Ahmedabad Collective
2023
The exhibition was introduced by a collage of works from some notable architects during their young times. It set base for discussing efforts that practices undergo during their emerging years. We thought it also helped in co-relating the context of the times in which works are based.
With a focus on Young Practices, the exhibition this year was a display of works from 28 design studios based across the city. The exhibit was intended as a diverse assemblage of architectural and related works under the themes: Beyond built, Design processes, For the people, Make, Urban realities and Ecology. Conversationally, the resulting collation put forward a stage for a cross – domain exchange.
As an epilogue to the exhibit, we gathered some diverse efforts made by individuals and practices – some in form of speculative thoughts and some as intentions and associations in context of the city of Ahmedabad.
Constraints and Adaptations
As the exhibition shifted to another venue this year, we were faced with the adaptation of display modules in a new setting – an open air court this time.
The lighting system employed in the display units that responded to the indoor setting of the former venue was reversed through its axis and the solid column core of the previous setting made way for a light tower. Translucent paper, steel bracings and some additional bamboo members constituted the structure of these light towers that were set in the centre of each cluster, primarily made of four display units, and also as independent lights.
Another addition to the modules was that of the platforms incorporated for displaying models. Metal brackets attached to the bamboo members formed the structure for a plywood base that housed the models over. As a variation of the same, two brackets jutting out from two opposite modules formed the structure for longer platforms for the same use. As an assembly, all the clusters were held together through tension cables, fixed to the existing structure at instances. These cables also housed lamps to illuminate platforms created for the display of models.
In all, the change in the context gave us an exciting opportunity to realise the structure of the display panels in a completely new scale of setting and also pushed us to work on some relevant value additions to the assembly as a whole.