Bijoy Jain - Studio Mumbai
arc en rêve centre d’architecture presents a major monographic exhibition devoted to Studio Mumbai. Founded in 2005 by Bijoy Jain, an Indian architect who studied in the USA, Studio Mumbai develops projects inspired by both Indian and Western culture.
The exhibition showcases a unique approach. At his practice in Mumbai, Bijoy Jain creates conscientious designs that are exacting to the last detail in the way they relate to Nature and Man. What distinguishes Bijoy Jain’s work is its clever combination of tradition and modernity: local resources and Indian craftsmanship form the basis for strongly contemporary architectural designs. Fuelled by reality, they stand apart from the kind of international architectural output that is rapidly becoming more widespread.
The exhibition organized by arc en rêve highlights the working methods of Studio Mumbai in three sequences. By way of introduction, Bijoy Jain shares his vision of India, the vast sub-continent that provides him with an inexhaustible source of inspiration. The major part of the gallery is occupied by materials, models and prototypes that reveal the reality of both on-going and built projects. The Leti 360 refuge is a good example. Built at an altitude of 2,300 metres in the foothills of the Himalayas, this building has been designed with particular attention to environmental impact and respect for local culture. It has been designed to be built by hand: all the building materials are calibrated so that they can be carried by workers, with only mules for assistance. The design ensures that the refuge is well adapted to extreme weather conditions and the changing seasons.
As an epilogue to the exhibition, visitors are invited on a journey through Mumbai by night. “On my first encounter with Studio Mumbai I scribbled in my notebook: “Bamboo must be cut when there is no moon - why? Because on those nights there are no insects and the bamboo will last twenty years.” This was Bijoy Jain, enthusing over traditional knowledge and how it informs the projects of Studio Mumbai.”
[Peter Wilson in El Croquis]