Monday, May 3, 2010

Space and Thoughts

its been a long break from the blog world..so here i return.
this post will mainly be an anthology of thoughts that have come across while i have been reading various authors/writers. will try to credit the author wherever i have adapted a thought. the rest would be analysis and self thoughts:

On SPACE as a dwelling unit:
--The space that we in-hibit isn't merely a dwelling unit, it defines the spaces in our mind and our outlook towards life too. Often, when you are struggling in a small space (as in the case of mist areas of Mumbai), the thinking too revolves around those two tiny rooms. the corners and the boxes!

City and its Collective Memory:
-- One can say that the city itself is the collective memory of its people, and like memory, it is associated with objects and planes. The city is the locus of collective memory. This relationship between the locus and citizenry then becomes the city's predominant image, both architecture and of landscapes, and as certain artifacts past of its memory, new ones emerge
- "Architecture of Cities", by Aldo Rossi (Pg 130)

Of History in India:
-- "In India we live, move and have our being" in a historical environment and yet we are not aware of the treasures that surround us. Thats because we take these for granted. 
are we loosing the grip of our histories due to this redundancy? 

The Chief aim of Architecture is to be Functional:
-- He forgets the environment into which he will implant his buildings because he is attracted be new and modern innovations and gadgetry. He fails to realize that form has a meaning only within the context of its environment. 
i am very sorry have completely forgotten where i read this and by whom 
is it written, but it was something that was not missable.

Social and economic forces:
-- " The city is becoming less the result of design and more the expression of economic and social forces." 
we very regularly see this happening all around us, specially in the post-independance Architecture where the government housing and building were to built not only here in Mumbai but across the country. The form just became an expression of what the government was doing with the growth of the country and the way it would deal with such issues in the future! Time and again the economic and social forces rule the way a city has to look, the urban planners forget that the city needs to maintain and conserve its lived in heritage.

--this week seems to be the writing week!

3 comments:

  1. walk around the small square behind accord ville in ranwar on a sunday morning. Around 11am. The residents of ranwar usually meet at the square to celebrate weddings, birthdays, anniversaries or anything worth a celebration. I listened in, on some sunday mornings, community meetings about water issues in the neighbourhood or any such pressing matter that may be of concern to most residents.
    And yes. When it gets sweltering hot, they channel water from a few odd tanks into a dozen hosepipes for a raindance party to mad bollywood music.


    And while you're at it, look into drawing up some demographic mappings of Ranwar and the daily activities in the commune.

    ReplyDelete
  2. sure, will do..infact i will do it this Sunday itself..
    thanks on that info. also i have already started mapping Ranwar in detail as a case study..sill start uploading them soon.
    but yes a demographic map and the daily activity map is an amazing idea..will observe that the entire of next week.
    more dug info shall be amazing!
    thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  3. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete