India Arch Dialogue: Of beams and lenses

The first year saw an exhibition of architectural models, the second featured sketches, and in its third year, the India Arch Dialogue (IAD), it’s photography. The annual event, held in Delhi and organized by FCDI-FCML, hosts a fortnight-long exhibit of architectural photography, talks and presentations, book launches and film screenings—there’s something for everyone.

“The idea behind IAD is to create a public platform where anyone can access the best minds and best architectural objects. Models, photography, sketches are interesting to look at just by themselves. So we thought, why not communicate ideas of architecture through the objects that architects use in their practice," says Madhav Raman, co-founder of the Delhi-based firm Anagram Architects, and co-curator of the forthcoming edition.

An exhibition of over 200 photographs from around the world will be based on “curatorial themes like Geometry and Composition, Weight and Light, The Everyday, among others. It helps to organize the vastness of architectural photography," says Raman. From established photographers such as Iwan Baan from the Netherlands and Hélène Binet from the UK, to newcomers such as Delhi-based Saurabh Suryan and Lokesh Dang, diversity will be the strength of this exhibit. “What you’ll see of Iwan Baan’s work is very different from the usual commercial, coffee-table photography that glamorizes architecture," says Raman.

The selection of speakers portrays a similar mix of people and subjects. Apart from architects like Abha Narain Lambah and Martand Khosla, practitioners from related fields include New York-based photographer Paul Clemence, artist and Kochi-Muziris Biennale curator Anita Dube, photographer Dayanita Singh and fashion designer Tarun Tahiliani.

Art historian Sundaram Tagore’s film Louis Kahn’s Tiger City will be screened on 12 February and Mumbai-based architect Shimul Javeri Kadri will present Women Architects And Modernism In India, a book by Madhavi Desai, on 15 February.

IAD 2018 will be held from 9-25 February, at the Gallery, 1AQ, Qutub Minar Complex, New Delhi. Some of the events need prior registration at www.fcdi.co.in