A novel depiction of Dharmadam in Kannur, the cradle of Theyyam, by a group of architecture students of the College of Engineering Thiruvananthapuram (CET), has brought to national attention the indigenous culture and art forms of Kerala. The CET team’s creation bagged the top prize at the Annual NASA Design Competition (ANDC) held as part of the 59th convention of the National Association of Students of Architecture (NASA), hosted by Poornima University, Jaipur.
Representation of a city
On being given the task of conceiving a unique representation of a city for the competition, the team chose to showcase the essence of folk culture, using the symbols and colours of Theyyam to visualise their study and design of Dharmadam, and its historical, social, cultural, and political background.
The team was inspired by the way Theyyam encapsulates lives in Dharmadam. “Regardless of caste and religion, the annual Theyyam festival of Thiramahotsavam, at Andaloorkavu in Dharmadam, has a very prominent influence on lifestyles there,” they said. Discussions with Thalassery-based artist K.K. Marar and social worker Vijayan helped them actualise their idea.
First in 18 years
It was the first time in 18 years that a team from CET bagged the design trophy at the NASA convention.
Laurie Baker trophy
Apart from the ANDC, CET also came first in the Laurie Baker Centre (LBC) Trophy, which involved the design of a sustainable and economic homestead for a family responding to urbanisation. With Laurie Baker’s principles of optimisation, equity, and sustainability, the team evolved a design solution based on a Vaidyar family in Kannur with a lineage of traditional Kalari and Marmachikitsa , setting the emotional and social turmoil of their migration to an urban setting as the background. A group of 38 students from the Department of Architecture at CET, led by professors Sarath Sundar Rajeev and Sruthi Satheesh, and NASA unit secretary Albin Joseph, participated in the convention this year.
