A ce architect Charles Correa during his talk in Bengaluru in 2015 had exhorted all practising architects to contribute to the designing of public spaces. If we can expand each one’s role towards society, administrators, artists and office space designers too have to share an artistic envisioning for city spaces. Why can’t sculptures be a part of every public space just as large botanical gardens or the reasonably spacious road spaces where seating is provided? Public space-and-art is a trend creeping into Bengaluru in many forms.
Earlier, large entertainment avenues, gardens, parks or public buildings hardly brought in serious public art where artists were made to be involved. But with the likes of K. Jaisim who even brings stone seatings and sculptures into large projects; Naresh Narasimhan whose work at the restoration of the building for NGMA speaks loud of the landscape architecture sprinkled generously with outstanding sculptures; or art historians, practitioners and teachers at the Chitrakala Parishath who have every kind of outdoor art installed at their environs, public art has come to be accepted as an extension of the aesthetic persona of spaces.
Collaborative communities
The RMZ Foundation’s art initiative at its Bellandur Ecoworld creates communities coming together to help accentuate art and present a new destination. Does such art initiatives help people look at office space providers differently as the Foundation also has a permanent art gallery where non-IT people would be part of the consuming public?
“The objective of the RMZ Foundation is to give back to the ecosystem that we benefit from. Art is one such initiative to collaborate and expand the awareness and engage our community,” says Anu Menda, Managing Trustee, RMZ Foundation. The Gallery, she says, is not for profit. It is a space to promote varied interactive workshops and exhibitions and seeks to help artists - both established and emerging - collaborate and showcase to a focused audience. It is not as a commercial gallery space, she adds.
Of course public-art with sculptures is gaining momentum in Bengaluru, according to award-winning sculptor Dimpy Menon. “There is a great interest and with globalisation, there is a greater awareness and appreciation of art both from the corporates and the general public,” says Dimpy.
Sculptures are and will always be a part of the city as one would have noticed, but the grammar applied to each work in each era would be different. “In the past they have been more traditional, like statues and portraits of icons. Places of worship are sprinkled all over the city; art is represented here as figures or symbols. It’s just that we have got so used to seeing them, we don’t often appreciate these as an art form,” adds Dimpy.
But are we looking at a medium of expression in art where India is lagging/matching other world urban settings? Dimpy justifies that architects and builders take pride in their structures and it’s no longer just purely functional. “Aesthetics of buildings and facades are treated with a lot of thought. Art is now part of the contemporary vision in India too. Our metros can compare with their counterparts abroad, although a lot more needs to be done and why are we comparing?” she asks
Involve everybody
Multinationals and business houses have the appetite to spend and acquire sculptures which only enhance their spaces. They also understand the value of art and what it does to the viewer, according to art professionals. According to ace sculptor Ravinder G. Reddy, whose solo-show using a host of materials at the RMZ EcoWorld is on, we are far behind the West or even third world countries as far as art in public spaces are concerned. “We need to sensitise people to enhance aesthetics outdoors. One strong way of doing this would be to introduce tax benefits to industry sponsors/ builders/developers or architects where attractive measures can abring companies to sponsor art more easily,” says Mr. Ravinder Reddy.
Interacting with artists and architects for cultural and urban settings of immediate context should not become rare initiatives. It must be a natural progression in art for built spaces and open environments, according to Mr. Reddy. “Even having good sculpted works of statues of national leaders should be aesthetic, and not tucked away in corners at cross-junctions. This is a disrespect to sculptural art.”
Amongst several others, Ravinder Reddy and Subodh Gupta are being invited to foreign shores for public art installations. Sculpture artists are available in plenty in India who are recognised abroad. “I was invited by Bangkok to have my installation at a beautiful natural surrounding there. During the Nehru and Indira Gandhi period I have done works for Lalit Kala Academy and the Delhi Development Authority for Central Delhi. It has not yet percolated to other States in India,” says Mr. Reddy, ruing the fact that nobody pays heed to the Central government stipulation that every public building includes sculptures.
“Be it sculptures, paintings or murals, such art will enhance the surroundings of a building. Organisations and artists have been pressing the government that just as spaces allotted for gardens in every locality in the Master Plan, there has to stipulations for artworks included in buildings,” says Mr. Reddy.
Architecture and art: Page 4
