Archaeological excavations that are on at Pattanam to trace the ancient Spice Route connecting Kerala with the rest of the world will soon be getting a Biennale touch.
In a novel initiative, a group of Indo-Spanish students have begun building a bamboo roof at the main venue of the 2nd Kochi-Muziris Biennale—the Aspinwall House. The project, titled Muziris Wharf Roof Prototype, is being done by 26 architecture students from Centre for Environmental Planning and Technology (CEPT) University in Ahmedabad and University of Camilo Jose Cela in Madrid, said a release.
The project, which envisages covering the trenches across the heritage site in the Periyar delta, is headed by Professor Luis Feduchi, director of the architecture school.
The roof measures 225 square metres, while 1,000 square metres will be the original roof in Pattanam located near North Paravur in Ernakulam district.
Prototype “What we are building at the Biennale is a prototype for Pattanam,” says Parth Thacker, the faculty of technology at CEPT University.
According to Eugenia Muscio, a faculty member at University of Camilo Jose Cela, the roof will protect the trench where the remains of a wharf were found.
The bamboo being used for construction of the roof belongs to the bambossa variety.
Zacharia visits venues On Monday, writer Paul Zacharia visited the venues of the KMB and was given a detailed briefing of the artworks at the seaside heritage complex by KMB’14 artistic director Jitish Kallat along with Bose Krishnamachari and Riyas Komu of the of the Kochi Biennale Foundation.
