirit is ‘The Boss!’

And thus once again our Super Hero works and prepares himself for another battle! Battle with time & submissions.