in the 19th century, readers at Mumbai’s David Sassoon Library browsed through a rich collection of books in a regal setting: built in the Victorian Gothic style, the library and reading room boasted quaint arches, louvred windows, Minton tiles and lamps. In present times, the vista from its first-storey veranda may be vastly different, but purposeful interventions have ensured the appeal of its design continues to live on.
A 16-month restoration initiative for the library—which began in February 2022—was born out of conversations between Sangita Jindal, the chairperson of the JSW Foundation, and conservation architect Abha Narain Lambah. Jindal expressed dismay at the lack of proper maintenance. “The David Sassoon Library is a jewel, with great value for students. We should consider its restoration our duty,” she says. The JSW Foundation is a co-donor alongside the ICICI Foundation; together, they partnered with Hermès India, the Kala Ghoda Association, the Consulate General of Israel in Mumbai, the MK Tata Trusts and others to raise funds, making this a multiparty project.
The cityscape in the Kala Ghoda art district—home to the Knesset Eliyahoo Synagogue, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya, and Esplanade Mansion—now resembles what it looked like a century ago, Lambah says. “The buildings that constitute this cityscape are its most defining features. Saving them is akin to saving the city’s very identity and memory,” she remarks.
Denne historien er fra July - August 2023-utgaven av AD Architectural Digest India.
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Denne historien er fra July - August 2023-utgaven av AD Architectural Digest India.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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AS NEW DELHI'S GALLERY ESPACE MARKS ITS 35TH ANNIVERSARY, AD LOOKS AT GALLERIST RENU MODI'S JOURNEY IN ART.
The New Delhi-based Gallery Espace, founded by Renu Modi in 1989, recently marked its 35th anniversary with two special exhibitions.
ROCHELLE PINTO, EDITOR OF VOGUE INDIA, WRITES ABOUT FORCES OF FASHION, WHICH PUT 39 UNIQUE WORKS UNDER ONE ROOF, PIECING TOGETHER A SHORT HISTORY OF FASHION IN INDIA.
If you want to step into the mind of Cristóbal Balenciaga, the game-changing Spanish couturier who died over 50 years ago, all you have to do is beg, bribe or charm your way into 10 Avenue George V in Paris.
AS INVISIBLE COLLECTION COMES TO INDIA, FOUNDERS ISABELLE DUBERNMALLEVAYS AND LILY FROEHLICHER SHARE THEIR SERENDIPITOUS JOURNEY TO THE COUNTRY.
Isabelle Dubern-Mallevays and Lily Froehlicher first found India at their doorstep when Sonam Kapoor Ahuja borrowed a few pieces from their collection for an AD India cover story in 2021.
ANONYMOUS ARTIST PRINCESS PEA SHOWCASES A COLLECTION OF NINE NEW PRINTS AT THE SOHO HOUSE LOUNGE AT ART MUMBAI.
In Princess Pea's new collection of works, poetry, craft and the divine femininity coalesce with grace.
ARTISTS RITU AND SURYA SINGH'S WONDERLAND OF A HOMESTUDIO IN THE PINK CITY URGES YOU TO LOOK AT THE BEAUTY AND NARRATIVE OF WASTE.
Husband-wife artist duo Ritu and Surya Singh, better known as Wolf, live at \"The Farm\", a unique 20-acre madhouse of wonders in the heart of Jaipur.
KENGO KUMA TALKS TO AD ABOUT HIS DESIGN ADDITIONS AS THE CENTRO DE ARTE MODERNA GULBENKIAN IN LISBON OPENS ITS DOORS AGAIN.
Everyone who has lived in Lisbon likely has a fond memory of the Gulbenkian complex.
FROM HIS REVERENCE FOR GANDHI TO HIS LOVE OF DANCE, A BOOK BY DAG OFFERS NEW WAYS TO KNOW MF HUSAIN.
If there was ever an Indian artist who earned immense fame and yet remained unknowable, it is MF Husain.
WHAT WOULD BAWA DO? WONDERS APARNA RAO, COFOUNDER OF PHANTOM HANDS, AS SHE PRODUCES REISSUES OF GEOFFREY BAWA'S HIGHLY CONTEXTUAL FURNITURE.
In mid-December last year, in the freshly restored Kannangara House designed by Geoffrey Bawa in 1959, an exhibition based on the late Sri Lankan master's furniture designs opened.
BANGLADESHI ARTIST AYESHA SULTANA'S RECENT DUBAI EXHIBITION EXPLORED THE DUAL NATURE OF STRENGTH AND FRAGILITY.
Born in Bangladesh in 1984, the US-based Ayesha Sultana explores notions of form, space and materiality.
WE CATCH UP WITH TARIK CURRIMBHOY AT HIS STUDIO IN NEW YORK, AFTER HIS FIRST SOLO SHOW IN INDIA.
Tarik Currimbhoy's sculptures have a pure, meditative quality. A viewer can stand mesmerized for hours watching the elegant, geometric shapes move back and forth.