A walk through Poro-City: Where architecture meets art
The unique exhibition does not limit itself with a mere showcasing of structures. It opens up a portal to a unusual world of art
You don't necessarily think of 'architecture' as 'art'. Most of us who are not intimately acquainted with either discipline will have trouble putting them together on the same plate.
On 8 May, at Kala Kendra in Lalmatia of the capital, a unique exhibition was inaugurated. The subject of the exhibition was architecture and structural designs, presented in their purest of art forms. And truth be told, it is something I had never witnessed before.
When I think of an 'art' exhibition, what pops up in my mind is a gallery with paintings hanging from the walls. The paintings can depict something abstract, they can be portraits and even landscapes. The bias here is that they have to be created with paint and brush.
Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel
When I walked into the exhibition venue, I was greeted with something unique. Instead of paintings, there were designs hanging from railings. None of them were framed as one would expect from an exhibition.
The contents were even more intriguing. The exhibition did not limit itself with a mere showcasing of structures designed and built by artists Graber and Steiger. There were detailed designs and blueprints on display as well. Nearly every design on display was accompanied with intricate details and entailed a description of the purpose it would serve.
It doesn't sound so layman friendly perhaps. As a matter of fact, architecture as we know it, demands specialised knowledge.
When asked about it, the host and the organiser of the event, Wakil Rahman said, "To understand art in its various forms, certain education is required. Architecture is just one of the many forms of art that requires a different medium. But at least some knowledge is a requirement to understand the art of architecture too."
The fun thing is, everyone does not necessarily need to understand the intricacies of architectural engineering to appreciate this exhibition. What one really needs to do is to approach it with an open mind.
"It's not like exhibitions like this are not being arranged around the world. It may be a unique aspect in the context of Bangladesh. But the concept itself is nothing new in the world of art," Wakil Rahman added.
In generic exhibitions that most of us may have attended, what we see is artists' painting their passion and creativity on a canvas with brushes and colours. In exhibitions like Poro-City, it is the architectural engineers demonstrating their passion for structural design. When I started to take it all in, everything mesmerised me. It was as if there was a hidden window in front of me that needed opening.
The event 'Poro-City: Enabling Structures' is a site-specific architectural art project created by the Swiss firm Graber & Steiger. Niklaus Graber, Co-founder of Graber & Steiger Architects, based in Lucerne, Switzerland, highlighted in the brochure of the exhibition that they had a certain purpose in mind when they opened the exhibition in Bangladesh.
'The exhibition gives a glimpse into architectural projects that aim to build user friendly structures with an ease of access. By showcasing construction projects and buildings outside of their original concept, an open discussion on the particular yet universal qualities of architectural structures will be sparked,' it read.
'The installation's scenography is integrated into a circular concept to re-purpose the modular exhibition of Dhaka's micro-urbanism. Any city dweller is welcome to take part in the long-term initiative of "Enabling Structures" in addition to exhibition visitors. The long-term plan is to make urban structures futuristic yet simple,' it goes on.
The premise of the event may be unique and the venue small. But the subject of it is very interesting, once you let the environment set in. It opens up a portal to a new world of art. The collective effort that went into organising the event is very appreciable. Anyone walking into it is bound to come out having learned something new and seeing something unexpectedly beautiful.
