JOIN USAn effort to bridge the distance
The festival focussed on educational and training issues concerning architecture, notably exchange of know-how and expertise. Several French experts, both professionals and academics, were a part of the contemporary architecture interaction.
The first day saw the inauguration of two exhibitions –– ‘French Architects Overseas / Grand Prix AFEX 2010’ and ‘New Albums of Young Architects and Landscapists’.
The exhibition aimed at showcasing some of the best structures in France. Stephan, a young aspiring architect, who had come for the exhibition, said “I think it’s a great way of showing a part of France and their idea of design and structures.”
The exhibition was inaugurated by Dominique Causse, Consul General of France in Bangalore. “France is home to some of the earliest pioneers in many architectural styles who had a genuine concern for urban development. We wanted young architects here to get a chance to interact with some well-known architects from France,” he added.
Architects Florence Mercier, Chloe Bodart and Chloe De Smet conducted various workshops and presentations. Florence, who started her practice in 1988 in Paris, at the National School of Landscape Architecture, in Versailles, works mainly on landscape projects of varying scales, from the garden to the territory, both in France and abroad.
“In all of my work, I try to show the relationship between human, nature and space. We have travelled all over the country and now we are in the final leg of the tour. I am keen on interacting with some of the aspiring architects here and see how they look at the subject,” she added.
In the last few days, ‘Architecture Rendez-vous’, hosted film screenings at the Alliance Francaise.
Bringing in the Indo-French flavour, a documentary-feature by Mukul Kishore, Dilli Sushmit Ghosh and Rintu Thomas called ‘Vertical City’ was screened along with Dhobi Ghat, a fictional work by Kiran Rao.