I personally like to collect specimens from nature. My favorite ones are seeds and shells. So when I came across the work of Rowan Mersh on Designboom, it caught my eye and really captured my imagination. He uses shells to weave fabric like artworks! Enough said, see the images below and they will transport you as well.

Images from Designboom

And around the same time, I also came across the new National Museum of Qatar by the genius architect Jean Nouvel. This building is goes ‘beyond’ everything we thought architecture can be… A great example of architecture as art, it looks like a building manifestation of Rowan’s artwork. The inspiration from nature is so apparent that one doesn’t really need any descriptive text to be in awe of the form, the structure, the color and the scale of the building. I think I will visit Qatar just to visit this museum (just as soon as COVID stops terrorizing us).

Images from JeanNouvel.com

I discovered Bapi Das at the last Kochi Biennale in 2018. Bapi’s work is genius. First because of his choice of medium. Discarding the typical medias of visual media, Bapi uses a needle and thread. He pulls threads from clothes like a dupatta and uses these threads to embroider and stich his artwork. Second, he manages to achieve this extreme level of detail using single threads that often a magnifying glass is needed to explore his work. And finally, and most importantly, he draws what he calls ‘dream like episodes’, that have their context in his daily life, his struggles, dreams and thoughts. One can very easily get lost in Bapi’s world while exploring deeper into his works.

Trajectory, The Shifting Imaginery

References:

Verve Magazine article on Bapi Das

The Wire article on Bapi Das

Working with clay has a special place in my heart, so do botanicals specially seeds. I came across Khageshwar Rout’s work through Project 88 Instagram. It combines my two loves and really speaks to me. I love the complexity and the depth within each piece. Enjoy them…

Study of Things Wood Apple

Study of Things Bone of a Cotton Seed

Study of Things Ridge Gourd Wild

Study of Things Ridge Gourd

Photos credit: Gallery 88

I came across the work of photographer Lalla Essaydi at the Sundaram Tagore Gallery in Singapore in early 2019. I was pretty blown away. Lalla’s art is a commentary on the position of women in Morocco and in the world. Her work is visually stunning and full of symbolism.

In her series ‘Les Femmes du Maroc’, she uses henna to write calligraphy on the women’s bodies, the fabric they wear and the space that contain them. Calligraphy has historically been restricted to the used of men. I love the way her photographs present the status of women as trapped in a man’s world. Her use of henna is thought provoking as it is generally used to enhance a woman’s beauty, her use of soft fabric to me, highlights the softness of women and their vulnerability, but also shows their desire to be free spirited. Finally, I appreciate that all her women are photographed inside traditional homes, once again signifying how they are trapped within the confines of their homes, their family values and cultural outlook. This resonates with most of us women who grew up in conservative societies.

In another series, ‘Harem’ (below), the women literally disappear within their space, they become one with the architecture, as an artifact, an object and decoration.

Her works evokes a strong response.

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...very productive here at Grounded and very rewarding too. 

In 2015, at Grounded, we began construction on our second project at Goa. Named 'Navovado', we are moving full steam ahead to complete by its target date in Q4, 2016. Navovado is an opportunity for us to further develop our design principles to build in harmony with nature, to use of local natural materials, to design glorious indoor-outdoor spaces with natural ventilation and abundant daylight.

In 2015, we added Pallavi Chitnis, a key new member to our team. Pallavi is a graduate from the School of Planning & Architecture in Delhi and brings twelve years of work experience to Grounded. Pallavi can often be found obsessing over details at the Navovado construction site or absorbed in spotting, identifying and photographing the birds of Goa.

In 2015, we continued to receive recognition for our first project, 'Nivim'. Nivim was awarded the Archidesign Award for the 'Best Private Residence Design' in India in 2014. Nivim was also recognized as the first green certified home in Goa by the Indian Green Building Council's publication 'Envoy'. 

Ahead in 2016, our first priority is to complete Navovado to the highest level of design and construction quality. We will be pursuing green certification for the project and hope to achieve the highest standard possible. As we grow, we are also putting together plans and ideas for future projects in Goa. 

We are committed to expanding our brand identity through our presence on the web and social media. Please take some time to explore our Facebook feed, Pinterest boards and Instagram Photos.

Here is wishing you all a very Happy New Year!

Grounded Team.

Rendered View of the courtyard at Navovado with the swimming pool and the living room

We are building Navovado, a beautiful new home in Goa that is centered around a courtyard and is cocooned among 5 five full grown mango trees. These amazing Mankhurad mango trees have a private world of their own and lend a unique ‘specialness’ to our site.

Adhering to our principle to ‘reconnect with nature’, Navovado is designed to enjoy the simple joys of life and to rediscover the luxury of spending time outdoors amongst nature, enjoying the blue skies, cool breeze, local produce, and precious moments with family and friends.

Designing for a lifestyle to 'reconnect with nature'

space layout

We love the courtyard at Navovado. We have designed a seamless flow of space from the living spaces to the courtyard. We imagine entire days spent on the living room verandah overlooking the pool; we imagine friends and family using the living room, the courtyard, and the gardens over breakfast, lunch and dinner and chai; swimming in the pool at one’s time of choosing at day or under the stars at night; and enjoying glorious evenings with candlelight and great conversations.

Rendered View of the living room at Navovado connecting to the courtyard through glass sliding doors 

As we climb to first floor and above, to the viewing terrace, the tree canopies give away to view of the rice fields, backwaters and hills in the foreground. The view changes with the season; lush green fields and monsoon clouds transform to earthy ground cover and clear blue skies in winters. The hills remain lush green with leaves of coconut palms, mango and other tropical trees shinning green gold colour in afternoon sunlight.

design Inspiration

At Navovado, we find ourselves being greatly inspired by the Sri Lankan architect, Geoffery Bawa.

We are getting inspired by his rustic vocabulary of white washed walls, clay roof tiles and stone floors, we love the way Bawa masterfully weaves in open courtyards and nature into this homes. We love the transition of spaces from indoor rooms to interior courtyards and to outdoor courtyards and gardens.

We are also making note of his use of large shaded windows, and high cathedral like ceilings with a play of light and shadow while being enveloped in nature.

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Finding Inspiration in houses designed y Geoffrey Bawa, a Sri Lankan architect

Indoor-outdoor design

To reconnect with nature, we pay a lot of attention on minimizing the barriers between the built structure and nature. This continues to be a central theme at Navovado. The wall between the living room and the courtyard is a wall of glass sliding doors that make the living areas seamlessly connected with the courtyard and swimming pool.

Each bedroom at Navovado has large openings onto verandahs or terraces.  

Rustic meets Contemporary

While we love and emmulate the rustic feel of natural materials and traditional building form, we are also proponents of contemporary architecture. We love clean lines and simple forms. Our ideal product is a coming together of rustic and contemporary elements. Hence, at Navovado, we are designing to achieve the delicate balance of highlighting local natural materials and rustic elements in a contemporary building form and a modern functional space plan.

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Navovado is the forthcoming project in Goa by Grounded. Navovado is available for sale, for inquiries write at admin@buildgrounded.com.

I was in Bangkok recently and following Pallavi's recommendation, I visited the Jim Thompson House.

Jim Thompson, an American architect who settled in Thailand after the World War II became a very successful silk trader and a celebrity of sorts in Thailand. His house in Bangkok is a collection of 4-5 original Thai wooden homes that he brought from villages and re-reconstructed on the current site in Bangkok.

The wood used to build the houses gives an incredible amount of warmth to the interior spaces. Walking on teak wood planks on the floor feel like walking on silk. 

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The landscape was the part that was most fascinating to me. In his original plan, he had planned for multiple courtyards, forecourts as well as a forest. There were lily ponds flanking the entrance courtyard which led to the forest, a tropical forest with meandering path ways and a little hidden pond with a tiny fountain. I loved the meditative quality of the forest space the most. I loved the treasures tucked away, where you could hear the water but not see the pond until you arrived right in front of it. At every corner, there was something new to admire, a new type of flower, a new fragrance coming from somewhere, a stone antique or a partial view of the house or another courtyard. 

The art of architecture, when done right can engage all the senses at once. A prime example of space bringing happiness...

Jodhpur is a beautiful city, with a majestic fort, luxury hotels, incredible shopping and even a zipline for the adrenaline junky. To add to it all, I found another visionary piece of the city quietly tucked away in the hills below the Mehrangarh Fort.

Rao Jodha Park, is a one of its kind, concerted effort in India to restore the natural ecology of a place. The large, rocky wasteland (now the park) had been taken over by Baavlia, a foreign invasive shrub from Central America.

Baavlia, a fast spreading plant (some consider it a weed) was introduced in Jodhpur over a century ago. It was originally thought that this magic plant would provide abundant grazing for the cattle in the city. The result however was that, it killed all the native plants in the area, and the animals refused to feed on it.

In 2006, identifying this as a problem with long term environmental damage, the Maharajas of Jodhpur initiated a project to restore the area to its original ecosystem. I was told that eradicating the Baavlia, sourcing seeds of original native species and allowing them to thrive once again was an arduous task. But the result is beautiful, it is a piece of historic Thar desert landscape, that is dry, rocky, with surprising bursts of color and water!

I am a huge optimist and any small measure of thoughtful action makes me happy and brings me joy. So I loved being in the park, listening to the stories, learning about the desert landscape by exploring, taking in the sights and smells. It is a great place to wander and wonder about the complexity of nature, its delicate balance and yet the resilience and longevity of it.

Why are native plants important ? Native plants are the species of plants that have adapted to the geographical and climatic conditions of a particular place. They are a vital part of the local food chain and natural ecosystem that has balanced itself over many years. They do not require additional irrigation, fertilizers, or other resources to grow. Once taken root they form a part of the ecosystem and can peacefully co-exist with other varieties of local flora and fauna. Finally, many traditional practices and livelihoods in the local area may also depend of the local species, such as traditional medicine, fodder for cattle, shelter, crafts, etc.

All images courtesy of Rao Jodha Park website and Motherland Magazine Ecology issue.

For Singapore Design Week, I joined a group of design lovers to tour design significant buildings in Singapore. 

I was bowled over when I walked into 145 Neil Road, a traditional Peranakan shophouse that has been refurbished into a contemporary sequence of spaces dotted with traditional elements, rustic finishes, exposed concrete, large sliding doors with clear glass and light-filled courtyards. Great inspiration for our forthcoming projects!

Source for images: Spoonful of Home Design 

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'The Sovereign Forest' by Amar Kanwar

'The Sovereign Forest' by Amar Kanwar

‘Stopover’ by Sheela Gowda

‘Stopover’ by Sheela Gowda

‘Three Simple Steps’ by Anant Joshi

‘Cloud of Kochi’ by Alfredo Jaar

'Untitled' by Subodh Gupta

Use of old crumbling docks for site-specific art

Old derelict warehouses as galleries for world-class contemporary art

Old derelict warehouses as galleries for world-class contemporary art

Old derelict warehouses as galleries for world-class contemporary art

Pepper House, another forgotten building in Fort Kochi, now a vibrant art space

I am due to attend the second Kochi-Muziris Biennale this coming weekend and thought that it was a great opportunity to go back to my notes on the first Biennale held in 2012:

"I loved the show (in 2012), thought it was very well curated, excellently sited in old historic buildings in the historic core of Kochi and was all about celebrating art. I loved the intertwining of art with the historic past of Kochi and its forgotten old buildings. I loved that the art was truly contemporary and site specific. I loved the juxtaposition of history and crumbling infrastructure with new age art employing multimedia technology.

Siting the biennale in old crumbling buildings in the historic core of a city was a masterstroke. I loved how the buildings (exhibition space) were left in their original state. Even when the first instinct would have been to patch them up and to quickly hide away the flaws behind several coats of paint.

The heat and humidity, the sound of the generator, and mosquitoes, all made the experience much more Indian. How wonderful (and democratic) that there was no attempt to air-condition the space, make it shine, make it comfortable for the elite patrons of art. The authenticity of the experience made the biennale specifically Indian with a strong focus on India's plurality of social structure, issues of development vs. displacement, the perception of heritage and other vestiges of the past.

It felt great to walk from one building to next, one space to next, even as one was sweating like crazy, while there was little or no breeze and strong relentless sun overhead.. all because you could not get enough of the ART.

It was interesting to note that many artworks reflected the theme of displacement, conflict and human rights violation due to development or over-development in India. It was wonderful to find contemporary art that was truly a reflection of the most pressing issues in our country today."

More updates soon on the Biennale this year...