RUPALI GUPTE is an architect and urbanist who works across architecture, art and urban studies. She is one of the founder members of the School of Environment and Architecture (sea.edu.in) and a Professor at the institute. She is a partner at the Bard Studio, Mumbai (bardstudio.in) and a co-founder of the urban research network, CRIT. Rupali has studied architecture (B-Arch, Mumbai University) and urban design (M-Arch, Cornell University). She has recently been a senior research fellow at the University of Brighton. Her work includes research on South Asian architecture and urbanism with a focus on urban culture, housing, urban form, tactical practices and gender and space. This work crosses disciplinary boundaries and takes different forms – writings, drawings, mixed-media works, storytelling, teaching, walks, curation and spatial interventions. Her works have been shown at several places including the 56th Venice Biennale, X Sao Paulo Biennale of Architecture, 1st Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism, MACBA, Barcelona, MAAT Museum, Lisbon, Project 88, Devi Art Foundation, Mumbai Art Room, among others.
RANDHIR SINGH received his Bachelor of Architecture and Bachelor of Science degrees from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York in 1999. He spent fifteen years working as an architect in New York while studying photography at the International Center of Photography. In 2013, he moved to New Delhi to develop his photographic practice focussing on architecture and urbanism.
His work was recently exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art in New York as a part of The Project of Independence: Architectures of Decolonization in South Asia, 1947-1985. Singh was commissioned to produce a expansive portfolio of photographs on modern architecture in Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka providing a contemporary perspective on modern architecture at a time of significant progressive societal transformation. The full portfolio of photographs are also included in a scholarly catalogue accompanying the exhibition.
AMRITHA BALLAL is an architect, urban planner and founding partner at the multidisciplinary design practice SpaceMatters. Her work spans public architecture, urban design and housing projects in diverse scales and contexts, alongside action-research initiatives engaging with urban ecology and social sustainability.
She is a Rolex Arts Foundation Mentor Protégé nominee and was shortlisted for the Women in Architecture award by Architecture Journal, UK. Amritha has collaborated on habitat research projects with the School of Planning and Architecture, Research Council of Norway, University of Tokyo and University of Gothenburg among others. Her written works include ‘ Bhopal 2011-Landscapes of Memory’ ( Co-editor ) and ‘The city is our home’ on urban homelessness. Her work at SpaceMatters has been awarded and published in various national and international platforms including the Guardian, Phaidon Books, Architzer, ArcMarathon, ArchDaily, the Merit List , Indian Institute of Architects and more.
NACHIKET PATWARDHAN is an architect, an Indian director and producer. He graduated in architecture in 1971 and started an architectural practice in Pune in 1972 in partnership with his wife, Jayoo. Over the past years, the firm has executed a variety of mostly non-commercial projects across India. He was also a consultant for Sahyadri School (Tiwaii Hills) building programme and as the executive architect for an amphitheatre at the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute in Pune. He also has been a visiting professor since 1993 at the MMM School of Architecture, BNCA and PVPCOA.
He has been actively involved in theatre and film design since 1974 in capacities ranging from numerous costume design, art direction and production design projects, in films such as Onda Nondu Kaala Dalli, Utsav (1983), Mohan Joshi Haazir Ho (1983), Kanaka (1987), Lamp in the Niche (1988), Bye Bye Blues (1988), Swarajnama (1996), and Mirch (2010). He produced and directed films including Anantyatra (1984), Limited Manuski (1994), Devi Ahilyabai, and Ekla Chalo, a 90 minute documentary drama in memory of Mahatma Gandhi on the occasion of his 150th birthday in 2019. These have led to about a dozen National State and Film-fare Awards and foreign travels to international film festivals in Europe and the United States. Nachiket won two Filmfare and two National film awards in 1978. He also served as a jury member for award shows. All his film & architectural work, including the awards have been for work done in partnership with his wife Jayoo, except for the film Ekla Chalo.
He has also been a painter since his school days under G.M.Hazarnis and Lady Temple and have held several exhibitions since 1971 in Mumbai (Jehangir & Cymroza Art Galleries) and in Pune (Bal Gandharva & Monalisa Kalagram) which has led to several picture books, and art works.
SOUMITRO GHOSH
SOUMITRO GHOSH is a partner and principal architect at Mathew and Ghosh Architects since 1995. Educated at the School of Architecture CEPT Ahmedabad Soumitro Ghosh he practices and has taught over the years. Their work through the partnership is varied across the spectrum and ranges from projects / ideas to do with the urban realm, conceptual space, architecture, exhibitions, installations, research, interiors, product design and art.
His practice and realization of significant architectural projects for the city of Bengaluru (Bangalore) such as the Freedom Park, National Military Memorial, Museum of Art and Photography etc. embody his interest with engagement with the city and its public domain are well known. His ideas continue realization of good design and architecture through an inbuilt frugality with a strong environmental conscience architecture in a world of depleting resources and climate change. The practice has been widely acknowledged for their work through awards and publications from India and overseas. He has personal interest lies in crossings of politics, philosophy, culture and history to strive and understand the society we live in and design for.