Anarchytecture.For.The.World

President Obama announced this last Sunday that US Special Forces had found, fought, shot and killed Public Enemy Number 1, Osama Bin Laden in Pakistan. OBL was found in the small hill station town of Abbottabad, about 30 miles north-east of Islamabad, Pakistan’s capital city. People in my friend circle know that I had predicted a long time ago (in 2002, I think) that OBL would be found in Pakistan and not in Waziristan or Tora Bora or Sudan or Yemen… but that’s another story.

Just to fuel the conspiracy theorist in me… watching media coverage of the operation unfold over the last week has got me thinking. Is it mere coincidence that the following, seemingly unrelated, events have unfolded in quick succession:

1. President Obama announces that current CIA director, Leon Panetta would replace Secretary of Defense, Robert Gates.
2. He also announces that he plans to nominate General David Petraeus,current commander of USFOR-A, to replace Leon Panetta as Director of the CIA.
3. Within weeks of these announcements, he sanctions a covert, special forces operation in Pakistan with the 60 % chance that OBL would be found in a palatial, well guarded and fortress-like compound in Abbottabad.
4. OBL is encountered. A battle ensues and Navy Seals shoot and kill OBL.

Coincidence? or something more… ?

Photography is…

Photography is an easy activity. It is a record of perception and memory. As memory fades, perception changes to accommodate that which is forgotten. These memories take on a new meaning. They become unreal images from a world of real things. My photography is a means towards creating an archive of my memories – one that can be revisited at will. As such, memory is fleeting, and the human mind is fickle, but nature endures – beyond the accumulation of all things beautiful, synthetic or artificial. Only the human eye can instantaneously capture the real glory of nature, but the moment lasts only for that instance before it ages, perhaps becomes memorable. Photography is a cheap substitute to extend that moment – a means to slow down to the speed of the world and revel in its silence and beauty.

I photograph many things. People, nature, objects…the artist in me wants to believe that I create art, but all I really do is create a record of what I see today, may not see tomorrow and want to remember from yesterday.

Photography requires a discerning eye and devotion to the God of small things. I believe it is in this devotion lies the zen of photography.

Architecture is…

Architecture is the confluence of the rational and the abstract – a practice of logic mediated by whimsy, which makes everyday inhabitation an interesting experience. It is what elevates a space from being mere refuge from the elements to a place of being. The architect designs this place. He holds the ability to bring a vast array of complex systems together that combine and converge into a whole that takes on a life of its own, almost like an organism.

Architecture is an adventure, an almost dangerous one at that. Architects walk the fine line between art and science, between originality and memory, between modernity and tradition. We have to be exceptionally brave individuals to straddle this knife-edge that threatens to cut one way or the other at every given instance. We do this on an everyday basis with nonchalant ability. This is one of the many reasons I find myself to be proud of this community.

Architecture is, perhaps, the finest job in the world. In a time when our world has taken on a frenetic pace and almost everything is already a memory by the time you begin to understand it, architecture is one of the few discoveries possible that can enthrall and hold promise for an extended period of time. It is essentially a cerebral quest, that can bring anxiety, bewilderment, fear, excitement, adventure and fulfillment. I try to undertake this quest in everything that I do – fear, anxiety and all.

Architecture is a journey. We set off to find, to learn, to anticipate the unexpected. To find beautiful things, to discover new ways and means. To adapt to changing terrains and climate. To engage in dialogue with strangers in strange lands, understand and convince them to become part of a vision that may not seem apparent. To find new ways to sustain and resuscitate this planet, which can only give so much.

We live, breathe and exist as architects. With a discerning eye and the knowledge to create, we make life easier to live in a world that is a better place because of our actions.

Architecture is life.

Slumdog Millionaire is made to appeal to western audiences. That which is run-of-the-mill to locals is highlighted and spotlit in the movie. As far as movies go, it is fair entertainment, but it makes pointed exhibition of poverty and adversity in Mumbai, using the Bollywood-staple song and dance to provide tasty morsels for foreign audiences.
It is the same criticism I have for “Monsoon Wedding”…if you want to make a movie about India, Indian culture or Indian ethos, try to be authentic without trying to pander to the West.
I feel a lot of pride for A.R.Rahman, who scored the music for the movie. He is a maestro, and a complete magician at bringing eastern and western influences together.
If you haven’t seen it already, I highly recommend watching Sir Richard Attenborough’s epic, “Gandhi”…which is very authentic and closely representative of the man and the freedom struggle in mid-century India.

A list of my top tens in various categories:

Top Movies : Based on how many times I can repeatedly watch them…

1. The Godfather ( I, II & III)
2. Master & Commander – The Far Side Of The World
3. The Great Escape
4. The Shawshank Redemption
5. Heat
6. My Cousin Vinny
7. Mackenna’s Gold
8. Indiana Jones ( Raiders Of The Lost Ark & The Last Crusade)
9. The Jason Bourne movies (The Bourne Identity, The Bourne Ultimatum & The Bourne Supremacy)
10. The Gladiator

Top Ten Actors:

1. Al Pacino
2. Robert DeNiro
3. Russel Crowe
4. Denzel Washington
5. Clint Eastwood
6. Michael Douglas
7. Dustin Hoffman
8. Johnny Depp
9. Tom Hanks
10. Matt Damon

Top Ten Actresses:

1. Nicole Kidman
2. Meryl Streep
3. Kate Winslet
4. Cate Blanchett
5. Michelle Pfeiffer
6. Kate Beckinsale
7. Glenn Close
8. Julia Roberts
9. Halle Berry
10. Naomi Watts

Top Ten Bands

1. Metallica
2. Iron Maiden
3. AC/DC
4. Deep Purple
5. Led Zeppelin
6. Black Sabbath
7. Rainbow
8. Queen
9. The Doors
10. Pink Floyd

Top Ten Writers: Fiction

1. Arthur Conan Doyle
2. Enid Blyton
3. Clive Cussler
4. Douglas Reeman (as Alexander Kent)
5. Michael Crichton (R.I.P)
6. Wilbur Smith
7. Arthur C. Clarke (R.I.P)
8. Isaac Asimov
9. Jack Higgins
10. Larry McMurtry

Top Ten Comedians:

1. Robin Williams
2. Jim Carrey
3. Russell Peters
4. Billy Crystal
5. Tim Allen
6. George Lopez
7. Whoopi Goldberg
8. Bill Cosby
9. Eddie Murphy
10. Jack Black

Top Ten Architects:

1. Renzo Piano
2. Richard Rogers
3. Thom Mayne (Morphosis)
4. Norman Foster
5. David Chipperfield
6. Jean Nouvel
7. Zaha Hadid
8. Coop Himmelblau
9. Kengo Kuma
10. Patkau Architects

Top Ten Typefaces:

1. Meta
2. Helvetica
3. Aksidenz Grotesk
4. Officina
5. Bodoni
6. Frutiger
7. Info
8. Rotis
9. Futura
10. Myriad

To be continued…