oculus
April. 27. 2010
it could be a porthole
looking out to sea
or just a white bottle cap
photographed by me
but this is how the Pantheon
that Roman temple of the gods
lets summer showers in-
…They didn’t have sheet glass in ancient Rome, ya see? They say you can trace the origins of western architecture through to these parts…
I’m not religious- pretty sacrilegious in fact, but being a spiritual being I enjoy reflection in places of worship…where people seem to at least temporarily seek something larger
St Peters, Vatican City.
travelers
April. 25. 2010
traveling (to me) is about converting strangers into acquaintances…
just saying-
labyrinth
April. 24. 2010
Eisenman’s Holocaust Memorial in Berlin is labyrinthine…one whose rhythm runs in so many directions-
For me it brought stasis amidst mayhem when
I found
triangular tips of light edging towards the ground
Where there is shadow there will be light and I think
our silhouette on the corner
senses that
and more
there is room for the solitary thinker
space to share thought
and well…the opportunity to simply find some peace herein.
wet land
March. 29. 2010
longitudinal section through the LA State Capitol Visitor Center project- one of my favorite drawings- the reference is to our sinking wetlands
if I could just make this building real…
ando
March. 27. 2010
Ando in a nutshell
I love that all things possess a shadow and a reflection…and they’re both such different things…
[The Modern Museum, Fort Worth]
some days
March. 20. 2010
never set
anywhere
vanishing point
March. 14. 2010
at predock’s audubon center
afloat
March. 8. 2010
re-imagine
the floors at every stripe
when the beast touched the ground
meetings on corners, walks to edges,
looking out-
afloat
woolen suspension in mid air
somewhere between matta-clark and the free market revolutions
I’m all steel and concrete
plaid
March. 6. 2010
in a nutshell, my life is a struggle against boxes in general and squares in particular (literally and otherwise)- but I see this out of a certain glass window, and it resonates…
…and the fact that it’s abandoned because one day they all stood up and walked out, just intrigues me even more.
look up
March. 4. 2010
…sunny afternoon wandering on a crisp spring like day in the winter!
These are my friends, and I have love for them both- especially in this rare moment when they’re experiencing, exploring and enjoying architecture in all its splendour without me forcing them to, as usual.
People sometimes argue that imposing forms and spaces supposedly “out of scale,” belittle the human spirit. Moments like this however, are my argument for the contrary…
fountainplace
March. 4. 2010
I was tempted to straighten the zebra crossing and make it level, but this picture is also about motion…I love love love this elevation of Fountainplace. Without a doubt, one of my favourite skyscrapers, anywhere.
I’d wanted to take these pictures for so long, I stood shivering waiting for the light…
to the east
February. 15. 2010
there’s something about the glow of dawn…everything drenched in it mesmerizes…en route to see the grandmother- Delhi to Agra at dawn.
A journey we’ve taken a thousand times-
every time, a familiar surprise
twist
February. 1. 2010
somewhere near old bond street
Ma
January. 21. 2010
…a languorous December afternoon and a moment of ease-
here it is
Time, stolen in the kothi at Agra and kept forever:
woven cots with wooden legs, traces of water come and gone, baby Krishna peeking from the window-
and the languid refusal to drift along
often it
feels like the remnant of some ancient era:
she is my shadow and sunshine
…passing by
January. 11. 2010
“There is more to life than increasing its speed.”
-Mahatma Gandhi
The London underground had posters with that quote posted everywhere. So ironic. Here’s an aside:
We want stories told in the first two sentences, TV sports formatted to our limited attention spans, movies to get to the point already, clicks to respond instantaneously and have become so impatient that even flying (you know, soaring above the miles you would in theory need to walk, jump or swim?) seems tedious and prolonged…the pace of life and gratification are continually being shortened.
Even people who lament the loss of human interaction when conversing in their living rooms don an unapproachable air on the tube…and there we are, scuttling by each-other, anonymously rushing past a sea of abstraction.
Life without punctuation
I say, I
am merely, passing by
CeSRON
October. 4. 2009
As in- self reflection is obsolete today, in the age of narcissism the search for self is labyrinthine…what you see are attempts to architecturalize that notion of being and becoming and the tumultuous process herein…
Studies for CeSRON (Center for Self Reflection, Otherness and Narcissism). There must be questions about what the hell this is all about- so ASK!
stillness
September. 20. 2009
charcoal landscape study for a bath house project…one of the rare moments where even movement elicits stillness…
[un]veiling the Statler Hilton
July. 28. 2009
they asked for a local landmark to be veiled.
check that premise, and it begs to be un-veiled…desperately!
stop constructing convoluted contraptions and bring the building to life instead…
[AIA Dallas Statler Hilton Competition entry: Ishita Sharma + Preston Kissman collaborative- we did good I'd say]
wanted to keep the graphics graphic, clear and sync the visuals with the theme of the entry- cinematic, vintage glory…(of sorts)…thus the movie-ish-ness!
here’s my fervid verbiage from the board:
[un] veiling the Statler Hilton
a nostalgic cinematic introspective
The opening of the Main Street Gardens in downtown Dallas elicits the questioning of its very use- who will visit the urban green and what will they see/experience? The block is surrounded by no abandoned relics from Dallas’ glory- now obsolete. Yet, their presence is imposing, and amongst them the Statler Hilton stands dominant in the urban streetscape. Listed as one of America’s most endangered historic buildings in 2008, the Statler is a handsome structure and a monument to the aspirations of an entrepreneurial city- one desperate for a renewed life and un-veiling in a new light.
This proposal seeks to use temporary artwork to bring a sense of revitalization to the space and structure to metaphorically illustrate the best of the hotel’s 56 years shared with the Dallas community, and the possibilities that lie dormant within.
This is accomplished by transforming the façade into a screen onto which films are back-projected. Sheets or (removable) translucent film would be adhered to the interior of the Hilton’s first and second floor windows, and projectors connected inside would then project movies and images onto these surfaces giving the façade a constructed life- animating the façade as seen from the street and the park; thus transforming gardens into a silent outdoor theater for ‘Movies in the Garden.’ Additionally, subtle up-lighting of the Hilton’s façade at night allows it to set the stage for activities in the new park.
The films and images compiled from the collective memory of the city showcase Dallas in the style and splendor of its growing years through the experience of its citizens and the highlights of the Statler Hilton’s glamorous past- a 56 year journey through time. The façade alternates movie panels with static display panels narrating the exhibition, in combination with additional flat color panels whose colors reflect hues used in the interior of the hotel.
Recognizing that pedestrian traffic is important in rebuilding a sense of place and unwilling to impede upon the space of the street, this scheme seeks to attract crowds to experience movies of their city’s past and present, transforming an obsolete sidewalk into a gallery walk.
On the raiments of the arcane
July. 24. 2009
imagine a whole city carved out of red sandstone by one ancient emperor…there’s more to India than the taj mahal already!
[ photo exhibition on Fatehpur Sikri, 2007 ]
visitor center
July. 24. 2009
Louisiaaaana welcome center- come see our wetland exhibit (and maybe even catch a fish)
