Of Fins, Facades And Fenestrations

Filtered Light, Mumbai, Maharashtra

Semantics can either make or mar annotation. Take for example the semantics of grills and ‘jaalis’. While the former is an obstruction, the latter has been a muse of light, shadow and its poetics. When faced with a mandate to provide a grill on the façade of their architectural studio, MuseLAB married the function of a grill with the expressions of a ‘jaali’.

- Shriti Das

The grill is perhaps as antagonised as much as the ‘jaali’ is romanticised. They both accomplish similar functions of barricading openings with a see-through quality either for security or privacy. Grill is derived from the French word ‘grille’ that translates to ‘grating’ – a screen of metal bars. Always perceived as barricade or blockage, the grill is often accompanied with much ornamentation. The grill is almost borderline apologetic; for its presence often mars facades. It is reminiscent of confinement, limitations and barricades. Unless one refers to vintage European balconies, the grill is seldom an object of desire. Even then, their profiles are bent, curved and embellished and dotted with plants for aesthetic additions. The ‘jaali’ in architecture, on the other hand, is reminiscent of perfect geometry and calligraphies. Stemming from Indo-Islamic architecture, ‘jaali’ has been a muse for much artistry, especially for its significance in the play of light and shadow. While ‘jaali’ evocates ardour and nostalgia of forts and palaces, the grills steers the mind towards crammed metros, warehouses, factories and industrial precincts.