Jaanshi Bhatia is the principal architect and cofounder of Jam story in New Delhi. She along with her partner Amit Bhatia started this firm two years back and now are doing architecture and interior projects in residences, commercial offices etc in Delhi and NCR. The team of Abir Pothi had an interactive session with Jaanshi Bhatia where she had some advice for all the designers, talked about the importance of art in architecture and also had a discussion about COVID had some positive impact in the life of people. Watch the conversation here.
As a word of advice and suggestion to all the interior designers and architects she said that all of them should not avoid experimenting with modern design and new art. The amalgamation could result up to a very unexpected but attractive mix. “We should always explore new arts in new forms and develop new concepts”, says Jaanshi Bhatia.
She believes that being an architect they create spaces but art actually enhances those spaces. When asked about the importance of art in the field of architecture she says, “Both art and architecture and correlated and it’s been ages but art is still evolving and this feature of art keeps on providing new perspective to the viewer. Life revolves around art and everything we see, has art in it. The art along with architecture, work for each other and enhances each other. Just like beauty lies in the eyes of beholder, art lies in the eyes of a perceiver”.
Art adds a soul when connected to the space. It creates a story within a story. Inspired from her favourite designer Kelly Wearstler, she tries to draw inspiration from the materials available around. “You can get inspiration from the nature, you can find a nice colour palette in naturally available materials. You need to bring some artistic character to the elements present in the space and inspiration from the surroundings helps a lot”. Furthermore, she adds that, including art in the space helps in completing the aesthetics and décor part of the architectural project and it enhances the spatial quality.
Choosing the right art is itself an art. Art should have a sense of purpose, it can either make a room or it can definitely break a space. Designers follow the rule of 3S; space, subject and size. Taking space into consideration, it is that demand which reflects the choice of artwork one wants to include in the project. For example art are not used only in the form of artworks, it can also be used in customized wallpapers, furniture, wardrobe etc. It all depends on how one utilizes the space.
Secondly, subject is the overall perspective to look at. If someone is designing in a traditional house, they would go for immunized and traditional concepts. Placing an artwork in a corridor that defines the end result of that dead corridor is a perfect example of the importance of subject in designing process.
Size really matters because that defines the proportions of artwork, either small or big and depending what amount of mounts we are using, what colour and materials we\’re going for frames. Apart from 3S, colour palette is the most important fundament, as the subject used in a space of a particular size needs to blend into the interiors of the space.
“Incorporating an art in a space is a task in itself, as there’s no hard core rule for using art”, says Jaanshi Bhatia. The designer needs to convince the client to use a particular artwork for the space as it will reflect the client’s personality, beliefs and taste. So it’s the creative side of the designer of how he understands the client and delivers as per their need.
Especially in COVID times one had learnt that everything is available at your doorstep in a click. So if someone wants an artwork, they can pick and select and choose any artwork of any sizes available online and can get it delivered at doorstep in few days. It saves times, it save effort. COVID has unknowingly opened up doors of possibilities.
Considering the statements by Jaanshi Bhatia one can conclude that art along with architecture can create wonders if done rightly. So choosing a space and choosing the right art for the space is the job that needs to be done perfectly. The art will enhance the space and the space will complement the art.
