He tells the story of the egalitarian and all-inclusive model by way of pictures, objects, jewelry and textile
He tells the story of the egalitarian and all-inclusive model by way of pictures, objects, jewelry and textile
Mumbai had its Art Deco second within the early Nineteen Thirties, with the inauguration of Regal Cinema and its paean to a brand new model of structure, shorn of ostentation, embracing the trendy model adopted in Europe and USA. Edifices each residential and enterprise, theatres and cinemas dot Marine Drive and envelope Oval Maidan paying homage to a motion that’s represented by 200 constructions in Mumbai, second solely to Miami. But tucked away in lesser-known areas are lovely buildings with chevron ribbons operating by way of their storeys, with grills and balconies that inform tales of a special period, some fallen into disrepair, some nonetheless holding onto their legacy within the midst of glass facades and flyovers dotting the Mumbai skyline.
Kunal Shah, a Mumbai-based architect presents a curation of Art Deco in Mumbai, by way of pictures, objects, jewelry and textile. “So much of Mumbai’s Art Deco is disappearing now. The style was egalitarian and all inclusive, timeless and graceful, and there needs to be preservation and conservation of these buildings.”
Kunal Shah
| Photo Credit: Special association
The present presents a mosaic of the Art Deco types seen by way of the work of an ensemble of artists, together with the lens of Hashim Badani, jewelry with Art Deco components by Hanut Singh and textiles by Hema Shroff of Amba Weaves, a 20- 12 months -old social enterprise that works with a collective of Maheshwari weavers. “Our collection uses handspun and handwoven textiles taking inspiration from the 1920s elements of New York City, Paris and Chicago that embodied a streamlined vision as well as Marine Deco as seen in Miami and Mumbai. We have a shawl with motifs of Metro Cinema, a stole inspired by wrought iron railings and a wall textile inspired by the chevron detailing on the Chrysler and Empire State Building in NYC,” explains Shroff. Shah has on show, objet d’artwork whether or not a kettle or bookends on items of deco furnishings, towards a backdrop of embroidered and painted wallpaper with deco components from de Gournay.
Badani’s pictures of residential buildings, a Jain temple and a college on Mohammed Ali Road, doc the deco model flanking the JJ flyover. “I grew up in Mumbai and have seen Art Deco buildings on my side of town, maybe not as grand as the ones on Marine Drive. The Ismail Bemuhammed Urdu school is one of the last few Urdu medium schools left in the city, with just three to five students now and documenting it was a reflection of the disrepair and decline of Art Deco in some parts of the city.” Mumbai’s model of Art Deco is replete with ziggurats (stepped pyramids with receding storeys, taking root within the Mesopotamian civilisation), eyebrows on home windows, compound partitions, grills and gates with tropical components, frozen fountains and figurative ornaments.
The present presents a mosaic of the artwork deco types seen by way of the work of an ensemble of artists, together with textiles by Hema Shroff of Amba Weaves, a 20 12 months previous social enterprise
| Photo Credit: Special association
Hanut Singh, whose jewelry is an ode to cosmopolitanism, says, “All my jewellery has a hint of Art Deco. I’m hugely inspired by the heightened sense of clarity and mood and my pieces are a modern take on Art Deco.” In his curatorial notice Shah explains the ever-present nature of Mumbai deco, from the bylanes of Byculla, Sewri and Matunga, upto Malad, from Bandra to Juhu, however possibly not as ornate because the previous cinemas. “Even right outside the gallery, in Khotachiwadi itself, and in neighbouring Girgaum, we see it meld into modernity, quietly waiting to be noticed. Everywhere it lives, Art Deco speaks of newness, hope, and a soft flourish that gentles the pace, movement and harshness of their city for modern Mumbaikars as they rush through this millennium that has barely begun.”
The present is on at 47-A: Design Gallery, Khotachi Wadi, Girgaum, until November 13, 11am to 7pm.
Source: www.thehindu.com