Shelter: May highlights
Next month, one of India's most influential architects, and a homage to Le Corbusier’s iconic La Cité Radieuse.
- Published by David Knox
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- Filed under Subscription, Video
Wander alongside architect Balkrishna Doshi and stroll within a stunning rooftop art exhibit created in homage to Le Corbusier’s iconic La Cité Radieuse this May on Shelter.
The Promise
(90 mins) Germany & India 2023 (Available May 6)
Join renowned architect Balkrishna Doshi on an illuminating and meditative career retrospective, as he revisits his most iconic works and designs. As one of India’s most influential architects of the 20th century and recipient of the Pritzker Architecture Prize: Doshi and his practice Vastu-Shilpa has a portfolio spanning over 70 years, that includes collaborations with both Le Corbusier and Louis Kahn. The Promise steps inside some of Doshi’s most famous buildings, including the Shreyas Comprehensive School in Ahmedabad, where freedom and natural space replaced corridors and restrictions; Kamala House, Doshi’s own home that blends both Western and Eastern designs around the simple tenets of the staircase and natural light; and the Institute of Indology, built to house an ancient and fragile collection of holy Jain books & manuscripts, the first of its kind to not rely on air conditioning to protect its treasures. With an exclusive look into his work process, Doshi shares his sources of inspiration and motivation and is also a brilliant storyteller. His presence of mind, his humour and his wisdom create the image of a man from whom we can not only learn to build humanly, but from whom we can learn – to be human.
Dan Graham: Observatory
(11 mins) France 2015 (Available May 20)
On the sun-baked roof terrace extending out of the MaMo gallery, built on top of Le Corbusier’s La Cité Radieuse masterpiece, is Dan Graham’s Observatory / Playground.
A true melting pot where disciplines merge, the exhibit weaves a close connection to the architecture of Le Corbusier – that both figuratively and literally supports it. Graham designed a series of convex & concave mirrors and concrete slabs, functional and hybrid structures halfway between sculpture and architecture that bask in the Marseilles sunshine. This short documentary explores the origin of Graham’s works and the links he establishes with this era of architecture, as well as MaMo Director Ora-Ito’s reflection on the exhibit and how it encompasses the spirit of Le Corbusier.