About the book
Memories have a profound impact on one’s existence.
For those who could experience life in their ancestral homes in India, a rich vessel of related memories collect with time. Some are asked to share their stories - which point to some of the deepest architectural experiences they know, where haptic and sensorial notions of space are absorbed early on. Here, the architecture is documented not through didactic or mundane research but through empirical personal chronicles of people’s intimate experiences of their traditional homes. Images and texts are viewed as personal memory, not architectural document - coming together in this book titled ‘My Grandmother’s House’. This gives readers a chance to vicariously live this collective memory, which is attributed to the massive interwoven fabric between generations of communities. The richness of the research lies in its intersection between the individual, community, history, memory, ritual, heritage, typology, and space.
Spatial sensibilities have always innately existed in individuals and communities. They can be used as tools to inform and redefine modern architectural possibilities at scale. In a world which is struggling to keep up with its own future, ‘My Grandmother’s House’ is an effort to pause and reflect on the past and ask the question – ‘How do you know where you’re going if you don’t know where you’re coming from?’ At an immediate level, readers are prompted to delve into their own memory, searching for their experiences and spatial narratives. Looking back on memories like these can help one enter a world of architectural possibilities and dreams, guided by simplicity, intimacy, celebration and love.
EDITED & COMPILED BY:
Mitul Desai @mitul.a.desai
Sunayana Golechha @sunayanagolechha
ILLUSTRATIONS:
Namrata Vansadia @rutambara