A Bangalore City Project Initiative for NGMA, Bangalore.
BCP is happy to co-ordinate a series of events for NGMA (National Gallery of Modern art), Bangalore as part of a larger programme planned around the exhibition ‘ Indian Life and landscapes by Western Artists – Paintings and Drawings from the V & A 1790 -1927’ that will be stationed at the gallery from 9th April to 23rd May 2010.
The exhibition at the Gallery comprises sketches and water colours by artists like the Daniells’, … It showcases romantic and picturesque views – embodying how India was visualised by Company artists, amateurs and professionals.
Schedule of Events:
1 - Trail of the Daniells' / Trail of Company Artists:
Sundays 11th, 18th and 25th April 2010 and 2nd, 9th and 16th May 2010, 8 am.
2 – Lectures related to the exhibition theme
Saturdays 17th and 24th April 2010, 6pm.
3 - 'Through the Looking Glass' Exhibition
9th April to 23rd May 2010
Event Details:
1 - The walks:
Series of walks led by INTACH (Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage), Bangalore Chapter, in the areas visited and sketched by Company Artists.
Dates: 11th April and 2nd May 2010 - Gavipuram
18th April and 9th May 2010 - Fort area
25th April and 16th May 2010 - Lalbagh
Time: All walks will commence at NGMA, Bangalore, 8am sharp! (no 49, Palace Road)
Limited Participation for each walk. Registrations a must! Call British council 22489220 to register.
Walk Programme:
8 – 8:15 am: A 15 minute briefing on the exhibition theme and gallery walk to view some of the watercolours, led by NGMA curators.
Around 8:20 am: Depart for the precinct in buses provided by NGMA
Around 9:00 am: Commence walk in the precinct
Around 11:00 am: Depart from the precinct back to NGMA in the same buses.
Notes:
There is ample parking available within NGMA. You are advised to carry water and a cap.
The precincts:
Gavipuram: is a old vernacular settlement in the heart of Bangalore. It was originally an independent village, a day's pilgrimage from the Old Walled City and predates it by centuries. The area is so named after the historic Gavi Gangadhareshwara temple (Gavi - cave, Gangadhareshwara - alluding to Shiva). The Daniells' visited the complex and extensively sketched the four famous monoliths within and the nearby Tower ascribed to KempeGowda, the founder of modern Bangalore. Over time these towers have become city icons due to their association with a visionary ruler who is believed to have been establised them in four cardinal directions to mark the limit of the city's growth. A visit to the area would include one to the nearby priests' settlement or Agrahara and to HariHaragudda, the hill nearby dotted with various mantapas which were also sketched by the Daniells.
Lalbagh: (Red Garden), also in the heart of Bangalore, is ascribed to Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan, the Tigers of Mysore. They are believed to have established this garden along the lines of a formal mughal garden with avenues of cypress trees and water bodies following the 'Charbagh' principle. Traces of these mughal terraces can be seen even today. When the British took over they converted the site into a formal botanical and zoological garden and built the famous Glass House within along with a bandstand and other associated structures. The Glass House is an important reminder of the Industrial Revolution especially since it is modelled after the Crystal Palace. Further one of Kempegowda's towers is to be found within its limits and Company Artists including the Daniells' sketched a number of views from here towards the Old Walled City.
Fort area: While the Old Walled City of Bangalore or Pettah no longer stands in its original form - the walls were demolished, traces of it remain in the winding narrow lanes and commercial enterprises which still form the heart of this market city. A defensive oval fort was built to its south. This was stregthened by Hyder and Tipu who also built a palace complex in its heart, along Mughal lines (Shahjahani style) with a Diwan I Aam and Diwan I Khas. Views of this structure after British occupation were sketched by Home and give us an idea of its extents before parts of it were dismantled and the fort walls pulled down. The visit would also include one to a historic temple situated right next to the palace, the dwaja stambha (flag pole) of which makes its way into a number of Company sketches / watercolours.
2 – Lectures related to the exhibition theme
A – Design Expression by Prof. Ar. Sathya Prakash Varanashi (17th April)
B – Conservative Repair or Restoration – Different approaches to Heritage Conservation by Conservation Architect Pankaj Modi (24th April)
Dates: Saturdays 17th and 24th April 2010
Time: 6pm to 7 pm at NGMA auditorium
Registrations not required. Just walk in before 6pm!
Programme:
A – Design Expression
This lecture will be led by Prof. SathyaPrakash Varanashi, Conservation Architect and Urban Designer. The Professor is founder trustee CIVIC Bangalore, Founder UDBHAVA forum and former Head, Department of Architecture, BIT. He heads the architecture practice, Sathya Consultants, based in Bangalore. He will talk about how different design ideologies are given expression using the ruins sketched in the watercolours as the background. The talk will thus also cover lifestyles and various other influences on design.
B – Restoration versus Repair – Different approaches to Heritage Conservation
The lecture will be led by Conservation Architect Pankaj Modi (Partner, Adhaar…Center for Heritage Conservation) and Conservation Architect Krupa Rajangam (Principal, Saythu…linking people and places). The architects will discuss various approaches to Heritage Conservation - Conservative Repair to Restoration using the ruins sketched in the watercolours as the background. They will go back and forth between past views of the picturesque ruin to present day status of the same monument (generally restored). The talk will also cover differences in approaches to Heritage Conservation in the West and East.
3 - ' Through the Looking Glass' Exhibition
The BCP exhibition ‘Through the Looking Glass’ that opened at Samuha in February 2010 will travel to the grounds of NGMA. This is your opportunity to find out more about Bangalore’s hidden history!
The panels will be on view from 9th April to 23rd May 2010.