SPACES Nepal APR 2017

Vol 12 No. 11 April 2017

ART ARCHITECTURE INTERIOR

The Religious vision in Color Symbolism

The Heartbeats of Bungamati

NRs. 100/-

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HOTEL NASA Heydrabad, India

Below the Surface in

Bhaktapur

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Contents Volume 12 NO. 11 | April

S

P

A

C

E

S

N

E

P

A

L

.

C

O

M

34 Architecture

42 Architecture

54 art

HOTEL NASA, Heydrabad, India

Below the Surface in Bhaktapur

The Heartbeats of Bungamati

58 Interior

68 From the Shelf

70 Artscape

The Religious vision in Color Symbolism

Architecture Reborn

Horses-The Energy

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Imperial Furniture Pvt. Ltd., Shital Margh, Baluwatar, Kathmandu, Tel: 977 1 4429641, info@imperialfurniture.com.np

Volume 12 NO. 11 | April

Contributors

CEO

Ashesh Rajbansh Editor-in-Chief

Ar. Sarosh Pradhan Director- Products and Materials

Ar. Pravita Shrestha

Asha Dangol

Kritika Rana

Roshan Mishra

Swati Pujari

Contributing Art Editor

Madan Chitrakar Kasthamandap Art Studio Junior Editor

Shreya Amatya Sristi Pradhan Advisor

Ar. Pawan Kumar Shrestha Subscription and Administrative Officer

Riki Shrestha Contributing Editor

President - Society of Nepalese Architects Ar. Jinisha Jain (Delhi) Ar. Chetan Raj Shrestha (Sikkim) Barun Roy (Darjeeling Hills) Photographers

Pradip Ratna Tuladhar

Asha Dangol is a contemporary Nepali visual artist. He is co-founder of the Kasthamandap Art Studio and E-Arts Nepal. He holds Master’s Degree in Fine Arts from Tribhuvan University, and has been creating and exhibiting his art since 1992. He has 10 solo art exhibitions to his credit. Dangol has participated in numerous group shows in Nepal and his work has been exhibited in different countries outside Nepal. The artist experiments with painting, mixed media, ceramics, installation, performance and video.

Intl. Correspondent

Bansri Panday Director- Operation & Public Relation

Anu Rajbansh SR. Business Development Officer

Debbie Rana Dangol Intern

Jyotika Shresth Legal Advisor

Yogendra Bhattarai Financial Advisor

Kiran Rajbhandary

Published by

IMPRESSIONS Publishing Pvt.Ltd. Kopundole, Lalitpur, GPO Box No. 7048, Kathmandu, Nepal.

Phone: 5181125, 5180132, info@spacesnepal.com

Kritika Rana, is a graduate from IOE Pulchowk Campus. She had done her architectural practice at Prabal Thapa Architects. She is keen on researchbased writings about architecture and the sensation of spaces. She believes in understanding the essence of space and its influence in human behavior. She is also interested in energy efficient and sustainable design in contemporary scenarios.

Roshan Mishra, is currently the Director at the Taragaon Museum in Kathmandu. He also manages the Nepal Architecture Archive (NAA), which was launched on 2016. The archive is initiated & supported by the Saraf Foundation for Himalayan Tradition & Culture. Roshan received his BFA in 1997 from Fine Arts College in Kathmandu. In 2001 he received Masters in Digital Moving Image & animation from the London Metropolitan University. Before returning to Kathmandu on 2013, he worked as an Interior Designer in London for almost eight years.

Swati Pujari, based in Kathmandu, started her career in Architectural Journalism boosting her interest in story-telling. Always excited about meeting new people and observing peoples’ impact in architecture, studying Network Governance came as a natural turn. After the Gorakha Earthquakes of 2015, she founded an informal group - ‘Nepal Rebuilds’ that conducts presentations and discussions on issues of disaster recovery and rebuilding. She has worked as a consultant for UN-Habitat and IHS and now manages the Atelier for Artists in Bungamati. She has presented her research, primarily on governance issues, at several conferences in Nepal and Europe. Besides meeting new people, she likes to travel to new places, eat new food, and blog about it.

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SPACES is published twelve times a year at the address above. All rights are reserved in respect of articles, illustrations, photographs, etc. published in SPACES. The contents of this publication may not be reproduced in whole or in part in any form without the written consent of the publisher. The opinions expressed by contributors are not necessarily those of the publisher and the publisher cannot accept responsiblility for any errors or omissions.

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Those submitting manuscripts, photographs, artwork or other materials to SPACES for consideration should not send originals unless specifically requested to do so by SPACES in writing. Unsolicited manuscripts, photographs and other submitted material must be accompanied by a self addressed return envelope, postage prepaid. However, SPACES is not responsible for unsolicited submissions. All editorial inquiries and submissions to SPACES must be addressed to editor@spacesnepal.com or sent to the address mentioned above.

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Editorial A handsome book on Nepali Painting was unveiled, from the Nepali renowned author Madan Chtrakar, by eminent Nepali literati Sri Satya Mohan Joshi at the premises of Patan Museum. Because of it’s many amazing features, the Nepali paintings has remained unique throughout the long history of mankind. Now that we can have more information on the ever popular subject from a Nepali who is actively backing and promoting for the rightful significance in present context, we can’t settle for less.

Kathmandu Triennale began on March 24, 2017 as Nepal’s premier international platform for global contemporary arts. The event is thematically engaged with particular social issues and seeks to advance a nuanced approach that encapsulates the pedagogical potential of visual arts. In the latest iteration Kathmandu Triennale art showcase of Atelier for Artist was inaugurated at Newa chen art Gallery. With the objective of supporting and promoting local arts and local artists,the process lead to an apprenticeship program where 10 professional woodcarvers from Bungamati were selected to follow a short course under Guru Laximan Tuladhar Maharjan aiming for the long term goal to establish a woodcarving school at Taragaon Museum. The Museum, which is also a venue partner of the festival, displays 17 artists including six Nepali artists, who were given their own space by the curator.

Talking about Nepalese initiation again, EArts Nepal is organizing first Himalayan Art Camp in Pokhara in coming month.

The camp will involve artists arriving from more than half a dozen Asian countries to experience the bonding and sharing with the local art community.

The role of international community is also expressing it’s love and commitment as the team of national and international experts, including the Durham University and University of Sterling partnering with the Department of Archeology under the guidance of UNESCO, are mobilized to undertake the post disaster archeological surveys and rescue excavation. The assessments have provided new evidence for the origins and development of Bhaktapur and the Vatsala temple providing the guidance for the future protection of vulnerable subsurface heritage of Nepal. Using the state-of–the-art technology like Ground Penetrating Radar Survey, the team could ‘see’ never before theories and evidences as we lacked proper documentation and thus proofs of built up structures from earlier periods.

The ancient cities of the Kathmandu Valley are cities of art with exquisite examples in wood and metal on display in public buildings and spaces. For a settlement like Bungamati, which is well known in the valley for two things – firstly as one of the two homes of the highly revered deity Rato Machindranath, and secondly as home of some of the best woodcarvers in the country. Group of artists for the Netherlands came together and donated the proceeds from the auction of their artwork to support a sustainable program in Nepal focused towards Nepali art and heritage.

Since the ever crunching space for greenery is becoming more realized, hotel NASA, in Hyderabad, India, was designed with framed terrace gardens form the core of the concept, around which the whole design is conceived and detailed breaking away from the regular concrete buildings. A well though design incorporating the material sourced from local sites, utilizing the solar power and energy efficient machineries has helped to lower the carbon foot print – an absolute necessity in cities like Kathmandu as well. We always hope for the better – that the technology will be seen soon in Nepal.

Wish you to welcome New Year 2074 with warmth and sincere feelings.

Advance New Year congratulations.

Ashesh Rajbansh / CEO

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News

group - the ‘Chitrakars’ in the making of Nepali Painting: and is seeking to answer many of unexplained mysteries. Also included in brief, is a quick survey on the changing history of the Art until the recent advent of a modern era.

Nepali Painting Through the Ages

A

s part of Patan Museum’s vision to strive further beyond the conventional thoughts, Patan Museum has been on preparation of a documentation of Nepali Art Heritage for some time.

Accordingly, the Museum unveiled a handsome book on Nepali Painting heritage on the 25th of March, 2017 amidst a formal event. The book titled ‘Nepali Painting – Through the Ages’ is authored by noted artist and art writer Madan Chitrakar- essentially known for his continual focus on the art tradition and its transition to modern age. It took more than four years for the author to prepare the book. His vision to organize the content matters and his tireless zeal to hunt for the historically important pictures from the right places has proven to be exceptionally phenomenal.

The Tradition of Painting in Nepal has remained unique not only because it has a long history: but also because of many amazing features. Since its earliest appearance in 11th CE, over the years the art has had manifested in multiple forms and formats. Also, there is the presence of a group of

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people historically described as the Painters - ‘Chitrakars’. For centuries, as a result, the tradition of Painting remained confined within this limited group of people: and they exclusively carried the tradition throughout the history uninterrupted.

This Book essentially is an attempt to celebrate the untold historicity of the tradition and the role of this historic

The book was formally launched by eminent literati and a known expert on Nepali culture Sri Satya Mohan Joshi in presence of a large prestigious crowd – including eminent foreign artists and the media personalities at the medieval ambience of Patan Museum premises. In his inaugural address, commenting on the Book Joshi appreciated that such a book has had remained a long overdue for a longtime and fortunately, Patan Museum has proven successful and doing it in a very right opportune time.

Thus he thanked and congratulated the author as well as the Museum for this important achievement.

At the same time, however he remained critical and also wished that book would have gained added importance had it also dwelt more on the chronological or historical narratives in the Book, in addition to the tradition.

On the occasion, the Chairman of Patan Museum Development Board and the Secretary, Ministry of Culture, Tourism & Civil Aviation, Government of Nepal Shankar Prasad Adhikary expressed his happiness at the publication and assured that the Government would continue to support all the innovative initiatives taken by the Museum in future. He encouraged and advised always to remain proactive.

Madan Chitrakar- a leading Nepali art writer, in his essay, has sought his best to support his narratives and arguments with interesting evidences

like citations of earlier texts, many dated works of Arts etc. – hitherto not-thought of and not explained. In short, the essay offers a spectrum of new opportunities for further research in Nepali Painting – from rewriting the history to treading in new territories of the Art. The second section of the Book, ‘The Plates’ remains an extraordinary collection of Nepali Paintings – stretching from the rare historic 11th century works to the recent works of young ‘Chitrakar’ painters – so as to reflect the continuity from the past to the present. An amazing portfolio of paintings – some 250 works of Paintings, this Book should make a life time experience to all – to be able to enjoy the overwhelming collections of Paintings from the National Art Gallery, Bhaktapur to National Museum Chhauni, Kathmandu to the rare works from

the private collections of Chitrakar families.

The writer expressed his happiness and satisfaction that notwithstanding the time and the efforts exerted, both the objectives have been met to great extent.

He expressed his confidence that for a long time to come this Book should serve as a helpful reference material to those who would choose to make further research or studies in Nepali Painting.

In her comments, Ms. Sangeeta Thapa – a member of Patan Museum Development Board and a noted art-personality noted at length how the initial idea to organize or showcase the hidden historic earlier works of Painting and then to create a supportive literature – describing the art and artists, the traditional painters – ‘the Chitrakars’. She added as the time passed by the idea to create a more serious book proved strong and the present book remains the vivid example of the initial dream.

While welcoming the occasion, Ms. Mandakini Shrestha, the Director of Patan Museum expressed her delight and a pleasure that the Museum is able to unveil the book amidst the historic event of Kathmandu Triennale – 2017.

She welcomed all and hoped that the Book would be a meaningful addition in the Art- literature of Nepal. Mr. Suresh Man Lakhe, the Museum Officer coordinated the entire program. The book contains more than 260 Historic Pictures in Full colors.

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News

Property Expo 2017 “Property Expo Nepal 2017”, which is organized every year by Nepal Land and Housing Development Association will be held from 25th Chaitra to 28th Chaitra, 2073 (7th April – 10th April, 2017) at the Exhibition Hall, Brikuti Mandap, Kathmandu. This event is organized

by SYNTHESIS Exhibition and Events P. Ltd. In this 6th Property Expo, there will be 120 International and National stalls altogether. The participating companies/ businesses are Housing companies, Real Estate dealers, Land Developers, Engineering and Architecture Consultants, Construction material/ equipment, Interior Designers, Furniture and Furnishing material traders, Banks, Insurance and other related businesses.

This event will be a meeting point for land and housing developers, real

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estate business people and their potential customers where exhibitors will be showcasing their models and units, while potential buyers will have an opportunity to collect information about what is available to suit their needs.

Visitors will range from common people seeking to buy a piece of land to corporate houses and big business organizations looking for striking large deals. Land and housing events held in last year have turned out to be very fruitful with large participation of exhibitors and encouraging number of visitors.

Moreover, on-the-spot transaction of housing units and residential plots was also very encouraging. The current trends of this business in the country are a clear indication that the Property Expo Nepal-2017 will achieve tremendous success.

On 28th Chaitra, 2073 (10th April, 2017), Nepal Land and Housing Development Association (NLHDA), Department of Urban Development and Building Construction (DUDBC), Kathmandu Valley Development Authority(KVDA) is organizing ‘Housing Summit’ for the first time in Nepal with support of Institute of Engineering (IOE) and in association with Nepal Engineers’ Association (NEA), Society of Nepalese Architects (SONA), Society of Consulting Architectural and Engineering Firm (SCAEF), Regional & Urban Planners Society of Nepal (RUPSON), UNHABITAT, Federation of Nepalese Chamber of Commerce & Industries (FNCCI).

Platinum partner for this exhibition is Sarbottam Cement Pvt. Ltd., Berger(J&N) Nepal Pvt Ltd. is the paint partner, International Green Developers Nepal Pvt.ltd. is the prefab partner, Worldlink is internet partner, Home Land and SPACES are the magazine partners, propertytoday.com is online partner, Department of Urban Development and Building Construction (DUDBC), Kathmandu Valley Development Authority(KVDA) are the special patrons, Nepal Engineers’ Association (NEA), Society of Nepalese Architects (SONA), Society of Consulting Architectural and Engineering Firm (SCAEF), Regional & Urban Planners Society of Nepal (RUPSON), UNHABITAT are the technical partners. This event is supported by Federation of Nepalese Chamber of Commerce & Industries (FNCCI), Nepal Chamber of Commerce (NCC) and Confederation of Nepalese Industries (CNI).

News

The Housing Summit 2017 “The Housing Summit 2017-Nepal will provide a platform for addressing issues related to housing and settlement planning dwelling on innovative concepts and related policies and legislative issues” With a theme ‘Building resilient and inclusive communities’, the ‘Housing Summit- 2017, Nepal’ is being organized for the first time in Kathmandu on April 10, 2017. We spoke with Sangeeta Singh, Coordinator of the summit about its main objectives, programme module, expectations and outcome. Excerpts: NLHDA is organizing Housing Summit 2017-Nepal in Kathmandu. What is the objective of organizing the summit?

The main objective of this summit is to provide a platform to raise contemporary issues in housing and settlement planning. This is the first time that the National Land Housing Developers’ Association is organizing such a summit jointly with Department of Urban Development and Building Construction (DUDBC) and Kathmandu Valley Development Authority (KVDA) with the support of Institute of Engineering (IoE) in association with various stakeholders like the Society of Consulting Architecture and Engineering Firms (SCAEF), Society of Nepalese Architects (SONA), Nepal Engineering Association (NEA), Regional Urban Planners Society of Nepal (RUPSON), UN-Habitat, and Federation of Nepalese Chamber of Commerce and Industries( FNCCI). It has been two years since the Gorkha earthquake 2015 which affected many settlements in Nepal and the country is yet to build back better. In this

context there is an urgent need for the government and private sector both to focus on developing resilient and inclusive communities. This is the main reason why we set this year’s theme as ‘Building resilient and inclusive communities’.

What are the topics that this summit intends to cover?

The papers have been solicited on four basic themes which are: a) Innovative cities b) Housing finance, policy and legislative issues, c) Planning for resilient communities and d) Housing initiatives and issues. There will be altogether 12 presentations from the experts from various stakeholders which will specifically focus on these themes. Discussions will focus on innovative concepts in settlement planning such as new cities, green cities, urban expansion, smart cities etc. among others in issues related to settlement planning. Emphasis will be on innovative concepts in housing especially in case of Nepal like the rental housing, cooperative housing, and social housing apart from the

Engineer/ Planner Sangeeta Singh Coordinator Housing Summit 2017-Nepal

affordable and safe housing on issues related to housing. Discussion will also focus on the policy and legislative issues related to housing.

What is the importance of this kind of summit in Nepal?

The rate of urbanization in Nepal has been very rapid. The number of municipalities after the state restructuring has reached 246 from the previous 58 municipalities. The new municipalities that have been added still have rural characteristics and in the absence of proper norms and guidelines these are bound to develop in a haphazard manner. While most of the government policies and programs have highlighted the need of providing safe, affordable and inclusive housing and focused on developing sustainable settlements in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SGD), there is a lack of clarity on the basic concepts for e.g. Smart cities, green cities, new cities, rental housing, cooperative housing etc. The modes of public private partnership and various issue also remains vague. Hence this summit has tried to raise these pertinent issues in the summit this year so as to initiate a dialogue between the public and the private sectors in finding meaningful solutions. The summit will be organized every year on different themes related to housing and settlement planning and will keep on creating a platform for meaningful dialogue between the public and private sector.

Who should attend the summit?

All the stakeholders related to settlement planning and housing including the public and private sector as well as the academic institutions should attend the summit.

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News

Technical Presentation of Mitsubishi Electric

Greenlam Connect Greenlam Industries Ltd. organized an event on 28th February, 2017 at Hyatt Regency Hotel in Kathmandu by with its flagship brand Greenlam laminates, Decowood premium veneers, Mikasa real wood floors & Mikasa -engineered doors & frames. The event saw get-together of many architects and interior designers along with hundred retailers from across Nepal who were introduced to various range of products.

T

he ‘Technical Presentation’ event was successfully conducted

by Airtech Industries Pvt. Ltd in presence of distinguished guests Mr. Noriyuki Matsuda and his team from Mitsubishi Electric, Japan at Hyatt Regency on 21st March, 2017.

The presentation on City Multi VRF air conditioning was the highlight of the event. With one of the most extensive range of indoor units in varied capacities, City Multi VRF air conditioning system caters to a diverse range of building application needs. City Multi comes with eco-friendly & highly efficient 100% inverter driven compressors that reduce the starting current, ensuring smooth control to realize high energy efficiency and operation cost savings.

Mitsubishi Electric is one of the world’s leading names in the manufacture and sales of

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electrical and electronic products and systems used in a broad range of fields and applications.

In a stated press release, Chairman of Airtech, authorized distributor of Mitsubishi Electric in Nepal Mr. Manoj Bhansali has stated that Airtech provides highest level of technical support in installation and after sales service to its customer. He adds, “We are very proud to be associated with Mitsubishi Electric as they not only produce world’s most efficient Airconditioners but their products are highly reliable. Mitsubishi Electric had provided special installation and maintenance training to our technical team which also helps us to provide the best after sales service support. Our aim had always been to meet and exceed the expectation of our customers in terms of quality products, quality services and timely completion of the project.”

With over two decades of experience in the surface décor space, Greenlam has been the pioneers in introducing the international décor trend, in India & to the international markets and thus has been beautifying spaces for years using creativity into every piece of work and turning it into sheer pieces of beauty and brilliance.

New range of products across various brands were launched at the event - Mikasa doors and floors, Greenlam Sturdo, Decowood and Clads. Greenlam Industries’ flagship brand Greenlam laminates introduced various categories like HD Gloss, VRB and Unicore Laminate. Greenlam has been present in Nepal since the past twenty years. However, this was their first initiative to educate and introduce leading architects and retailers on the new products range and to take them through the existing product range.

As shared by MD and CEO Mr. Saurabh Mittal, “In line with increasing our retail footprint in Nepal and making architects and professionals aware of our brands Greenlam Connect was to get a step closer to our customers. The main idea behind introducing our various products in Kathmandu is to increase customer satisfaction and for them to see the application of products. We are committed towards enhancing the customer experience. Our prime focus is on delivering superior quality products for our customers with innovation in technology.”

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News

Artwork showcase of

Atelier for Artists, Bungamati

A

rt Showcase of Atelier for artist is a part of Kathmandu Trinnale 2017. This showcase was inaugurated on 24th March, 2017 at Newa Chen Art Gallery. This showcase is open till 9th April, 2017.

Atelier for Artist was established in June 2016 with the objective of supporting and promoting local arts and local artists. This process leads to an apprenticeship program where 10 professional woodcarvers from Bungamati were selected to follow a short course under Guru

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Laximan Tuladhar Maharjan. The apprenticeship program focused on traditional Newari style and patterns and most importantly it focused on the proportions, anatomy and details of the sculptures including the reference of descriptions in religious scriptures. Furthermore,

the classes are not limited to the apprenticeship in woodcarving studio, the participants are also following 4 subject at Kathmandu University School of Arts and have attended several workshops, guest lectures and site visits organized by Accelerator Nepal.

News

Besides skills enhancement of local artists, this program also aims to revolve the funds, at least partially by supporting the next batch of participants through the sale of artwork created in first batch. With this model, each participating artist of this batch contributes to the skill enhancement of the artists of next batch. The funds collected from the sale of artwork shall be partially used for scholarship for next batch and partially remunerated to respective artists.

The long term aim of this program is to establish a woodcarving school at Bungamati with the involvement and ownership of local community. n

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News

Himalayan Art Camp Pokhara 2017 Art at the foothills of Machhapuchhre

Ng Kim Heoh, born in Alor Setar, Kedah, Malaysia, her painting has a symbolic meaning of daily life and surrounding. She is an artist

Artists will create the artworks during the art camp in Pokhara. The artworks will be exhibited in Pokhara Art Gallery, Pokhara on 11th May 2017.

coordinator at Sasaran International Art Festival. Her paintings are in collected

by Penang State Art Gallery and GaleriSeniMutiara,

E

-Arts Nepal, an online art gallery established in 2010, is organizing its first Himalayan Art Camp at The Fulbari Resort & Spa in Pokhara, beautiful lake town nestled at the foothills of the Annapurna range of mountains, 200 km from Kathmandu City from 3rd May to 13th May 2017.

Penang. She is awarded in Major Prize in “Penang Festival Young Talent Art Exhibition in 1998.

Inviting artists from other Asian countries like Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, Myanmar, China, India and participants from Nepal as well the camp is organized to promote contemporary Nepalese art and showcase Nepali culture to the rest of the world. It will generate great opportunities in exchange of dialogue, ideas and collaboration in art and culture between Nepalese and other Asian artists as well as experience true bonding activities with the local art community. n

Ng Bee, (b 1952) from Sasaran, Malaysia, has completed his graduation in art from Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, Singapore in 1976 and EcoleNationaleSupericure des Beaux Art, Paris in 1979. His paintings have strength of rough lines, delicate touches of colors, hard-edged faces with big eyes and the expression on social and political concerns. He leads as the Chairman at Sasaran International Art Festival.

Titarubi, (b. 1968, Bandung, Indonesia) is one of Indonesia’s pioneering female contemporary artists, and often deals with issues of gender, culture, memory and colonialism in visually poetic ways.

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Siddharth Shahaji Shingade, born in 1983 and lives in

She graduated in ceramics

Mumbai, India. He has earned an Art Teacher Diploma

from the Bandung Institute

in Latur Maharashtra and completed Diploma in Painting

of Technology and her

from the L. S. Raheja School of Art, Mumbai in 2000 and

works integrate sculpture,

again did Diploma in Art Education from Sir J. J. School of

painting, installation and

Art, Mumbai in 2008.

drawing.

News

Hadi Soesanto, (b.

Trinh Tuan, born in

Cong Kim Hoa, born

Netikorn Chinyo,

1968) from Yogyakarta,

1961 in Hanoi, Vietnam

in 1962 in Hanoi,

(born in 1966 Thailand)

Indonesia, is a

and graduated from

Vietnam, she received

studied and graduated

leading person for the

the Hanoi University

her BA Degree from

from the Faculty of

Yogyakarta International

of Industrial Fine Art

Hanoi Industrial Fine

Painting Sculpture and

Art Festival. His painting

in 1985. He received

Art College in 1985.

Graphic Art at Silpakorn

has a realistic touch and

his M. A. from Vietnam

She is one of the few

University in 1996. His

mostly does banana

Fine Arts University in

female artists who

works are included

series, since banana is

2000. His paintings are

made lacquer painting

in His Majesty King

used on their every ritual

in the collections of the

as medium. Her

Bhumibol Adulyadej’s

ceremony in Indonesia.

Crown Prince of Norway

painting specializes

book on the story of the

Besides, he also

and the National Art

in semi-abstraction

Mahajanaka.

continues his musical

Gallery of Malaysia. He

but one can see the

career.

is represented Vietnam

images of masks,

in Open Asia 2004 in

flowers and forms.

Venice, Italy.

Wattanachot

Myat Tun Aung, (b.

Inza Qiao Yin, born

Siraj Saxena, born

Tungateja, born

1972) from Yangon,

in Yinchuan, Ningxia,

in 1974 in Madhya

in Nakhon Sawan,

Myanmar, received

China. She has

Pradesh, India, he did

Thailand in 1960. He

his B.A (History), Fine

graduated in Painting

his Bachelor’s in Fine Art

has received Degree

Arts Diploma from

from Capital Normal

from Government Institute

from University

State School of Fine

University and RIA

of Fine Arts, Indore in

of California, Los

Arts, Yangon, and M.A

from Beijing University

1996.His paintings are a

Angeles, USA,

(Painting) from National

of Aeronautics and

part of the collections in

Srinakharinwirot

University of Arts and

Astronautics.

the Gallery Kyo-E-Gama,

University, Bangsaen,

Culture. Currently, he is

Japan, Gancey, Sri Lanka,

Chonburi, Thailand

Professor and Head of

Ministry of External Affairs

and Poh-Chang Art

Painting Department at

Govt. of India, Roopankar,

& Crafts College,

National University of

Bharat Bhawan Bhopal.

Bangkok, Thailand.

Arts and Culture, Yangon.

April 2017 SPACES / 29

News

Batsa Gopal Baidya, (b

Durga Baral

Erina Tamrakar

Bhairaj Maharjan

1940) Lalitpur, received

‘Batsyayan’, (b.

received her Master’s

did his Bachelor’s in

his Govt. Diploma in

1942) from Pokhara,

Degree in Fine Arts

Fine Arts from Fine

Painting from Sir J. J.

completed his B.A.

from Tribhuwan

Arts College Tribhuwan

School of Art, Mumbai,

from T.U. He is a self-

University, Nepal.

University, Nepal. His

India and also he did a

taught artist. He has

She has been

recent works based on

special course on Print

taken a graphic art

working as an artist

today’s air pollution due

Making from the same

course from UNESCO,

in Nepal since 1989.

to house construction

art college. He is one of

Japan. He has done

Her paintings have

after earthquake and

the Founder Member of

four solo painting

focused on women

road expansions.

SKIB-71.

exhibitions and one

and their relationships

solo cartoon exhibition.

that convey a strong

He has participated in

commentary on society

numerous group art

and surrounding.

exhibitions.

Pramila

Binod Pradhan holds

Surya Baraili, (born

Asha Dangol completed

Bajracharya holds

Bachelor’s in Fine Arts

Pokhara in 1982), he

his Master’s in Fine Arts

Master’s Degree

from Lalit Kala Campus,

studied I. Com. from

(MFA) from Tribhuwan

in Fine Arts from

Tribhuwan University,

Tribhuwan University.

University, Kathmandu.

Central Department,

Kathmandu, Nepal. His

He has done a solo

A multidisciplinary

Tribhuwan University,

works creates eco-

painting exhibition

artist, his works engage

Nepal. Her works

paintings which appeal to

‘Hidden beauty of

concerns of urbanization,

depict the Nepali

preserve the environment

nature’ in 2007 and

consumerism, and

landscape in semi

and ecosystem. He has

participated in many

ecology. These issues are

abstract form. She

participated in various

group exhibitions.

framed with a polarity of

has to her credit 10

national and international

visual symbols: east/west,

solo exhibitions in

group shows organized

the traditional with the

Nepal.

every year since 1992.

contemporary; the past with the present, and the mythic with the real.

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Hotel

NASA Hyderabad, India

TEXT & Photo: J.K. India

A

rchitect Nanda Kumar conceived Hotel NASA as a structure that breaks away from the regular concrete buildings that mark the drive towards hi-tech in Hyderabad. The nine floor framed terrace gardens form the core of the concept, around which the whole design is conceived and detailed, in tune with the challenge offered by site shape. The receding “bridge Terrace� create a strong visual element that is integrated with the detailed spatial planning to achieve the blend of form and functionality.

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The stepped elevation faces north, bringing in natural north light into atrium and limits energy use. Granite and cladding throughout the property have been sourced from local sites reducing the carbon foot print. Horizontally perforated clay bricks has been used for the infill masonry and non-load bearing partition wall. A central building management system has been installed to endure efficient utilization of energy and resources. Solar power has been used in the water heating system. Efficient chillers and LED light fixtures an all rooms has ensured minimum consumption of power.

The core of the building is split vertically into two parts: • The lobby atrium at the ground level, connects the lobby lounge and the banquet halls. • The central plaza at the third level, under the bridge terraces forms an atrium at the guest room level.

This has been done in order to separate the public areas like lobby and banquet rooms from the guest rooms and also to maintain a sense of scale an volume of both areas. For ground ball room, a post tensioned slab of 300mm thickness was conceived to create shallow beams and provide more clear height. A vierendeel truss structural system was used for the stepped terraces to make self-supporting.

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B

haktapur’s Durbar Square was one of the many monument zones of the Kathmandu Valley’s UNESCO

World Heritage Property to suffer damage in the 2015 Gorkha Earthquake.

As part of a UNESCO-sponsored mission, national and international experts from the Department of Archaeology, Government of Nepal, Durham University and the University of Stirling were mobilized to undertake post-disaster archaeological surveys and rescue excavations by the Government of Nepal and Bhaktapur Municipality in November 2015. The archaeological assessments have provided new evidence for the origins and development of Bhaktapur and the Vatsala Temple as well as providing guidance for the future protection of Bhaktapur’s significant but vulnerable subsurface heritage.

Introduction The two earthquakes that struck Nepal on the 25th April and the 12th May 2015 were a human catastrophe, devastating large areas of the county and neighbouring regions and leading to substantial loss of life and livelihoods as well as post-disaster physical and mental trauma. This natural disaster, and its associated aftershocks also generated a cultural catastrophe, damaging and destroying parts of Nepal’s unique cultural heritage as well as traditional structures throughout the historic settlement devastated.

Due to the importance of this heritage to the daily cycles of Bhaktapur’s community, and in recognition of the income generated through tourism, there was widespread agreement that a program of

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View of excavations at the Vatsala Temple and across Bhaktapur Durbar Square in 2015.

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Below the Surface in

Bhaktapur

Post-earthquake archaeological assessment of the Vatsala Temple and Bhaktapur’s Durbar Square.

TEXT & Photo: Robin Coningham, Kosh Prasad Acharya, Christopher Davis, Ram Bahadur Kunwar, Armin Schmidt and Ian Simpson

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reconstruction and conservation should be swiftly launched. However, while much of the damage that one can see is above the ground, it was also recognised that there was an unintended risk of irreversible damage to Bhaktapur’s subsurface heritage from post-earthquake interventions and development.

Earthquake Damaged Monuments in Bhaktapur’s Durbar Square Today, Bhaktapur’s main Durbar Square forms a large open space, although it was not always empty of structures as watercolours painted

by Henry Ambrose Oldfield in the 1850s and photographs in the early twentieth century show the two-storied Lampati sattal, which collapsed in the 1934 Bihar Earthquake. Indeed, Nepal’s Rana rulers used the impact of the earthquake as an opportunity to dramatically remodel the Durbar Square as an open arena by choosing not to rebuild the Lampati or the octagonal Chyasin Mandap, whilst stripping the ruins of the Hari Shankar Temple down to its lion sculptures.

The 1934 Earthquake also offered the opportunity to reconstruct other monuments in different designs, the most striking example of this being the Silu Mahadev or Fasi Dega (Tahacho Dega) Temple. Whilst the temple’s five-stepped plinth survived intact, the deity’s shrine was reerected in a Neo-Classical style.

Furthermore, the 55-Window Palace was reconstructed with the rapid reincorporation of wooden elements, diverging from traditional construction practices. Only during later twentieth century restorations were the latter

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West facing section of phasing of foundations exposed during excavations at the Vatsala Temple, with the Temple’s superstructure before collapse superimposed.

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The collapsed Vatsala Temple.

architectural elements rectified. Other buildings were reconstructed in accordance with their original forms, such as the Vatsala Temple, although with the use of lime surkhi to bind the stone blocks of its sikhara.

A number of the previously rebuilt or repaired monuments were again damaged during the 2015 Gorkha Earthquake.

For example, the Neo-Classical Silu Mahadev shrine collapsed and several structures in the main Durbar Square sustained damage, including the palace complex and a brick Siva sikhara temple in the

west of the square. The most visible loss, however, was the collapse of Vatsala Temple, a monument dedicated to Vatsala Devi, a form of the goddess Durga. It is traditionally thought that the first monument dedicated to Vatsala was constructed

by Jitamitramalla (r. 1673-1696 CE) in 1693, with a second completed by the same benefactor in 1696 CE. The present sandstone-built monument is believed to have been completed

by Bhupatindramalla (r.1696-1722 CE) and most scholars agree to a construction date of between the late seventeenth and early eighteenth

century CE with a rededicated bell stand incorporated in 1721 CE. However, prior to this mission, no archaeological assessment had been conducted at the monument and postulated chronologies relied on inscriptions and architectural typologies.

As noted above, this was not the first time that the temple had been damaged as half its sikhara tower collapsed in the 1934 Earthquake.

Although reconstructed afterwards, damage caused by the growth of a pipal tree led the Department of

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Tour of the excavations during the stakeholder debriefing meeting at Bhaktapur Durbar Square.

Archaeology, with support from UNESCO and the technical guidance and assistance of Wolfgang Korn, to undertake a program of conservation between 1977 and 1978. This work included the dismantling of the northern portion of the tower as well as two corner pavilions and the replacement of a lintel above the arcade while the stone blocks of the tower reset in cement mortar. Indeed, many of the large fragments of the stone sikhara found in the Durbar Square after the earthquake were still joined by the thick mortar and bricks, some with visible mason marks engraved in Roman script.

While detailed architectural drawings and measurements of the standing architecture of the Vatsala Temple had been recorded during the conservation

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program, nothing was known of its foundations although Korn did suggest generically that the foundations of stone built temples in the Kathmandu Valley were “made of boulders or lumps of coarsely worked stone”.

2015: Archaeological investigations at Vatsala Temple and Bhaktapur Durbar Square The post-earthquake archaeological assessments in the Kathmandu Valley included the undertaking of a Ground Penetrating Radar survey across the square as well as excavations adjacent to the foundations of the Vatsala Temple.

It also included geoarchaeological sampling of the excavated sequences for dating and environmental analysis of Bhaktapur’s ancient occupation.

Ground penetrating Radar Survey Bhaktapur’s Durbar Square presented the opportunity for us to undertake a broad subsurface survey in order to search for earlier phases of settlement and structures. Although used with success at Tilaurakot-Kapilavastu in the Terai (see SPACES 12.1), more traditional geophysical techniques such as magnetometer survey which identify variances in the magnetism of soils and structures below the ground cannot be used in these urban locations as the high magnetism of the brick paving on the squares’ surfaces block out the signatures of archaeology below. Therefore a Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) was used to survey below the paved square to identify architectural features, such as walls, from the reflection of radar signals.

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Recording the excavations as members of the community look at the exposed archaeology.

Possible earthquake damage identified through a shear crack in an earlier wall running north-south across Bhaktapur Durbar Square.

The results in Bhaktapur’s Durbar Square were spectacular, allowing us to identify many modern intrusive features such as pipes and electric cables as well as a number of anomalies that represented archaeological features. Several of the latter were rectilinear anomalies with their shape, size and layout suggesting walls. Indeed, the location of the GPR’s rectilinear anomalies was very close to the footprint of the two-storey sattal depicted in Oldfield’s 1850s watercolour.

able to confirm the presence of the pipelines identified by the GPR survey but also recorded that these modern amenities had damaged and truncated earlier archaeological sequences. This illustrates the need for the completion of archaeological assessments prior to any intrusive digging across the Durbar Square or any site of historic and archaeological importance as unchecked below ground interventions can irreparably damage the finite subsurface heritage of these sites of Outstanding Universal Value.

Archaeological Excavations

The team also exposed an earlier phase of brick paving below the square’s current paving. Laid in a herringbone pattern, it was believed that this surface represents the pavement laid shortly after the 1934 Earthquake as it sealed several

Following the initial GPR results, it was excavated an ‘L’-shaped trench that was 15 metres east-west from the western edge of the Vatsala Temple and then formed a right-angle and ran north for 12 metres. The team was

alignments of brick walls below, all truncated to the same height.

Running north-south and east-west through the trench, these walls seem to be the surviving footings of walls levelled from the sattal that collapsed in the 1934 Earthquake and match the GPR results. One of the north-south walls showed evidence of a shear crack in its face and another was tilted and displaced. These indicators suggest evidence of damage caused by earlier earthquakes, most likely relating to the events of 1934 and it is postulated that the collapsed building was cleared after the earthquake and the pavement constructed across the tops of the walls levelled to roughly the same height.

Not only do these results reaffirm that Bhaktapur’s Durbar Square was not

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View of excavations at the Vatsala Temple and across Bhaktapur Durbar Square in 2015.

always so open and that structures used to stand where today there is only paving but they also illustrate that urban sites in the Kathmandu Valley have complex archaeological sequences below the ground that need protection from future development and potentially intrusive interventions.

When a trench adjacent to foundations of the collapsed Vatsala Temple western façade was opened, the temple’s elevation bore the hallmarks of recent earthquake damage with the majority of the worked stone blocks out of place, shaken from their setting, with those that remained distorted and shifted from their original positions.

Soon it became clear that the stone blocks only formed a veneer or cladding, which was not keyed together or keyed into the underlying brickwork.

The removal of deposits adjacent to

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the Vatsala’s footings also showed that an earlier phase of construction lay below its current configuration.

The later temple footprint both overlaid and overhung the earlier brickwork below. This suggests the presence of quite distinct phases of construction as well as earlier phases than previously thought.

Cutting through this phase of earlier brickwork was a wide and deep posthole. Due to its position, adjacent to the stairs on the western elevation of the Temple, it is postulated that it may have been a cut for a large wooden post.

This was perhaps associated with a temporary structure, potentially a pavilion adjacent to the Temple or a more permanent nondurable appendage to the Vatsala Temple’s frontage.

However, due to its proximity to the location of the

collapsed bell on the Temple’s stone frontage, it is also possible that the cut represents the location of a post for an earlier bell.

Whilst excavating, several indicators of past human activity were identified including thin charcoal and ceramic rich surfaces. Within these horizons of activity, we recorded several features which highlighted that human activity had occurred earlier in the open areas below the current paved surface of the Durbar Square and the need to protect and preserve these subsurface deposits from intrusive interventions.

The Vatsala’s foundations were exposed once these features were recorded and excavated.

During excavation, several soil horizons with the lowest deposits devoid of cultural material were encountered which

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Possible wall collapse from an earlier earthquake in one of the north-south walls sealed below the post-1934 paving.

Exposing the post-1934 earthquake paving below the current level of Bhaktapur Durbar Square.

represent natural soil accumulation.

The foundations of the Vatsala Temple cut through these earlier deposits, reaching a depth of 1.5 metres. The lowest three courses were constructed from stone cobbles, which varied in size and were placed irregularly.

This configuration partially confirms Korn’s hypothesis for the foundations of sikhara style temples, with the lowest levels comprising cobbles and coarsely worked stone. Now

Exposed brick and stone cobble foundations of the Vatsala Temple, illustrating depth of subsurface heritage.

proved through scientific excavation, it is confirmed that the majority of foundations were constructed in brick.

The lowest eleven courses of brick formed a fairly irregular foundation and were capped with regular brickwork.

It is thus clear that there were several phases of construction in the vicinity of the Vatsala Temple and that any reconstruction of the final stone-clad phase of the temple needs to avoid damage to the earlier developmental sequence below.

Geoarchaeological Analysis Not only providing information for engineers and architects as to the design and nature of the structure’s foundations, the excavations at Bhaktapur also offered a unique opportunity to develop new understandings of the early landscapes in which Bhaktapur’s monumental architecture developed. As a result, the team completed geoarchaeological

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examinations of buried soil profiles under the collapsed Vatsala Temple and the Durbar Square to analyse evidence of past cultural and natural environments. This analysis included examining the colour, texture, structure and frequency of deposits and Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) samples were also extracted for scientific dating and soil samples for extracted for the analysis of microstratigraphy.

The resultant analyses have identified a distinct transition from sediments with common charcoal frequencies in the lower part of the stratigraphy to sediment dominated by brick inclusions in later phases. This is currently interpreted as a transition from rural to urban landscapes, with the limited charcoal content of the lower stratigraphy associated with background burning and agricultural management.

However, the sites themselves were set apart from everyday domestic activity, with an urban transition evidenced from the marked increase in frequency of brick fragments. Further analysis, linked to OSL dating, will provide a chronological framework that will allow us to relate this hypothesised transition to wider, regional, changes in climate, and understandings of whether periods of fluctuating environmental conditions may be the result of climate change or the process of urbanisation itself. It will also allow us to tie such changes into construction phases of monuments.

The OSL dating program will provide the first comprehensive approach to the dating of struc-tures in the Kathmandu Valley and, although still processing the

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GPR Results for a depth of 1.1 metres below Bhaktapur Durbar Square and the provisional Archaeological Risk Map.

samples, preliminary results sug-gest that the foundations of the earliest brick structure underlying the later stone Vatsala Temple may be as early as the first century BCE. These are tentative dates and need additional analysis but they do suggest that the structural core of the Vatsala Temple site is far earlier than the current attributions of a seventeenth or eighteenth century date.

Archaeological Risk Mapping The recent investigations at the Vatsala Temple and within Bhaktapur’s Durbar Square have pushed back evidence of human activity in the city by several centuries and have illustrated the extent of subsurface heritage at this

World Heritage Site. The GPR survey has also highlighted areas of potential archaeological features below the current square and excavations have revealed the character of some of these anomalies. As noted above, it is clear is that the Durbar Square was not always an open space but has a complex history of development.

The current square is not in its original configuration but is the most recent footprint of an organic and opportunistic development, relating to earthquake damage and building programs in the past.

In addition to identifying historic human settlement within the square, investigations have also demonstrated that this heritage has been recently

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View across Bhatapur Durbar Square showing the uncovered post-1934 earthquake paving.

damaged by modern interventions, including the laying of pipelines. Due to the high concentration of subsurface heritage at Bhaktapur, such modern interventions are a concern as the laying of any infrastructure has the potential to damage and destroy the subsurface heritage of this site of Outstanding Universal Value.

The damage caused by the 2015 Earthquake will require reconstruction and also the repair and laying of amenities across Bhaktapur. While the suspension of laying services is not recommended, there are reasons to advocate the mobilisation of archaeological teams to undertake rescue excavations in advance of such interventions. Archaeological Risk Map for Bhaktapur will provide information for site managers and stakeholders as to the risk posed to subsurface heritage and help guide future development.

These Archaeological Risk Maps highlight those areas where

archaeological vestiges, both on the surface and below the surface, are at risk from development. Using a traffic light system of Red, Yellow and Green, these designated areas come with recommendations for site managers and planners on how to guide the subsequent physical planning and development within a site.

It is recommended that Risk Maps based on the results of the initial GPR survey and excavations should be used to guide and aid future subsurface interventions within Bhaktapur’s Durbar Square, including the repair of below ground infrastructure damaged by the earthquake.

From the observations and investigations, we feel there needs to be a heightened awareness that the cultural heritage of Bhaktapur is not restricted to its standing remains but needs to take account of the deep foundations of these monuments and also the dense concentration of earlier phases of cultural activity found below the current brick paving of the main

Durbar Square. The Archaeological Risk Maps and our interventions should facilitate the dissemination of this awareness and highlight that subsurface heritage needs to be protected.

Conclusion The post-disaster archaeological investigations have demonstrated the complex development of Bhaktapur’s Durbar Square and provide a valuable case-study of the dynamic nature of the Kathmandu Valley’s urban centres. Rather than representing monumental cores laid out in single static configurations from their initial establishment, our research shows that monuments were erected and removed over time, in some instances related to opportunism brought by natural disasters, such as the 1934 Earthquake. The levelling of damaged structures below public squares is not unique to the Kathmandu Valley as it is also recorded across medieval Europe, such as in the Piazza Duomo in twelfth century Italy.

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This process was more recent in Bhaktapur and many of Bhaktapur’s lost monuments are within the consciousness of historians, architects and archaeologists. However, such knowledge has not averted intrusive interventions that have damaged the subsurface heritage of Bhaktapur. The GPR survey has illustrated that there is a high density of earlier structures and archaeological remains across the Durbar Square and our investigations has found evidence of damage from modern pipelines. This reaffirms the need for archaeological assessments prior to construction work within the site with the Archaeological Risk Map guiding any development or reconstruction that may occur.

The UNESCO sponsored excavations have also provided the architects and engineers tasked with reconstruction scientific evidence for the phasing, dating and construction techniques of the Vatsala Temple and monuments exposed across the square. This also includes some observations on what may have contributed to the collapse of the Vatsala Temple; in this instance, the lack of bonding between the stone masonry and the weight of the stone sikhara. The lack of bonding and the weight of stone blocks for the cladding left the Vatsala open to the displacement of its masonry during the earthquake.

Indeed, unlike many monuments that were damaged in 1934 and not in 2015, or vice versa, the Vatsala Temple has now been badly damaged in both seismic events, suggesting a structural flaw in the interface between the monument’s superstructure and foundations – but one which can’t be fully understood until complete excavation is undertaken.

The excavations have also provided a sequence for the Vatsala Temple site, uncovering earlier phases of

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human activity below that had not been previously known; at least three phases of brick construction, with a later stone phase, again illustrating the constant development and adaptation of monuments. The geoarchaeological evidence suggests that the monument may have been constructed as early as the first century BCE and also highlights the early urbanisation of the Kathmandu Valley, with the background environment changing from rural to urban. While such dates still need refining and may change through further detailed analysis, the archaeological investigations reaffirm that we do not yet know the full story of the monuments of the Kathmandu Valley or the history of Bhaktapur.

The dates provided in epigraphs and chronicles provide only a partial picture of the history and development of the historic sites of its cities and further archaeological investigations and geophysical surveys are required, especially with a focus on subsurface heritage to fully understand the origins and histories of these sites of Outstanding Universal Value.

In addition to working at Bhaktapur during our November 2015 UNESCO Mission, investigations were also conducted across Patan’s Durbar Square and at the Char Narayan Temple as well as in Hanuman Dhoka’s Durbar Square and at the Kasthamandap.

Continuing investigations at the Kasthamandap in 2016 and at several sites across the Kathmandu Valley with support from the UK’s Arts and Humanities Research Council, the National Geographic Society and the Department of Archaeology, Government of Nepal, our collective research is demonstrating the value of interdisciplinary archaeological investigations in post-disaster environments. As well as providing assessments of the condition of foundations of collapsed monuments, it began to piece together the forgotten pasts of these monuments, not only aiding their reconstruction in the present but also reconstructing their pasts through research-driven rescue archaeology.

Acknowledgements We would like to acknowledge the support of the following individuals and institutions for their help and expertise in the field and during the archaeological activities: Narayan Man Bijukchhe MP, Mr Prem Suwal MP, Mr Bhesh Dahal, Mr Bharat Subedi, Mr Christian Manhart, Dr Roland Lin, Mr Kai Weise, Mrs Nabha Basnyat-Thapa, Mrs Nipuna Shresta, Mr Chaitya Raj Shakya, Mr Uddhab Rijal, Mr Damodar Gautam, Mrs Saubhagya Pradhananga, Mrs Aruna Nakarmi, Mrs Mangala Pradhan, Mrs Pratima Ranjit, Mrs Manju Singh Bhandary, Mr Bishnu Prasad Pathak, Mr Ram Govinda Shrestha, Mr Om Kumar Shrestha, Mr Raj Kumar Banjara, Mr Jagat Bahadur Katuwal, Miss Anita Timilsina, Miss Shanti Sherma, Miss Sunita Bhadel, Mrs Maiya Kaiti, Mr Bikash Nakarmi, Mr Ranjan Dulal, Mrs Sita Phuyal, Dr Jennifer Tremblay-Fitton, Ms Anouk Lafortune-Bernard, Ms Emilia Smagur, Dr Paolo Forlin, Dr Mark Manuel and the staff and students of Khowpa Engineering College, Bhaktapur.

We would like to thank UNESCO for their financial support and the assistance provided by the UNESCO Kathmandu Field Office, as well as institutional support from Durham University and the University of Stirling. Finally, we would like to thank the Municipality and communities of Bhaktapur for their support and interest in our mission.

For more information please visit https://www.dur.ac.uk/cech/unescochair/research/kathmandu/

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The Heartbeats of

Bungamati TEXT : Ar. Swati Pujari  Photo courtesy : atelier for artists

It is even more so for a settlement like Bungamati, which is well known in the valley for two things – firstly as one of the two homes of the highly revered deity Rato Machindranath, and secondly as home of some of the best woodcarvers in the country.

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alking the streets of Bungamati one feels the beauty of this ancient settlement in every step. Not only can this be credited to the old houses and ponds, and the temple complex of Machindranath, which were damaged by the 2015 earthquake, it is also due to the sounds one hears on these streets – the sound of hammers hitting chisels to carve wood into exquisite pieces. If one follows this sound to its source it is likely that one would be greeted by a smiling face inside a small studio where the artists of Bungamati are practicing the beautiful art of woodcarving. Many studios, or factories as they are commonly known in Bungamati, make souvenirs such as carved photo frames along with door and window frames and panels. It would be safe to say that at least one person from each household in Bungamati practices woodcarving,

many of whom were driven into the trade due to the financial difficulties faced by their families. Almost every woodcarver starts by working in doors and windows – the frames and the panels, under the guidance of a master. Apprenticeship is one of the strongest methods of skill transfer in traditional arts and woodcarving is no different. Some beginners start by rubbing sand paper on the pieces created by their gurus or seniors, they do this for a year or so and slowly move on to carving patterns like foliage or flowers, still on the surfaces of pieces created by their gurus or seniors. Only after years of working in these frames, panels and patterns do the artists tend to move to sculptures. Most of the artists start carving sculptures with the intention of developing their skills, as sculptures are inherently more complicated than patterns.

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However, the path to developing their skills is not an easy one, and not the least due to the highly precise nature of the discipline. It is rare that gurus teach their apprentices without any reservation especially if the apprentice is not their descendant. Adding to that, the lack of, or inadequate reach of, formal programs in woodcarving means that many woodcarvers go through a lot of hardships to learn this art. It would only be fair to say that the ancient cities of the Kathmandu Valley are cities of art with exquisite examples in wood and metal on display in public buildings and spaces. The lack of skill transfer in such traditional art is a major threat to the identity of the valley. It is even more so for a settlement like Bungamati, which is well known in the valley for two things – firstly as one of the two homes of the highly revered deity Rato Machindranath, and secondly as home of some of the best woodcarvers in the country.

Within this context the materialization of ‘Atelier for Artists’ came along as

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a collaboration after the Gorakha earthquake. In the aftermaths of the earthquake many people in Bungamati, including the many artists, lost their loved ones, their houses and their livelihoods. At the same time, in another part of the world – in the Netherlands, a group of artists came together and donated the proceeds from the auction of their artwork to support a sustainable program in Nepal focused towards Nepali art and heritage. These situations lead to the collaboration between the group of Dutch artists – ‘Artist for Nepal’, a not-for-profit company – ‘Accelerator Nepal’, a school of arts – ‘Kathmandu University School of Arts’, along with a highly experienced master trainer from Bungamati a veteran artist – Laximan Tuladhar Maharjan. It is this collaboration that gave birth to the ‘Atelier for Artists’ in Bungamati.

The primary aim in establishing the atelier was to support and promote local arts and local artists. It was observed that although Bungamati

has a pool of budding as well as experienced woodcarvers, the ancient knowledge of this craft is not as intact as one would hope for. As timber gets more and more expensive, the artists find themselves lacking patrons and thus resort to making cheaper souvenirs that are sold around town.

To make matters worse, the renovation of heritage structures, which include highly intrinsic woodcarving, is based on a tender-notice system where as per the regulations of the Government of Nepal the contract is generally awarded to the lowest bidder. In spite of these circumstances, many artists, especially ones who have several years of experience, want to focus on developing their skills, and it is through the discussions with these artists and the master trainer Guru Laximan dai that the program at the atelier was envisioned.

The Atelier for Artists Bungamati was inaugurated in June 2016, after which it conducted a short course of

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apprenticeship under Guru Laximan dai. 24 applications were received for this course out of which 18 were called for interview and 10 were selected.

However, in the duration of the course three apprentices had to drop out owing to various circumstances, and upon completion seven different artists created seven different artwork under the tutelage of Guru Laximan dai. Each artist selected a deity they wanted to work on, with the recommendation of their Guru, and focused on the anatomy, proportions and textual details of their artwork. Each deity, in each of its specific forms is defined in a particular manner in the scriptures – a knowledge that is very important for artists creating the images of these

deities. Besides, the form of the deities is also described. For a traditional artist it is a must to follow these guidelines while at the same time incorporate their individual identity as an artist in their art.

The artists developed their skills not only while creating their own art piece, but also by agglomeration in one location – at the atelier, where each artist created a different piece. In this regard each artist had the opportunity to learn from the creation of seven different sculptures.

Besides the apprenticeship at the atelier, the artists also follow four lectures at the Kathmandu University School of Arts and have attended several workshops and visits related to their art. Upon completion of the first session the

Atelier joined the Kathmandu Triennale 2017 for the final showcase and sale of the artwork created during the program.

The proceeds of the artwork sale will be shared between the respective artist and the future apprentice who will join the next session of the program, which is to say a part of the proceeds will contribute to the scholarship of the next batch of apprentices making the program partially self sustainable.

The artwork was showcased at the Newa Chen Art Gallery during the Kathmandu Triennale, and focused on the final output as well as the creation process of the art. The atelier also aims at releasing a short documentary on the story of this process in April 2017.

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The Religious Vision in

Color Symbolism TEXT : Ar. Kritika Rana

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Colors are vital to our existence. It reminds us of our past, influences our present and shapes our future. Colors help establish a proper connection between these time periods. Colors have in fact modulated our historical events, religious and cultural beliefs, thus establishing itself as a self-explanatory symbol, also in our day to day activities across the world.

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he color symbolism is the notion of using colors as a symbol to represent various characteristics of a religion which may differ across various cultures within the religion. The symbolism of color is based on cultural and religious beliefs and varies in countries all across the world. Traditionally, in a funeral, all individuals are dressed in black, the color of mourning that respects the departed soul. Conversely, particularly in South Asian countries, the white color is considered as a symbol of death, perhaps a belief based on Hinduism. However, in western culture, white is regarded as the color of wedding, explained by a Christian bride clad in a white gown.

In Eastern countries, China as well as India and Nepal, the bride is usually seen wearing a red attire. The meaning of the same color varies according to the culture and tradition throughout the globe.

Religion is the most crucial element of a culture. A religion incorporates diverse cultures that hold the same religious beliefs despite the variation in some cultural traits or activities. Colors are interpreted differently in different religions. Therefore, it is important to identify the color associations of each religion to better understand the religion itself.

COLOR SYMBOLISM IN HINDUISM The oldest and the most prevalent religion of Nepal, Hinduism comprises of almost 80% of the Nepalese population. Hinduism is not a mere religion, it is the way of life. In Hinduism, colors transcends aesthetics and have a deeper meaning rooted to the origin of the religion and culture. In fact, all colors have certain physical, emotional and spiritual properties that are used liberally to depict various aspects of the religion itself. For instance, colors play a crucial role in the chief aspects of Hindu rituals. The red vermillion, yellow turmeric powder, white rice grains and green leaves are some of the ideal features of a religious ceremony. Similarly, colors have been used from time immemorial

to symbolize the qualities of Hindu deities which can be seen in their skin tone or the color choice of their clothing. Lord Vishnu, the Hindu deity of preservation, Lord Krishna and Lord Shiva, the god of destruction are colored blue. Whereas, most of the divinities including Lord Ganesh, the Hindu God with the head of elephant and Lord Krishna are seen in yellow colored garments.

Religious Properties Associated with Colors: Red: The most auspicious hue, red is one of the most important elements of religious ceremonies and festivals right from the birth, marriage to the death.

Showering the idol or statue of God

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with vermillion or ‘Abir’, a red powder is a vital form of prayer or pooja. Even in day to day activities, the red tika on the forehead is a symbol of blessing from the God. In Hinduism, red also represents the spiritual power with the potential to overcome or destroy evil.

Therefore, Shakti, the divine female force of protection is often attired on a red clothing. The red hue is also the symbol of a married Hindu woman.

While a Hindu bride is donned in a red saree, the red sindoor along her hairline and red henna on her hands is also a representation of the marriage.

Moreover, at the time of death, the body of a woman is wrapped on a red clothing for cremation.

Orange/ Saffron: In Hinduism, the orange hue, or saffron is the symbol of spirituality and transcendence, which can be seen in the saffron robes of the Hindu priests (Swamis) and holy men. Also the color of purity, orange has its associations with the sacred fire that burns away all the impurities.

Therefore, wearing this sacred color represents a quest for spiritual enlightenment.

Yellow: In Hinduism, while orange symbolizes fire, yellow is believed to integrate the eternal energy of the sun into its pigments. As the light of the sun banishes darkness and ignorance, thus instilling the knowledge of truth, yellow signifies clarity and understanding. The yellow garments of Hindu deities is also a true representation of supreme knowledge. Yellow is also the color of spring that activates the mind,

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therefore yellow clothes are worn mostly at spring festivals to welcome the warm Sun after the cold winter.

White: The symbol of purity, white is the combination of all seven colors of the visible spectrum, hence possessing some of the characteristics of each. Smearing white ash on the forehead as a blessing from God is a holy Hindu ritual. The meaning behind this is that, the energy of the burning fire is retained as a residue in the white ash. Therefore, white connotes the interminable connection to the divine providing a spiritual rebirth along with the purification of body, mind and soul.

Moreover, white is also used to indicate peace and knowledge, elucidated

by Saraswati, the Hindu goddess of knowledge perching on a white lotus in a white ensemble. White is also the color of mourning, as individuals are seen in a white clothing at the time of cremation in most cultures.

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COLOR SYMBOLISM IN BUDDHISM:

Blue: In Hinduism, blue can be seen in the infinite beauty of our world, from the heights of the sky to the depths of the ocean. Representing the infinite presence of the supreme creative force, various Hindu deities are colored blue to indicate various characteristics such as bravery, determination and stability ascribed to them. Similarly, this cool, tranquil and reflective hue is eternal and everlasting, associated with the physical as well as spiritual world.

Green: The color of the nature, green symbolizes life and harmony with the ability to stabilize the mind. In Hinduism, the leaves from the sacred plants such as tulsi and peepal are considered holy and of great religious importance.

Buddhism is not merely a religion, it a dharma that embraces a set of beliefs, traditions and spiritual practices based on the teachings of Buddha. Buddhism is the second largest religion of Nepal, comprising of almost 11% of the Nepalese population.

The most significant concept of color symbolism in Buddhism is the ‘Rainbow body’, which represents the highest level of meditative achievement other than Nirvana, where the body is transformed into pure light. The concept is based on the fact that the pure white light contains all the colors of the visible spectrum. Therefore, achieving a rainbow body, an essential goal for Buddhists, signifies the possession and meditation on all these colors, each symbolizing specific teachings.

Unlike other religions, the color symbolism in Buddhism establishes a connection of colors to different forms of Buddha.

Blue, white, red, green and yellow, the principle colors of Buddhism are each aligned to a specific Buddha.

Religious Properties Associated with Colors: Blue: Blue is associated with Akshobhya, one of the Five Wisdom Buddhas, and the ‘Blue Buddha’ who is regarded as a healer. Blue is often used to implicate infinity, tranquility, purity, healing and wisdom that best describes the characteristics of Buddha as well. In Buddhism, the light and dark shades of the blue hue represent different characteristics. The turquoise stone, an example of the lighter shade is highly treasured with a major significance in the daily spiritual and religious activities.

Indigo and Violet: Mandala, a ritual and spiritual symbol in Hinduism represents the universe and acts as a visual aid to meditation. Indigo and violet are used generously in mandalas that are known to intensify the experience of the meditation itself.

These hues are believed to act as a guide to the path of enlightenment and are vital in understanding the true nature of our soul.

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A symbol of the blue sky and sea, wearing the sacred turquoise as a jewelry is believed to absorb sin, promising a safe journey that contributes to longevity. The color of the infinite sky represents limitless rise and lifts our spirits, yet the opacity of the stone offers wisdom of both the sky and the earth. Moreover, the stone changes its color as a result of exposure to light or body oil reminding us of human life and death.

‘Blue Buddha’, the Buddha of medicine or healing represents the darker shade of blue as a result of the deep blue color of lapis lazuli.

Throughout history, the ornamental value of this precious stone has been exceedingly high, occasionally surpassing that of diamond through the year. Purity and rarity are some of the traits associated with the stone, perhaps because of the high reflectiveness and its resemblance

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to the starry night sky. Additionally, lapis lazuli is equipped with the quality to suppress nervous conditions, inflammation or internal bleeding establishing itself as a stone of great healing power.

Red: In Buddhism, red is a symbol of sacredness used abundantly in the Buddhist temples both in the interior and exterior. The hue functions as a marker of religious areas commonly depicted by the majestic red entrances.

Red also symbolizes fire, life force, preservation and most importantly protection, which is the reason monks are mostly seen wearing deep maroon robes. Amitabha, the Buddha of Limitless light is associated with the red hue signifying the fire element and an immeasurable life. Red represents the duality of life, for instance, fire which is the source of warmth and comfort can easily take the form of a destructive force.

Yellow: Along with red, yellow is also cherished in Buddhism because of the symbolic characteristics associated. Yellow, the color of the earth, characterizes stability as well as the balanced nature of the soul. As a contrast to red, the auspicious color saffron or yellow is also considered to be an orthodox for Buddhist monks’ clothing. This color statement is regarded as a symbol of modesty, renunciation and ‘desirelessness’ which is one of the basic concepts of Buddhism. In the past, Buddha instilled the knowledge of reusing the ‘pure cloth’- cloth discarded by the society ranging from shrouds of the dead to cloth damaged by fire. The usable cloth was then washed and dyed by boiling with vegetable substances including flowers, turmeric and saffron that resulted in a characteristic saffron hue. Therefore, the yellow clothing symbolized a separation from the materialistic society.

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White: Alike other religions, white is regarded as the color of purity, knowledge and longevity in Buddhism. Vairocana, the celestial Buddha is often picturized in white, seated above a white lotus and moon to symbolize a pure consciousness.

According to legend, before Buddha was born, his mother, Maya dreamt of a white elephant that circled her for three times holding a white lotus, before entering her womb. Perhaps because of this dream, a white elephant is considered to be an indication of fertility, a good fortune, purity and knowledge. Moreover, the religion holds the belief that Buddha, who was once residing as a bodhisattva in the heaven, descended on Earth in the form of the white elephant for a rebirth.

Green: Situated at the middle of the color spectrum, green represents balance and harmony. The color of the nature, green is regarded as a symbol of Karma or deed, youth and life. Amoghasiddhi, one of the Five Wisdom Buddhas characterizes the accomplishment of the Buddhist path and destruction of envy. He is portrayed in the green hue to either symbolize the air or wind element.

Black: Black is often used to symbolize anger, death, grief and mourning, however, the principle of Buddhism is to meditate upon these issues to come to an understanding, which ultimately leads to the path to enlightenment, truth and clarity.

The black hue is not considered deleterious, as it serves as a reminder

of turning bad to good. Thangka, a form of Buddhist painting on cotton or silk, depicting a Buddhist deity, mandala or a scene frequently features the black color. Most thangkas are painted in a black background with gold outlines to make the painted hues stand out.

The Buddhist Flag: First hoisted in Sri Lanka to unanimously represent Buddhism, the Buddhist flag has become a statement in monasteries as well as residences of Buddhists throughout the world. A universal symbol of peace and faith, the six colors used in the flag represents the ‘aura’ derived from Buddha’s body as he attained enlightenment under the Bodhi tree. The horizontal stripes are the representation of harmony between the diverse races of the religion throughout the world.

Whereas, the vertical stripes signify eternal world peace; and the colors symbolize the perfection of Buddha and his teachings- ‘dharma’.

Blue: The radiation of blue light from Buddha’s hair symbolizes warm kindness, peace and universal compassion for all beings.

Yellow: Buddha’s epidermis radiates the yellow light, which signifies the Middle Path evading extremes and emptiness to achieve a balance.

Red: The emission of red light from Buddha’s flesh indicates blessings from practicing teachings of Buddha.

Success, wisdom, virtue, fortune and dignity are regarded as some of the several outcomes of the religion.

White: The bones and teeth of Buddha emitting the white light is a symbol of the purity of the dharma that leads to the path of liberation from time or space.

Orange: The emanation of orange light from the palms, heels and lips of Buddha represents the unwavering wisdom of Buddha’s teachings.

The overall combination of the aforementioned colors symbolizes the universality of the truth of Buddhism and the teachings. Most importantly, the Buddhist flag demonstrates that everyone, irrespective of nationality, race, ethnicity or color are welcome to follow the path of Buddhism.

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Algeria

Azerbaijan

Mauritania

Turkey

COLOR SYMBOLISM IN ISLAM: Islam, the monotheistic religion believes in the submission to one and unparalleled God, Allah. Almost 5% of the Nepalese are Muslim, making Islam the third largest religion of Nepal.

Unlike other religions of the world, the color symbolism of Islam revolves around the sacred hue green which is also the symbol of the religion. Holi Quran, the central religious text of Islam consists of a green binding and the Sufi saints themselves are clad in green silk clothing. Green is believed to symbolize life and nature particularly in a dry desert.

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Maldives

Turkmenistan

Prophet Muhammad, the Islamic prophet considered as the last messenger of the Almighty God is often picturized in a green cloak and a turban. Green and gold are regarded as the colors of paradise as often mentioned in the Holy Quran. A passage from Holi Quran states that when finally reaching paradise in the afterlife, “ornaments shall be given to them therein of bracelets of gold, and they shall wear green robes of fine silk and thick silk brocade interwoven with gold, (18:31)” and they will be “Reclining on green cushions and beautiful carpets (55:76).” Therefore,

the interior as well as the exterior of the mosques all around the world are painted in green and gold to convey the same message. Moreover, Prophet Mohammad indicated a folkloric figure in his writings called al-Khidr, or “the Green One,” who symbolizes immortality. The Islamic history is full of references of the green hue. Prophet Mohammad was said to have used a green banner with golden trimmings during his war on Mecca. The Islamic soldiers wore green clothing as an identification in campaigns.

White, the color of purity and peace is often worn by Muslim, especially during their Friday prayers. This religious reinforcement is based on the belief that death is inevitable and white is the only color that portrays simplicity.

In some Muslim cultures, black is the color of modesty. Perhaps this is the reason why Muslim women mostly wear a black hijab, a veil used to cover their head, face or body as a symbol of modesty and privacy.

On the other hand, blue is regarded as a protective color in the Middle East used graciously in the mosques. Sultan Ahmed Mosque located in Istanbul, Turkey is popularly known as the Blue Mosque because of its vivid blue hue.

Colors have an influence on the flags of Islamic countries, which feature either one or several Pan- Arab colors- black, red, white and green. Similarly, many Muslim flags incorporate a Crescent with a star either red, white or yellow.

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Architecture

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From the shelf

ARCHITECTURE REBORN THE CONVERSION AND RECONSTRUCTION OF OLD BUILDINGS: KENNETH POWELL

T

he history of the buildings that the human race has created over thousands of years is one of constant change. Political, religious and economic regimes rise and fall; buildings, more often than not, outlast civilizations. Greek and Roman temples became Christian churches, English monasteries were recycled as country houses and Russian palaces became post-Revolution museums of the people. More recently, nineteenth-century American mills and railway stations have been turned into shopping malls and hotels. The transformation of buildings now constitutes a major element in the workload of architects worldwide: as well as making environmental sense, a conversion is often a simpler and more economic process than a new-build project. Rehabilitation schemes have generated some of the most intelligent and innovative architecture to come out of contemporary practice.

Today, office and industrial buildings of the 1950s and 1960s are being recast for domestic and leisure use - for the simple reason that conversion is a cheaper and less complicated process than new-build. The Georgian-built West End of London is no longer a residential enclave, but many of its streets and squares survive as locations for prestige offices and medical consulting rooms. Old buildings are remarkably resilient. The Marais district of Paris was a fashionable quartier of private palaces in the eighteenth century. By the early years of the twentieth century, it was a rundown slum, on the road to clearance. Now it is fashionable once more, a modish place to live and a cultural quarter which is a favourite destination for tourists.

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From the shelf

Architecture Reborn presents a detailed investigation into the adaptation and conversion of existing buildings as a distinctive area of design.Forty-four international schemes have been chosen to demonstrate that reuse is a positive - even essential - way to achieve a forward-looking architecture. Rather than preservation, or deference to old buildings, the message here is transformation; a physical rather than historicist approach to constructing new form from old fabric.

The book shows how today’s architects have called on historical structures and brought them back into everyday life: the legendary Fiat factory is transformed into a cultural and commercial complex; a Spanish palace becomes a public library; and an armaments factory is reused as an art and media centre. Whilst the original structures are often not historically or architecturally outstanding, many - including a sixteenth-century cathedral, a nineteenthcentury propeller factory and the former headquarters of the Nazi youth movement - make intriguing stories in themselves.

Kenneth Powell’s strongly argued commentary, supported by carefully researched illustrations, contains imperative information for anyone involved in architecture, planning and regeneration, as well as the layperson interested in keeping up to date with this fast-moving and often controversial area of design. n This is not a Book Review; this is just an effort to conveying information to the readers on rare and valuable books on art and architecture. This column aims to give a helicopter view on such books and thus presents the excerpts and illustrations either from the preface, introduction, jacket or main contents of the book from the shelf. This book was kindly provided

by Mandala Book Point, Kantipath, Kathmandu (Tel. 4227711).

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Artscape

Horses – The Energy Shahi Shah’s horses explore the Hindu myths in surrealist form and are symbolic. Horses are the recurrent images in his artwork which symbolizes the power or energy. Sometimes his horses are beyond the canvases in a sculpture form. Skillfully made from recycled newspapers, wires and found materials, his horses are masculine in viewing and have an energetic movement.

Asha Dangol

Shashi Shah – The Living Legend: A founder member of SKIB-71, Shashi Shah (b 1940) did Govt. Diploma in Arts from Sir J.J. School of Arts Mumbai, India, and also did Special course on murals from the same college. Former Campus Chief of Lalit Kala Campus and Sirjana College of Fine Arts, Shashi Shah has participated in many national and international shows: selected are EXPO–Japan 1970, Three Men Show, NAFA Gallery 1971, Triennial Exhibition, New Delhi, India in 1971, 1975 and 1981, SKIB ‘71 Exhibitions in Darjeeling, Pokhara and Kathmandu from 1971 to 1978, Nepali Paintings Exhibition at the Oriental Art Museum Moscow Russia in 1975, Asian Art Show, Fukuoka Japan in 1980 and 1985, Asian Art Biennale, Dhaka Bangladesh in 1981 and 1983, Asian Art Show, Seoul South Korea in 1985, and Manuka Gallery, Sydney Australia in 1985.

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