As mentioned in the earlier post, Atul and I chalked out a manifesto for AOA. Today, I realize that this manifesto was actually a circle of thoughts that Atul and I contrastingly thought of. Atul had a heavy hang over of AA school of thought and I had a heavy hangover of KRVIA thought. Both these thoughts dealt with theorizing the idea of 'context'. Our basic manifesto was formed of our understanding of the idea of context from dual view points. Here is an excerpt:
"
a manifesto for academy:
“Context is the problem”
We aim at creating an integrated design environment which places itself between the realms of context and decontext. While we understand that architectural manifestations have to constantly respond to their surroundings, we realize that the environment is constantly changing. Architecture can contribute to such change, primarily through its physical being, and adapting to its surroundings through a constant inquiry into the changing environment.
Context
Context is the surroundings, circumstances, environment, background, or settings which determine, specify, or clarify the meaning of an event.
We realize that architecture must inform other disciplines while also adopting from them, towards building a holistic environment. Context makes us aware that we live in a system, and we all are parasites. The interdependence is what the society survives on. Therefore, it is extremely important to understand what context we live in, to be able to intervene into it. We have to constantly ask fresh questions to debate the relevance of a context, and its mutilation.
Contextual approaches are therefore top down approaches where there are already limited set of parameters which address the function of a programme. Recently, the term ‘function’ has been alternated by ‘performance’ which looks at programme as evolutionary rather than static. It is therefore important to arrive at the idea of de-context.
Decontext
In bottom up approaches, parameters for design are infinite. This not only throws new possibilities of imagining future roles of the profession of architecture, but keeps reminding that change is constant, and change has to be followed. De contextualization is not thinking without context, but thinking beyond context. De contextualization is also about thinking newer contexts.
"
Adarkar sir always supported ideas coming from young minds and encouraged our enthusiasm. We were to keep in mind this framework while we designed program briefs and events at AOA. We had long term ideas about how we wished to structure the new wing at AOA. It was roughly as ideated below:
YEAR
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I
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II
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III
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IV
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V
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Part 1 / context
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Representation
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Semantics and Semiotics
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DESIGN THESIS
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Part 2 / decontext
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Structure and Framework
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Research Methods
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Adarkar sir was too close to the management to fuel radical change of thoughts in the system. However, he always tried to balance the situation by some middle ground solution tactic. He gave us a lot of freedom to design courses, programs and events. He offered to us his excellent contacts and made sure to introduce us to the biggest of people he knew. He had a lot of faith in us and he would never appoint any faculty without discussing with us.
From Adarkar Sir, I understood the politics of not only AOA, but also the entire academic scene. I was very naive at all this and hardly took interest in all such matters. My inclination was teaching and I invested maximum time in reading, and discussion and synthesizing my own notes. Perhaps, I realized that this politics was affecting me too - in the way i was working and the way I was being used. I had to keep myself aware of it so that I take measured action. (Perhaps this is how enthusiastic people set boundaries of operation for themselves). My biggest technique was to keep away from all this, keep restricted to my work and being closer to the students. But this technique does not necessarily help. I shall explain this later as I summarize my experiences of interaction with students.
Talking to Adarkar Sir was always joyous. He was a repository of experiences. Adarkar sir would recount his old days in which were emebedded images of the old city, old ways of working and old value systems. I always wondered how his value systems didnot cause any friction with newer generations. He accepted changes and mixed up with students so well. Initially I would get disturbed with differing value systems of different students and it would make me very unhappy. I learnt from Adarkar sir to maintain a distance, yet involve with students. The biggest learning from him that I shall carry with my for my life is the way to talk to people. He had a way of charming people and getting them on board even if they had the busiest of schedules. He approached people with abundant warmth and affection. He would never let you go without a cup of tea. I think Academy is unique because of its warmth. This warmth comes from people like Mr. Adarkar. People smile at you, inspite of all resentment you have for them. They do your work, even if they hate your methodologies. I think dealing with all that was a big learning towards my professional development.
I also learnt day to day administration techniques and academic chores from Adarkar Sir. Preparing, moderating and releasing results were the most important learnings. In the beginning I had no skills to negotiate peoples' schedules to suit ours (while preparing time tables). It is from Adarkar Sir that I learnt how one can persuade people to work with you. On the other hand, I also learnt how to politely decline, reject or make an offer inviting. I learnt to some extent how to deal with awkward and embarrassing situations that get created when you are dealing too many subjects and too many people. I learnt from him to be responsible about small things during seminars, events and presentations. I believe he taught me the most and gave me a lot of confidence just by having faith in me and my beliefs.
During this phase, we undertook the task of preparing Reading Lists,Preparing Book Lists for library, Making course structures, etc. I had to run a lot during this phase since Academy had a dearth of faculty and there was no one to teach basic things to students. I almost over taught and exhausted myself. I didnot receive enough support from my colleagues to realise course structure booklet for Academy of Architecture. Their inputs were regulated by the money they were offered and the time mentioned on their contract letters. None of them prepared for classes - they took subjects which assumably require no preparation. People prefer to take up design subjects only because they can easily get away with talking generic non sense. Its about realizing a drawing into a building.
I was extremely ambitious about my first batch as a class coordinator. I wanted them to become the best students in the history of AOA - rigorous, dedicated and serious people. Two years down the line, I feel having ambitions with students is a silly thought. Students have different priorities and ambitions with their own lives.
As an academic, I maintained two essential practices - the first of writing reviews for projects and subsequently evaluating project success. The second was archiving student works. Over the last two years, I tested multiple systems of archival - collecting Cds, uploading on a server, emailing to blog, etc. All work in various ways and all can be equally efficient. It's only the will of students that makes any of the archival systems successful.
It is here that I must introduce the next entry in the AOA history - Mr. Ravindra Punde. I do remember my first interaction with Prof. Punde. He must have seen me having an animated critique session with my students in a design class. I don't remember how our interactions grew.
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