THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELLED DUE TO THE POWER OUTAGE. WE APOLOGIZE FOR THE INCONVENIENCE.
Raj Rewal | Alternate Modernity: Space, Structures, Sustainability and Traditional Values
Moderators: Andrew Shanken, Professor of Architecture and Acting Vice-Chair for Faculty, College of Environmental Design; Atreyee Gupta, Assistant Professor of Global Modern Art and South and Southeast Asian Art, History of Art Department
Organized by the Institute for South Asia Studies
Wednesday, October 9, 5-7pm
10 Stephens Hall
The South Asia Art Initiative at UC Berkeley is delighted to welcome one of India's best-known architects, Raj Rewal to UC Berkeley.
Abstract
Raj Rewal's talk will reference space, structures and sustainability with examples from traditional values that have inspired him and which have relevance to our times.
SPACE: How to reconcile modern rationalism with typologies abstracted from the past to create spaces which link the buildings based on climate and culture Jaisalmer in India, Toledo in Spain, Sienna in Italy are great examples which have inspired my works like Asian games village and National Institute of Immunology.
STRUCTURES: Screens in stone lattice with geometrical perforations are an important feature of Indian architecture with similar examples in Alhambra which have led me to new structural solutions for Lisbon Ismaili Centre, Exhibition complex in Delhi and steel rooftop of library of Indian Parliament.
SUSTAINABILITY: In our new projects we are harnessing solar energy in an innovative way to integrate it as a design element on a vast scale. The design for the Visual Arts Institutional Campus in Rohtak merges photovoltaic panels and energy technology of smart buildings with the traditional wisdom of holistic values.
Speaker Bio
A distinguished doyen of Architecture from India, Raj Rewal is recognized internationally for buildings that respond with sensitivity to the complex demands of rapid urbanization, climate and culture.
Some of his creations include Hall of Nations, New Delhi; Nehru Memorial Pavilion, New Delhi; SCOPE office complex, New Delhi; Asian Games Village, New Delhi; National Institute of Immunology, New Delhi; the World Bank, New Delhi; Indian National Science Academy, New Delhi; Library for the Indian Parliament, New Delhi; Lisbon Ismaili Centre, Portugal; Indian Embassy, Beijing; Coal India Headquarters, Kolkata; State University of Performing and Visual Arts, Rohtak; and Jang-e-Azadi Memorial Museum at Kartarpur, Punjab.
Raj Rewal has received many honours, including the gold medal for the Indian Institute of Architects, the Robert Mathew award from the Commonwealth Association of Architects and Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres and Chevelier de la Legion d’ Honneur award by the French Government. 2016 (Highest Civilian award given to an Indian architect by the French Government).
Raj Rewal ’s works have been exhibited in Parma, Italy, the National Gallery of Modern Art, New Delhi and the Pompidou Museum, Paris. Some of his works have been acquired by Museum of Modern Art, New York, and M+ Museum, Hong Kong.
Spanning over four decades, Raj Rewal ’s architecture is that of ambition and hope, duly exploring space, form-making, structural and construction ingenuity and material possibilities; forever seeking new horizons in his distinct, personalised idiom – an amalgamation of tradition and innovation.
Read more about Mr. Rewal and his work HERE.
The South Asia Art Initiative, inaugurated in Spring 2018, is the culmination of a comprehensive art program, built over the past several years, that promoted conversation around the visual cultures of South Asia through talks, conferences, and exhibitions. The goal of the Initiative is to move onto the next level with local, national, and international collaborations that combine creative energies with insights drawn from scholarly research. To read more about the Initiative or to help support its various fundraising goals, please click HERE.
Event made possible with the support of the Sarah Kailath Chair of India Studies
Sponsors: Institute for South Asia Studies, Sarah Kailath Chair of India Studies, South Asia Art Initiative, Department of History of Art, College of Environmental Design, Global Urban Humanities Initiative