This post is mostly a photo reel and a report of an exhibition I went to some months ago. You can click the images for better quality.
A few months previously, my father had sent me pictures of an exhibition in the US, about Art Deco and the architectural connections between Mumbai and Miami. I remember thinking it would be a shame if that exhibition didn't come to the other city it's about. Good thing is, it did! It was in one of the nicest places around, the backyard of the Bhau Daji Lad museum in Byculla. Keen readers of this blog would remember I had made a post about the museum itself, about six years ago. At the time I possibly didn't register that it had a temporary exhibition room in a separate building in the back.
Art Deco would be a well-known term to anyone even slightly interested in the architecture of south Bombay. Indeed, I had attended a heritage walk on this, a couple of years ago now. It was conducted by Khaki Tours as part of the Kala Ghoda Arts Festival, near the Oval Maidan area and concluding on Marine Drive.
Some of the features that characterise Art Deco are: bold geometric shapes and colours, images from nature like seas and sunrises, and stylised lettering.
The connection between Mumbai and Miami is specifically because they are both port cities. This means they became repositories of influences from many cultures; plus, they became wealthy and the architecture reflected the glamour. The port connection made the nautical motifs all the more apt.
Outside, a tile company had put up a thematic exhibit, and some grilles from all over the city had been recreated.
Someone had (literally) woven these together into a tapestry, replete with the sun motif.
Finally, a miniature and an old photo of some theatres nearby where I've spent many happy hours. (Metro Cinema is also pictured in one of the above collages)
So next time you're walking along Marine Drive, look away from the sea and enjoy the buildings too!
