Videos by Jay Thakkar
This presentation was part of ASIDE - A Symposium on Interior Design Education by the Institute o... more This presentation was part of ASIDE - A Symposium on Interior Design Education by the Institute of Indian Interior Designers (IIID) Jaipur.
6th - 7th September 2018 88 views
This short film gives the viewer a glimpse into the age-old tradition of wood carving and the phi... more This short film gives the viewer a glimpse into the age-old tradition of wood carving and the philosophy behind this craft. It has been narrated by Mohanbhai Suthar, an experienced woodcarver working in this field for the last 50 years. Mohanbhai passionately talks about the various aspects of this craft, like the life of a craftsman, the carpenter community's spiritual belief, and the possible future of wood carving. The images supporting the narrative are of wood carving processes shot at various workshops all around the city of Ahmedabad. A longer, comprehensive version of the film with detailed documentation of tools, techniques and philosophy behind this rich tradition is in production and will be released soon. The film made by Chintan Gohil and coordinated by Jay Thakkar for DICRC, CEPT University 32 views
The interactive video is of the wall cabinet from one of the houses of Sidhpur documented by DICR... more The interactive video is of the wall cabinet from one of the houses of Sidhpur documented by DICRC researchers. The Siddhpur house is called the Hararwala House located in Navi Vora Wad near the clock tower. As told by the owner, it is 80 years old house and owned by the Hararwala family, a well known and influential Bohra family. The house is two-storied and the construction of the house is in brick and wood. There is a strong colonial influence but the architecture style observed can be labelled as eclectic. The furniture style observed in the house can be called composite with styles ranging from Art Deco, Victorian, Early Georgian and Chippendale. The materials used in interiors range from wood, cut glass and brass hardware. The craft techniques observed are wood carving, marquetry, etched glass metal embossing and casting, weaving, block-printing, stucco work and glass painting. 15 views
The National Craft Seminar 2014 - “Paramparaa: Future of Craft Traditions” was a part of the seve... more The National Craft Seminar 2014 - “Paramparaa: Future of Craft Traditions” was a part of the seven days long, ‘Garvi Gurjari National Craft Fair and Summit 2014’ from 21st to 27th February 2014 at Ahmedabad organized by the Ministry of Cottage Industries, Government of Gujarat, India. 106 views
This talk is about travelling in the different parts of India starts with giving the anecdote and... more This talk is about travelling in the different parts of India starts with giving the anecdote and takes the audience to the journey of how traditional design has a beautiful structure, made up with natural recourses especially on hilly areas, yet survived from the many years.
This talk is part of the programme India Ki Khoj at IIT Gandhinagar 39 views
The talk is about how the ordinary things in life and surrounding can be highly inspirational. Kn... more The talk is about how the ordinary things in life and surrounding can be highly inspirational. Knowledge lies all around us and what we need to do is just pause and observe.
This talk was part of TEDx organised by Sir Padampat Singhania University, Udaipur, Rajasthan. 5 views
Fashion Revolution India and British Council presents "Impact & Action: How the pandemic has affe... more Fashion Revolution India and British Council presents "Impact & Action: How the pandemic has affected experiential events".
This insightful dialogue focuses on how the pandemic has changed the way we facilitate events and platforms that have traditionally been tactile and sensory experiences.
Speakers: Jay Thakkar - DICRC, CEPT University, Barney Hare Duke - Artistic Director, British Ceramics Biennial, Darshana Gajare - Lead Sustainable Fashion, IMG Reliance and Aliya Curmally - Head of Strategy, Fashion Revolution India. 147 views
In today’s time where the whole world seems to be connected – due to the global pandemic and avai... more In today’s time where the whole world seems to be connected – due to the global pandemic and available digital technology, education and its pedagogy appear to be more homogenous. This is giving emergence to a value for contextual knowledge and feeling of being rooted. Culture, heritage and the social structure allows us to be rooted in a place or community. A new wave of academic pedagogy of exploratory, collaborative model of combining design education with regional knowledge is rising to adapt to change. This paper discusses one such hybrid educational model. This model combines online and physical design studio mode and amalgamates the informal (traditional craft practices) and formal education (design and architecture) through various academic formats across two countries – India and Norway. This is part of a collaborative research project – Threads of Innovation – between CEPT and NTNU supported for four years by DIKU. 70 views
Books by Jay Thakkar
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Sahaj: Vernacular Furniture of Gujarat, 2018
A new book from the collaborative Vernacular Furniture of N-W India project, co-authored by Mitra... more A new book from the collaborative Vernacular Furniture of N-W India project, co-authored by Mitraja Bais, Jay Thakkar, Samrudha Dixit and Ben Cartwright. Sahaj focuses on vernacular furniture in Gujarat from c.1900 to the present. Nearly 2000 furniture pieces and associated objects were recorded during the course of this research, which is the first of its kind.
Vernacular furniture is the traditional everyday furniture made and used by many different communities throughout Gujarat. The Gujarati term Sahaj can mean either ‘inherent’ or ‘intrinsic’, and this book introduces the vernacular furniture that is inherent to, and still is made and used throughout Gujarat: whether that be a local household constructing a kothi (grain store) from mud; a kharadi (woodturner) crafting the lacquered frame of a parnu (cradle); or a suthar or mistri (carpenter creating the series of joints and complicated interlocking compartments in a majju (a large ornate hope chest on wheels, decorated with carved wooden grills or inset glazed ceramic tiles).
The vernacular furniture presented in Sahaj plays an important role in the tasks and rituals of everyday life in Gujarat, and in some cases, has done for centuries. Furniture items are presented in five use-based chapters: Aasan: seat; Manch: bed; Manjush: storage; Sapaat: surface; and Vastu: objects. Each furniture type is accompanied with detailed physical information (materials, construction methods, scaled drawings and exploded drawings made using 3D modelling software) and a more human story (location, contextual photographs, oral histories). Gujarat is a large and environmentally diverse state with a number of different communities and language groups; the vernacular furniture in Sahaj reflects this diversity.
Despite vernacular furniture’s important position in the material culture of Gujarat, there is a lack of accurate information on these items, which is linked to a wider absence of research. This book addresses some of the factors that have influenced changes in vernacular furniture use and manufacture from c.1900 to the present, reviews previous scholarship and ideas about this furniture across the twentieth century, and provides an in-depth overview of Gujarat, its landscapes and the communities that live there. This is the first study of its kind, and hopes to inspire future research.
The Vernacular Furniture of North-West India project is a collaboration between the Design Innovation and Craft Resource Center (DICRC), CEPT University and the South Asian Decorative Arts and Crafts Collection Trust (SADACC), UK. The result of Phase I: Gujarat is a twofold output - Vernacular Furniture of Gujarat: Catalogue is the accompanying publication to Sahaj: Vernacular Furniture of Gujarat. The catalogue presents, in detail, over 400 vernacular furniture pieces and objects from Gujarat. The items in the catalogue are classified under the same five broad categories as used in Sahaj. The subsequent phases for Vernacular Furniture of North-West India project, each involving fieldwork, documentation and research, are Phase II: Rajasthan and Phase III: Punjab and Haryana.
Sahaj: Vernacular Furniture of Gujarat is published by CEPT University Press.
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This book documents an indigenous building technique called the kath-khuni construction prevalent... more This book documents an indigenous building technique called the kath-khuni construction prevalent in Himachal Pradesh, India. The relative isolation of the hills and the demanding environment fostered development and persistence of distinctive prathaa, i.e., traditions practiced for centuries. These building practices reflect synthesis of material and environmental constraints with social and cultural beliefs and rituals. This book illustrates the role of indigenous building traditions in a dual sense: architecture as an outcome of specific material assemblies to fulfil specific functional purposes and architecture as a process to bind together people, places and resources in order to sustain particular cultural norms, beliefs and values.
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Foreword by: George Michell, Hard Bound, 315 pages, Size: 11 inches by 11 inches, ISBN 819040968-9, Over 400 drawings and 300 photographs, 2008
This research has been published by SID Research Cell, School of Interior Design, Faculty of Desi... more This research has been published by SID Research Cell, School of Interior Design, Faculty of Design, CEPT University, Ahmedabad, India. The book was launched during the seminar Interior Design Traditions in India on the 2nd September 2008, the foundation day of School of Interior Design.
Matra is an intensive research generated from the two study trips conducted by faculty members and students of the School of Interior Design (SID), CEPT University to the remote villages and famous temples of Himalayan India. The houses, granaries and temples of this region are described in detail through extensive fieldwork, measure drawings and a comprehensive study of the kath-khuni (wood-and-stone) houses that define the material culture of these mountainous communities. The houses are the core examples of built forms of daily life, while the granaries are the transitional built forms and the temples are the celebration of the intersection of community aesthetics with great connections to the Gods. I would like to share that the Architecture in the Himalayan Indian is sustainable in nature and construction. It is developed over generations incorporating empirical knowledge using local materials. These structures have the capacity to withstand seismic forces as well as maintain its interior environment in the extreme climate.
The exhaustive analysis and portfolio of a wood-and-stone house and a wooden temple represented through two and three dimensional drawings and illustrations are the spirit of matra. The book also gives an insight into the typology of local built forms. The social use of spaces and the study of interior elements are illustrated through the personal interpretations. The specialized craft of wood carving as both folk and classical forms is revealed through direct encounters with contemporary carvers and documentation of ancient examples. The seismic and practical advantages of kath-khuni construction are described to reinforce the fundamental soundness of vernacular built forms in this mountainous region. Matra is an invitation to experience vernacular built forms of Himachal Pradesh from inside the life of local people.
Online Available from
http://www.vedamsbooks.in/no62167.htm
www.dkagencies.com/
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Foreword by: B. V. Doshi, Hard Bound, 254 pages, Size: 9.5 inches by 9.5 inches, ISBN 817525285-5, 2004
Naqsh exhaustively explores and documents the art of wood carving in the traditional architecture... more Naqsh exhaustively explores and documents the art of wood carving in the traditional architecture of Gujarat. Traversing from the history and evolution of wood carving of India, the book investigates the tools and techniques applied by the craftsmen working within the trade guilds. The focus remains on ornamentation (symbols, motifs and patterns) witnessed on the wooden houses, categorized and analyzed by its aesthetics, occurrence in time and physical-symbolic relation. Their linkages found in other cultures are also in discussion through the dissemination of this art. You can also visit www.naqsh.in to get an overview on this book.
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Monographs and Reports by Jay Thakkar
DICRC, CEPT University
This toolkit is a complete step-by-step guide that encompasses all required to plan for and deliv... more This toolkit is a complete step-by-step guide that encompasses all required to plan for and deliver a successful Craft Innovation Training Program. It has been tailor-made and designed after various training programs and workshops organised and conducted by DICRC over the years. The toolkit is mainly divided into 2 sections that further are broken down into stages and sub-stages:
One. IDE2AS model
Two. Craft innovation training toolkit
Using this toolkit on its own will yield great solutions. However, the toolkit is also very flexible - According to the need, resource, budget and time, it can be adapted, complemented or supplemented by various other approaches. This kit doesn’t offer solutions. Instead, it offers techniques, methods and tips to guide one through a process that will lead to the desired result through the training program.
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DICRC, CEPT University, 2014
This technical report provides a concise overview of the extensive process implemented by the DIC... more This technical report provides a concise overview of the extensive process implemented by the DICRC team for the mapping of several traditional and vernacular buildings of India.
The Building Mapping is an approach towards identifying, understanding and developing a detailed inventory for different types of Traditional and Vernacular Buildings, their Elements (Interior Architecture elements, Furniture, Objects and Accessories) as well as the Space Making Crafts (SMC) and Surface Narrative Crafts (SNC) integrated within it; spread across India. The Building Mapping is an inclusive system of recording through photographic survey, form based inventory and interviews. It is the first of its kind visual-based mapping technique in India conducted using interactive mobile tablet survey. A specific mobile application has been developed by the researchers at DICRC to conduct this survey. The data generated out of this mapping process is categorized and it is taken further in preparing an in-depth Traditional Building Portfolio (TBP), Traditional Building Elements Catalogue (TBEC) and Interactive Online Map; all being disseminated through various online platforms.
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DICRC, CEPT University, 2014
This technical report provides a concise overview of the extensive process implemented by the DIC... more This technical report provides a concise overview of the extensive process implemented by the DICRC team for the mapping of several traditional and vernacular buildings of India.
The Building Mapping is an approach towards identifying, understanding and developing a detailed inventory for different types of Traditional and Vernacular Buildings, their Elements (Interior Architecture elements, Furniture, Objects and Accessories) as well as the Space Making Crafts (SMC) and Surface Narrative Crafts (SNC) integrated within it; spread across India. The Building Mapping is an inclusive system of recording through photographic survey, form based inventory and interviews. It is the first of its kind visual-based mapping technique in India conducted using interactive mobile tablet survey. A specific mobile application has been developed by the researchers at DICRC to conduct this survey. The data generated out of this mapping process is categorized and it is taken further in preparing an in-depth Traditional Building Portfolio (TBP), Traditional Building Elements Catalogue (TBEC) and Interactive Online Map; all being disseminated through various online platforms.
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
DICRC, CEPT University, 2014
This technical report provides a concise overview of the extensive process implemented by the DIC... more This technical report provides a concise overview of the extensive process implemented by the DICRC team for documenting traditional and vernacular buildings of India.
Building Documentation is a process of recording, categorizing and dissemination of information, through graphical tools, for different types of Traditional and Vernacular Buildings along with their Elements that include Interior Architecture elements, Furniture, Objects and Accessories. The Building mapping process is largely segregated into four major components, namely: Primary Research and Data Collection; Field Work; Data Cataloguing and Digitisation; and Dissemination.
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
DICRC, CEPT University, 2014
The technical report provides a concise overview of the extensive process implemented by the DICR... more The technical report provides a concise overview of the extensive process implemented by the DICRC team for documenting traditional and vernacular buildings of India.
Building Documentation is a process of recording, categorizing and dissemination of information, through graphical tools, for different types of Traditional and Vernacular Buildings along with their Elements that include Interior Architecture elements, Furniture, Objects and Accessories. The Building mapping process is largely segregated into four major components, namely: Primary Research and Data Collection; Field Work; Data Cataloguing and Digitisation; and Dissemination.
Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact
This publication is a compendium of the Craft Innovation Training Program conducted with the craf... more This publication is a compendium of the Craft Innovation Training Program conducted with the craftspeople of Gundiyali village,Kutch district, Gujarat. The program was conducted in Gundiyali and Ahmedabad, Gujarat in 2015 as part of the Education and Training activities at Design Innovation and Craft Resource Centre (DICRC), CEPT University, Ahmedabad. Manthan Educational Programme Society and Institute of Indian Interior Designers (IIID), Ahmedabad Chapter were the supporters and project partners. This program was promoted under: i-STED Project, NSTEDB, DST, Government of India.
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The Craft Innovation Training Toolkit is a complete step-by-step guide that encompasses all that ... more The Craft Innovation Training Toolkit is a complete step-by-step guide that encompasses all that is required to plan for and deliver a successful Craft Innovation Training Program. It has been tailor-made and designed after an array of training programs and workshops organised and conducted by Design Innovation and Craft Resource Centre (DICRC) over the years.
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Videos by Jay Thakkar
6th - 7th September 2018
This talk is part of the programme India Ki Khoj at IIT Gandhinagar
This talk was part of TEDx organised by Sir Padampat Singhania University, Udaipur, Rajasthan.
This insightful dialogue focuses on how the pandemic has changed the way we facilitate events and platforms that have traditionally been tactile and sensory experiences.
Speakers: Jay Thakkar - DICRC, CEPT University, Barney Hare Duke - Artistic Director, British Ceramics Biennial, Darshana Gajare - Lead Sustainable Fashion, IMG Reliance and Aliya Curmally - Head of Strategy, Fashion Revolution India.
Books by Jay Thakkar
Vernacular furniture is the traditional everyday furniture made and used by many different communities throughout Gujarat. The Gujarati term Sahaj can mean either ‘inherent’ or ‘intrinsic’, and this book introduces the vernacular furniture that is inherent to, and still is made and used throughout Gujarat: whether that be a local household constructing a kothi (grain store) from mud; a kharadi (woodturner) crafting the lacquered frame of a parnu (cradle); or a suthar or mistri (carpenter creating the series of joints and complicated interlocking compartments in a majju (a large ornate hope chest on wheels, decorated with carved wooden grills or inset glazed ceramic tiles).
The vernacular furniture presented in Sahaj plays an important role in the tasks and rituals of everyday life in Gujarat, and in some cases, has done for centuries. Furniture items are presented in five use-based chapters: Aasan: seat; Manch: bed; Manjush: storage; Sapaat: surface; and Vastu: objects. Each furniture type is accompanied with detailed physical information (materials, construction methods, scaled drawings and exploded drawings made using 3D modelling software) and a more human story (location, contextual photographs, oral histories). Gujarat is a large and environmentally diverse state with a number of different communities and language groups; the vernacular furniture in Sahaj reflects this diversity.
Despite vernacular furniture’s important position in the material culture of Gujarat, there is a lack of accurate information on these items, which is linked to a wider absence of research. This book addresses some of the factors that have influenced changes in vernacular furniture use and manufacture from c.1900 to the present, reviews previous scholarship and ideas about this furniture across the twentieth century, and provides an in-depth overview of Gujarat, its landscapes and the communities that live there. This is the first study of its kind, and hopes to inspire future research.
The Vernacular Furniture of North-West India project is a collaboration between the Design Innovation and Craft Resource Center (DICRC), CEPT University and the South Asian Decorative Arts and Crafts Collection Trust (SADACC), UK. The result of Phase I: Gujarat is a twofold output - Vernacular Furniture of Gujarat: Catalogue is the accompanying publication to Sahaj: Vernacular Furniture of Gujarat. The catalogue presents, in detail, over 400 vernacular furniture pieces and objects from Gujarat. The items in the catalogue are classified under the same five broad categories as used in Sahaj. The subsequent phases for Vernacular Furniture of North-West India project, each involving fieldwork, documentation and research, are Phase II: Rajasthan and Phase III: Punjab and Haryana.
Sahaj: Vernacular Furniture of Gujarat is published by CEPT University Press.
Matra is an intensive research generated from the two study trips conducted by faculty members and students of the School of Interior Design (SID), CEPT University to the remote villages and famous temples of Himalayan India. The houses, granaries and temples of this region are described in detail through extensive fieldwork, measure drawings and a comprehensive study of the kath-khuni (wood-and-stone) houses that define the material culture of these mountainous communities. The houses are the core examples of built forms of daily life, while the granaries are the transitional built forms and the temples are the celebration of the intersection of community aesthetics with great connections to the Gods. I would like to share that the Architecture in the Himalayan Indian is sustainable in nature and construction. It is developed over generations incorporating empirical knowledge using local materials. These structures have the capacity to withstand seismic forces as well as maintain its interior environment in the extreme climate.
The exhaustive analysis and portfolio of a wood-and-stone house and a wooden temple represented through two and three dimensional drawings and illustrations are the spirit of matra. The book also gives an insight into the typology of local built forms. The social use of spaces and the study of interior elements are illustrated through the personal interpretations. The specialized craft of wood carving as both folk and classical forms is revealed through direct encounters with contemporary carvers and documentation of ancient examples. The seismic and practical advantages of kath-khuni construction are described to reinforce the fundamental soundness of vernacular built forms in this mountainous region. Matra is an invitation to experience vernacular built forms of Himachal Pradesh from inside the life of local people.
Online Available from
http://www.vedamsbooks.in/no62167.htm
www.dkagencies.com/
Monographs and Reports by Jay Thakkar
One. IDE2AS model
Two. Craft innovation training toolkit
Using this toolkit on its own will yield great solutions. However, the toolkit is also very flexible - According to the need, resource, budget and time, it can be adapted, complemented or supplemented by various other approaches. This kit doesn’t offer solutions. Instead, it offers techniques, methods and tips to guide one through a process that will lead to the desired result through the training program.
The Building Mapping is an approach towards identifying, understanding and developing a detailed inventory for different types of Traditional and Vernacular Buildings, their Elements (Interior Architecture elements, Furniture, Objects and Accessories) as well as the Space Making Crafts (SMC) and Surface Narrative Crafts (SNC) integrated within it; spread across India. The Building Mapping is an inclusive system of recording through photographic survey, form based inventory and interviews. It is the first of its kind visual-based mapping technique in India conducted using interactive mobile tablet survey. A specific mobile application has been developed by the researchers at DICRC to conduct this survey. The data generated out of this mapping process is categorized and it is taken further in preparing an in-depth Traditional Building Portfolio (TBP), Traditional Building Elements Catalogue (TBEC) and Interactive Online Map; all being disseminated through various online platforms.
The Building Mapping is an approach towards identifying, understanding and developing a detailed inventory for different types of Traditional and Vernacular Buildings, their Elements (Interior Architecture elements, Furniture, Objects and Accessories) as well as the Space Making Crafts (SMC) and Surface Narrative Crafts (SNC) integrated within it; spread across India. The Building Mapping is an inclusive system of recording through photographic survey, form based inventory and interviews. It is the first of its kind visual-based mapping technique in India conducted using interactive mobile tablet survey. A specific mobile application has been developed by the researchers at DICRC to conduct this survey. The data generated out of this mapping process is categorized and it is taken further in preparing an in-depth Traditional Building Portfolio (TBP), Traditional Building Elements Catalogue (TBEC) and Interactive Online Map; all being disseminated through various online platforms.
Building Documentation is a process of recording, categorizing and dissemination of information, through graphical tools, for different types of Traditional and Vernacular Buildings along with their Elements that include Interior Architecture elements, Furniture, Objects and Accessories. The Building mapping process is largely segregated into four major components, namely: Primary Research and Data Collection; Field Work; Data Cataloguing and Digitisation; and Dissemination.
Building Documentation is a process of recording, categorizing and dissemination of information, through graphical tools, for different types of Traditional and Vernacular Buildings along with their Elements that include Interior Architecture elements, Furniture, Objects and Accessories. The Building mapping process is largely segregated into four major components, namely: Primary Research and Data Collection; Field Work; Data Cataloguing and Digitisation; and Dissemination.
6th - 7th September 2018
This talk is part of the programme India Ki Khoj at IIT Gandhinagar
This talk was part of TEDx organised by Sir Padampat Singhania University, Udaipur, Rajasthan.
This insightful dialogue focuses on how the pandemic has changed the way we facilitate events and platforms that have traditionally been tactile and sensory experiences.
Speakers: Jay Thakkar - DICRC, CEPT University, Barney Hare Duke - Artistic Director, British Ceramics Biennial, Darshana Gajare - Lead Sustainable Fashion, IMG Reliance and Aliya Curmally - Head of Strategy, Fashion Revolution India.
Vernacular furniture is the traditional everyday furniture made and used by many different communities throughout Gujarat. The Gujarati term Sahaj can mean either ‘inherent’ or ‘intrinsic’, and this book introduces the vernacular furniture that is inherent to, and still is made and used throughout Gujarat: whether that be a local household constructing a kothi (grain store) from mud; a kharadi (woodturner) crafting the lacquered frame of a parnu (cradle); or a suthar or mistri (carpenter creating the series of joints and complicated interlocking compartments in a majju (a large ornate hope chest on wheels, decorated with carved wooden grills or inset glazed ceramic tiles).
The vernacular furniture presented in Sahaj plays an important role in the tasks and rituals of everyday life in Gujarat, and in some cases, has done for centuries. Furniture items are presented in five use-based chapters: Aasan: seat; Manch: bed; Manjush: storage; Sapaat: surface; and Vastu: objects. Each furniture type is accompanied with detailed physical information (materials, construction methods, scaled drawings and exploded drawings made using 3D modelling software) and a more human story (location, contextual photographs, oral histories). Gujarat is a large and environmentally diverse state with a number of different communities and language groups; the vernacular furniture in Sahaj reflects this diversity.
Despite vernacular furniture’s important position in the material culture of Gujarat, there is a lack of accurate information on these items, which is linked to a wider absence of research. This book addresses some of the factors that have influenced changes in vernacular furniture use and manufacture from c.1900 to the present, reviews previous scholarship and ideas about this furniture across the twentieth century, and provides an in-depth overview of Gujarat, its landscapes and the communities that live there. This is the first study of its kind, and hopes to inspire future research.
The Vernacular Furniture of North-West India project is a collaboration between the Design Innovation and Craft Resource Center (DICRC), CEPT University and the South Asian Decorative Arts and Crafts Collection Trust (SADACC), UK. The result of Phase I: Gujarat is a twofold output - Vernacular Furniture of Gujarat: Catalogue is the accompanying publication to Sahaj: Vernacular Furniture of Gujarat. The catalogue presents, in detail, over 400 vernacular furniture pieces and objects from Gujarat. The items in the catalogue are classified under the same five broad categories as used in Sahaj. The subsequent phases for Vernacular Furniture of North-West India project, each involving fieldwork, documentation and research, are Phase II: Rajasthan and Phase III: Punjab and Haryana.
Sahaj: Vernacular Furniture of Gujarat is published by CEPT University Press.
Matra is an intensive research generated from the two study trips conducted by faculty members and students of the School of Interior Design (SID), CEPT University to the remote villages and famous temples of Himalayan India. The houses, granaries and temples of this region are described in detail through extensive fieldwork, measure drawings and a comprehensive study of the kath-khuni (wood-and-stone) houses that define the material culture of these mountainous communities. The houses are the core examples of built forms of daily life, while the granaries are the transitional built forms and the temples are the celebration of the intersection of community aesthetics with great connections to the Gods. I would like to share that the Architecture in the Himalayan Indian is sustainable in nature and construction. It is developed over generations incorporating empirical knowledge using local materials. These structures have the capacity to withstand seismic forces as well as maintain its interior environment in the extreme climate.
The exhaustive analysis and portfolio of a wood-and-stone house and a wooden temple represented through two and three dimensional drawings and illustrations are the spirit of matra. The book also gives an insight into the typology of local built forms. The social use of spaces and the study of interior elements are illustrated through the personal interpretations. The specialized craft of wood carving as both folk and classical forms is revealed through direct encounters with contemporary carvers and documentation of ancient examples. The seismic and practical advantages of kath-khuni construction are described to reinforce the fundamental soundness of vernacular built forms in this mountainous region. Matra is an invitation to experience vernacular built forms of Himachal Pradesh from inside the life of local people.
Online Available from
http://www.vedamsbooks.in/no62167.htm
www.dkagencies.com/
One. IDE2AS model
Two. Craft innovation training toolkit
Using this toolkit on its own will yield great solutions. However, the toolkit is also very flexible - According to the need, resource, budget and time, it can be adapted, complemented or supplemented by various other approaches. This kit doesn’t offer solutions. Instead, it offers techniques, methods and tips to guide one through a process that will lead to the desired result through the training program.
The Building Mapping is an approach towards identifying, understanding and developing a detailed inventory for different types of Traditional and Vernacular Buildings, their Elements (Interior Architecture elements, Furniture, Objects and Accessories) as well as the Space Making Crafts (SMC) and Surface Narrative Crafts (SNC) integrated within it; spread across India. The Building Mapping is an inclusive system of recording through photographic survey, form based inventory and interviews. It is the first of its kind visual-based mapping technique in India conducted using interactive mobile tablet survey. A specific mobile application has been developed by the researchers at DICRC to conduct this survey. The data generated out of this mapping process is categorized and it is taken further in preparing an in-depth Traditional Building Portfolio (TBP), Traditional Building Elements Catalogue (TBEC) and Interactive Online Map; all being disseminated through various online platforms.
The Building Mapping is an approach towards identifying, understanding and developing a detailed inventory for different types of Traditional and Vernacular Buildings, their Elements (Interior Architecture elements, Furniture, Objects and Accessories) as well as the Space Making Crafts (SMC) and Surface Narrative Crafts (SNC) integrated within it; spread across India. The Building Mapping is an inclusive system of recording through photographic survey, form based inventory and interviews. It is the first of its kind visual-based mapping technique in India conducted using interactive mobile tablet survey. A specific mobile application has been developed by the researchers at DICRC to conduct this survey. The data generated out of this mapping process is categorized and it is taken further in preparing an in-depth Traditional Building Portfolio (TBP), Traditional Building Elements Catalogue (TBEC) and Interactive Online Map; all being disseminated through various online platforms.
Building Documentation is a process of recording, categorizing and dissemination of information, through graphical tools, for different types of Traditional and Vernacular Buildings along with their Elements that include Interior Architecture elements, Furniture, Objects and Accessories. The Building mapping process is largely segregated into four major components, namely: Primary Research and Data Collection; Field Work; Data Cataloguing and Digitisation; and Dissemination.
Building Documentation is a process of recording, categorizing and dissemination of information, through graphical tools, for different types of Traditional and Vernacular Buildings along with their Elements that include Interior Architecture elements, Furniture, Objects and Accessories. The Building mapping process is largely segregated into four major components, namely: Primary Research and Data Collection; Field Work; Data Cataloguing and Digitisation; and Dissemination.
This paper is an attempt to discuss the importance of education and training within the craft sector. It emphasizes on the use of theories and models to enable craft design innovation. The following paper elaborates on one such model which can become a medium to sustain various craft practices. This model is an outcome of the Collaborative Craft Innovation Workshops and Craft Innovation Training Programs of Design Innovation and Craft Resource center (DICRC), CEPT University. The paper discusses the model at length in the initial parts. The later part details a case study of the craft innovation training programme conducted with terracotta craftspeople of Gundiyali using the model.
The paper, on the basis of collaborative research and field work in Himachal Pradesh, highlights the native sensibility of the local builders, materials, traditional method of construction and subtle process of cultural transmission. This process exhibits simple yet satisfying ways in which locals and craftspeople of Himachal Pradesh have evolved vernacular architecture using a venerable building method called kath-khuni that is aesthetically pleasing, seismically sound and sustainable.
Jay Thakkar (1), Skye Morrison (2)
1 School of Interior Design (SID), CEPT University, Ahmedabad, India
2 Faculty of Fine Arts, Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Abstract
The publication of “Matra: Ways of Measuring Vernacular Built Forms of Himachal Pradesh” by SID Research Cell in 2008 is the culmination of three years of research and writing of fieldwork concerning ‘kath-khuni’ buildings by students, faculty and research scholars at School of Interior Design (SID), CEPT University, Ahmedabad. The vernacular architecture of the Sutlej valley, locally called ’Kath-khuni’ is constructed out of local deodar wood and slate stone and it is an example of an empirical seismic design in earthquake prone mountainous region of Himachal Pradesh. This paper discusses the findings of our research as it supports the concept of humane eco-architecture. While ‘Kath-khuni’ architecture is demonstrated to be sustainable but at the same time it is vulnerable to social, political, environmental and inter-community forces. How can a comparison between the sustainability and the threat to continuity of ‘kath-khuni’ architecture be applied to similar situations in urban and regional sectors?
Keywords: Vernacular architecture, Faculty and student fieldwork, seismic design, sustainable habitat, measure drawing, digital imaging, material culture, traditional craft, indigenous sustainable knowledge, eco-architecture
KATH-KHUNI IN HIMACHAL PRADESH: DOCUMENTING AND PRACTICING TRADITION
By Jay Thakkar and Dr. Skye Morrison
Indigenous stone and wood built form, called kath-khuni in Himachal Pradesh, India has been mentioned as a part of temple architecture. Little attention has been paid to the houses and granaries of Himalayan mountain villages. Through the curriculum of the School of Interior Design (SID) at CEPT University in Ahmedabad students and faculty have conducted field research projects to measure draw houses and granaries as well as temples. The Research Cell of SID has digitalized and documented two field studies in the book Matra: Ways of Measuring Vernacular Built Forms of Himachal Pradesh.
The historical practice of measure drawing built form has been a classic tool for the student of architecture and design for documenting the built environment. SID supports this practice by a second year curriculum component called "Living with Craft: Related Studies”. We continue to teach and learn from the classical tradition as a way of the mind - eye - and hand connecting in the field. Local people as a way of seeing their built environment understand this methodology. Two field trips to Himachal Pradesh in 2005 and 2006 resulted in an excellent resource of measure drawings, sketches and photographs. Since no-one from an urban educational institute had ever asked local villagers living in kath-khuni buildings in Himachal Pradesh to see their houses, granaries and local temples before, the experience was both intriguing and a topic for local discussion.
Our practice is to support the continuation of field based measure drawing by hand as both a low cost tool for research and a person-to-person form of visual communication. We combine this with storytelling of the lives of local people as well as the faculty and students in the field. At the same time we can see the potential of digital technology to take the information gathered in hands-on field study to detailed structural analysis of the built form. The digital level allows the construction and deconstruction of environments as drawings. Digital analysis promotes a greater understanding by architects and designers of vernacular built form as it is in a common visual language.
The digital world cannot replace indigenous knowledge. Our paper examines how digital and narrative research can assist in the discovery of scientific principals in built form and the integrated meaning of home through structural analysis. These factors can connect the fragile links of real spaces with the overwhelming outside forces of change to a vernacular environment. Through our fieldwork and research we seek a deeper understanding and regeneration of vernacular built environments that will promote preservation of kath-khuni architecture as a sustainable and viable living tradition.
Key Words: Vernacular Architecture, faculty and student fieldwork, cross-disciplinary curriculum, measure-drawing, digital imaging, material culture, craft.
creative output, which in return helps in preservation of cultural assets of a society These industries
have a potentiality for revenue generation through utilization of cultural resources and human
creativity for the production of knowledge-based goods and services (both traditional and
contemporary). Among the thirteen sub-sectors defined under the hood of creative industries
by United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), this lecture will address three
important sectors. They are Design (specifically Interior Design), Architecture, and Crafts (mainly
associated with building industry). In India, all three sectors have been connected to each other
since long and have played a vital role in creation of economic as well as cultural wealth at urban
level.
In the earlier times, field of Interior Design, Architecture and Crafts came under the larger canvas of
Vernacular and Traditional Building Practices. Here there was no distinction between craftsperson,
designer or architect but there were only artisans who use to operate within the modus operandi
of craft guilds. The construction of traditional buildings relied upon excellent skills of artisans who
often identify themselves with vishwakarma, the ‘universal architect’ as scripted in the Hindu belief-
system. They acquire knowledge and skills from generation to generation in mostly an oral and
empirical tradition by working as an apprentice for a number of years. In India, such practices still
exist within the rural scenario.
A similar practice of craft guilds use to operate within the urban sector also before the advent
of Industrial revolution. Hence even today we still find traditional settlements within the core
of an urban built fabric that are the product of various craft guilds. The entire traditional built
environment exhibited a rich wealth of crafts associated and applied within Interior Architecture
realm which here is referred as Space Making Crafts (SMC). These clearly portrays that the artisans
were a key role player in creation of products, services as well as spaces with social and cultural
meaning on basis of their empirical understandings, creativity, and artistic knowledge.
Over a period of time, with changing methods of working, technological interventions, formal
education systems, the distinction between three role players (artisan, designer and architect)
as well as three creative fields (Interior Design, Architecture, and Crafts) became apparent. The
Design and Architecture sector saw a transformation in the way buildings were built, from simple
built forms representing crafts and culture to complex forms expressing the advent of technology
as well as mass homogenous buildings as a result of commercialization. Architecture and Interior
expressions moved away from a regional customized language to a standardized urban identity. This
side of creative industry grew extensively bringing in new systems of constructions and development
affecting the nature of urban aesthetics. Both the key player – Interior Designer and Architect
were able to sustain the new developments within the building industry due to the established
formal system of education and practice but the artisans lost their foothold within this industry.
Henceforth the artisans shifted their scale from large scale Interior Architecture elements and
spaces to small scale products which called for a paradigm shift in their working methods – from
the onsite construction to the offsite practice. This demanded new forms of organisation – from
the establishment of the workshops to development of products to marketing and selling. Artisans
became integrated within the small scale industries as a worker, creator or entrepreneur. With the
loss of cultural values associated with indigenous building practices due to the submissiveness and
lack of up-gradation of artisans affected the urban markets on very different tangents.
Currently with the growing global market as well as the rising aspiration of regional identity, the
demand for integrating the Space Making Crafts within Interior Architecture industry is again
emerging; mainly to add values and sense of belongingness to a place. There is also a new desire
for the crafted, handmade products and full scale customization of spaces. Further the growing
awareness for issues related to sustainability is leading to research on traditional building crafts
practices which seem to be adhering to sensitive approach towards the environment.
Interior Designer and Architects are thriving for establishing some sort of regional character to their
designs amidst the contemporary lifestyle. Hence revival of Space Making Crafts and integration
of artisans dealing with it within the established and emerging building industry can lead to new
kind of collaborative ventures. With this objective of reviving and integrating Space Making Crafts
back in the building industry and generate a collaborative approach within field of Interior Design,
Architecture and Craft with today’s context of time, CEPT University have established Design
Innovation and Craft Resource Centre (DICRC) at Ahmedabad.
DICRC has five major focus areas: Research, Resource Building, Innovation & Development,
Education & Training and Collaboration. This lecture will elaborate in detail upon these five areas to
highlight the possibilities of integration and amalgamation of these three creative industries which
exhibit the potential of guiding the development and identity of urban fabric immensely. Not only
will such practices help to generate an innovative approach towards generating of identity, culture
and economy at urban scale, but also add meaning to the larger idea of living and developing the
cities in accordance with its surroundings.
The wooden architecture became synonymous to the term ‘Gujarati architecture’ and it led to flourishing of craft of wood carving. This craft gave a very distinctive character to the traditional buildings of Gujarat. The narrative in the lecture will focus on understanding the expressions of craft of wood carving through a systematic decoding system. Using the method of XYZ Axis System coupled with factor of time, the talk will look at the contents of this craft from a factual perspective to a cultural one. The current situations of the crafts related to interior architecture will also be a point of discussion in the talk.
Course Tutor: Jay Thakkar
Teaching Assistant: Kamna Vyas
Department: Faculty of Design
Institute: CEPT University, Ahmedabad
Duration: 18 weeks
Semester: Monsoon 2020
Start Date: 27th July 2020
Studio Brief: ‘Imagination’ and ‘stories’ fuel our thoughts and ‘experiences’ shape our lives. Imagination comes from exploring and drawing the surreal world of re-defined self-identity, understanding graphic and art styles and decoding fairy tales. The fictional world of stories will come from understanding and analysing the films of various genres especially animation or anime - a Pandora's box of inspiration. Both these facets juxtaposed with an actual context will bring the mise-en-scene to a real yet representational experience. Through exposure to varied fields like theatre, production design and film sets through discussion and online session with experts, and decoding of various genre of films, the students will be exposed to the world of scenic design. The core idea of this studio will be to create a fictional world for which a common cultural narrative will become a base to develop various imaginary spaces. The representation will be through the lens of the selected film/s to create an imaginary world through narrative style drawings and scenes. The output will result in elaborate storyboards or illustrations. In the emerging “new Normal” the collaboration is the key and people from various fields can come together and work and hence the emergence of multifaceted work culture is bound to arise. This studio address this emergence and hence takes an interdisciplinary approach and explores the amalgamation of various creative fields like production design, interior design, films, graphics and animation. This studio will allow the students to go deep into their imaginary world and bring out the much needed fresh perspective towards the field of design. Representation of this fictional world is the core and hence a powerful ability of digital representational skills and visualisation will be the foundation of this studio.
It traverses the journey from the idea level at the institution to actual field work in the villages of himachal pradesh to research process at SID Research Cell, CEPT University to final design and publication of the book.
Space Making Craft (SMC) and Surface Narrative Craft (SNC)
Space Making Crafts (SMC) are those crafts that are directly or indirectly related to the making and embellishing of buildings, elements, furniture and its details. SMC deals with making and enhancing of the space.
Surface Narrative Crafts (SNC) are those crafts that deal with the application on 2 dimensional plane and have surface ornamentation or narrative as its core content. They may or may not deal with the spatial application. There are three categories of SNC which are based on the techniques of making. And there are two types of contents - Decorative and narrative.
The traditional wood craft practices are still thriving in India and they are embedded with an inherent empirical knowledge. The craftspeople not only encompasses the knowledge of material and skills of making in wood but also holds a holistic and intuitive understanding of sustainability in the larger context. But due to the shift in the building industry over period of time, the craftspeople working in the building wood craft sector have now moved to smaller scale of furniture and objects. Further over the last few decades the industrial production has reduced the skilled based handwork resulting into disintegration of wood craft practices.
The awareness about value of crafts is emerging back in India but the craftspeople are now posed with the challenge of blending traditional knowledge with emerging design trends to cater to the new markets. Design Innovation and Craft Resource Centre (DICRC), CEPT University has developed a comprehensive mapping, documentation and innovation models, not only preserve and revive the craft skills but also to fuse design, craft and industrial process with each other to create synergies for innovation and generate new directions for crafts in current milieu.
This presentation is the journey through the traditional Indian wooden architecture to the wood craft practices to a systematic institutional model of research and innovation in the wood crafts of India.
Design Innovation and Craft Resource Centre (DICRC) at CEPT University was established with a focus of understanding and reviving the crafts associated to Interior Architecture with an underlying pedagogy of research and innovation. The core function is not only to conduct the craft-design related projects but also to develop various models and framework which can be employed by DICRC as well as any other institution dealing within this field. Each project is viewed within the framework which is constantly evolving to encompass the project from the vision to an execution level. The presentation will discuss various models of Research, Documentation, Innovation (craft workshop and innovation studio), Craft-design Education, Collaborative Applications and Knowledge Dissemination.