KOCHI: KARW 2019 - the three-day architectural workshop hosted by KMEA College of Architecture at Aluva turned out to be an enriching experience to the participating students. The workshop series, which began on October 4, was inaugurated by artist Bose Krishnamachari, the founding member of Kochi-Muziris Biennale.
“You can love famous architects, but don’t follow them,” he said while talking on ‘Self-expression and Individualism’. “The event featured three major workshops and they were based on individuality and expression,” said Anoop Sivanandan, assistant professor, KMEA College of Architecture.
The ‘Introspecto structural workshop’ was led by architect Shyne and engineer Hashim, where the students designed and made a structure on the theme. The theatre workshop ‘Act Out’ was led by Oorali band, which focused on expressions of the students and how effectively it can be blended with architecture.
A short movie-making workshop was led by Milind Siraj and Milan Siraj.
“The workshops focused on nurturing the self individuality of students and making them aware of it. They were taught ways to bring individuality in architecture,” adds Anoop. The ‘Sunburn’ musical event and other cultural programmes organised by the students added colour to the workshop.
There was also a panel discussion on the workshop theme which saw the participation of architect Fahad Majeed, artist Vivek Vilasini, activist Jijo Kuriakose, artist Meena Vari and advocate Sandya George.
The discussion touched on multiple facets of being an individual.
The event also had an open mic session in which personalities who had portrayed their individuality in front of the society spoke on their life stories. Architect Sajan Pulimood, Kurien Abraham, principal, KMEA College of Architecture, management members of KMEA group of institutions - Sayyid Basheer Ali Shihab Thangal, Majeed Parakkadan and K A Jaleel - were also present. The workshop saw a participation of around 500 students.