WINDOW MURAL BY SAMEER KULAVOOR

Site-specific mural commissioned by Goethe-Institut / Max Mueller Bhavan Mumbai.

Original works were made with gouache and solid markers on paper.
Vinyl-printed mural pasted on glass + gesso, acrylic paints and solid markers. August 2021
Artist: Sameer Kulavoor

A response to the push and pull between past and present, formal and informal, form and function, design and art ; the formations, structures and shapes that occur as a result of this tension over long periods of time. How does the ‘alternative’ become gentrified? How do materials and texture mark time – heritage, contemporary or a mash-up? What are the adjustments that are made in order to accommodate new inhabitants and users as per their current requirements?

Examples : Structures built at a time when AC’s didn’t exist – needs to be ‘adjusted’. The ‘updated’ service ducts (that contain electrical wiring, plumbing, etc) of old buildings are usually hidden on the back side or carefully camouflaged with the colours so they don’t come in the way of pristine picturesque views of heritage areas. Introduction of ‘chajjas’ for structures that originally didn’t have them. Accommodating shop signages in complex and dense spaces.

The colour swatch outside the canvas area is also a part of the work. They are commonly seen on new or under ‘renovation’ housing societies or commercial complexes. They seem to be disappearing as more and more new buildings have replaced paint with aluminium composite panels and glass surfaces. These swatches are a symbol of ‘work in progress’; a symbol for a metropolis which is always a ‘work in progress’. Eventually the city leaves its mark on the surface of these buildings.