Cultural

Book building a multi-functional space for a small independent publication house renowned for their handcrafted visual books for kids and adults. The process that makes these books is extremely collaborative, which extends the dialogue beyond art and allow for senses to revel. They work with tribal, folk and contemporary artists and make those art forms tangible through the design and narrative of books. It was our intent to deliver the equivalent of this in the form of spaces.

This project is a single holistic space that includes an equal mix of retail, office, museum space and living quarters as programs, sharing their boundaries together. The project is organised around a set of outdoor spaces at different levels that connect the program either physically or visually.

The ground level will house a bookstore whose boundary is shared with the street and a compact display space made up of an indoor and outdoor gallery. The first level is made up of administration and meeting space with services. A spiral stair leads to the second level holds the design and directors cabin. A split second level is made up of a court and living accommodation for visiting artists accessed by a spiral stair from the outdoor gallery.

Book building is perceived not just as a functional container, but as a platform for collaboration and dialogue. Art is present throughout the building, not as a museum but as a continually evolving canvas that the visiting artists are invited to explore.

The handcrafted steel grilles, as a jaali, are an imagery of the city through the building. Through the decades, the steel grills have become a common security embellishment of every building in Indian cities – and the grills in Book Building are a collage of grills and jaalis that were popular for the last three decades in the city.

The village – The stories of tribal folk artists who collaborate with Tara always start with their relationship with a mega city. We intended to create a space that will suit them on their short trips to the city with meena art painted walls, cosy rooms and a court perched on top close to nature and away from the urban chaos at the ground. If jaalis provoke imageries of a city then the village is an opposite of this.