...non periodic oscillations...

In the past few years, I have had the opportunity to spend considerable time in a particular kind of built form that I have always wanted to design (only half a project so far) yet never wanted to be a resident or visitor of. As it happens, one has no choice in such matters. However, what I have come to realise is that there is always a silver lining and it is up to us to find it. While visiting one such space, I came across a very interesting set of paintings by two artists, Vanessa Bryson and Suse Neilebock. These paintings are inspired by different pieces of music and are intended to be experienced in both, tactile and visual form. Needless to say, it was quite pleasant to see them while walking through an otherwise dull corridor - sort of a “visual oasis”. #london #newadventures #exploreuk #nonperiodicoscillations #architecture #design #art #painting #music #hospital #oasis #silverlining

A long time ago, in a land far, far away, there was a brick dome. I don't even remember who took this photograph. Update: Photograph taken by RS #gurgaon #nonperiodicoscillations #OdeToTheDome #sushantschoolofartandarchitecture #sushantschool #ssaa #architecture #design #memories

A new year is upon us and with it comes hope for a joyous, prosperous and peaceful year ahead. I am lucky to have this lovingly designed calendar to adorn my table and bring the beauty of art into my “daily struggles”. The artwork, which are part of the “Footpath” series, are hand drawn by my (not so) little brother @dwarkanathsinha ( https://instagram.com/dwar.ka/ ) and the calendars are designed under AT and his independent design initiative called Unibrow ( http://unibrow.in ). Check out their website, Facebook ( https://www.facebook.com/unibrow.in/ ) and Instagram ( https://www.instagram.com/unibrow.in/ ) pages for more art. Have a lovely New Year ahead. Stay happy. Stay strong. Keep the love flowing. #london #newadventures #exploreuk #nonperiodicoscillations #architecture #design #art #unibrow #newyear #peaceful #calendar #calendar2020

Image source: http://bit.ly/2ZAGiQ0 I have heard a lot of people talking about the virtues of “hard work” wherein sacrificing everything else in life is considered normal and almost always, expected. In my limited experience, I have learnt that nothing can be further from the truth. While I have never shied away from responsibility, I have generally ignored such “well meaning advice”. Recently, I came across two posts that brought this thought to the fore again. The glorification of a sixty or eighty hour work week or similar nonsense is the clarion call of those who are terrible at managing their work or are generally clueless about what their priorities in life or work are or believe that employees should be available at their beck and call or worse, plain exploitative. I have personally suffered at the hands of those who loved to schedule team meetings on holidays or wanted to have a discussion after six in the evening or regularly set unrealistic deadlines to ensure tha...

A Christmas party. Lot of people, food, drinks and dancing. All below the hull of a ship! An eventful evening looking up at the lovingly restored Cutty Sark in Greenwich The "Cutty Sark is a British clipper ship. Built on the River Leven, Dumbarton, Scotland in 1869". Today, it is a museum and venue for events ( http://bit.ly/2EVIgks ). #london #newadventures #exploreuk #nonperiodicoscillations #architecture #design #christmas #dancing #party #ship #greenwich #cuttysark

Some pasta and a quick walk around The Barbican Estate made for a sumptuous lunch especially with the Sun coming out for a short yet strong innings. The Barbican Estate is "a residential estate that was built during the 1960s and the 1980s within the City of London in Central London, in an area once devastated by World War II bombings and today densely populated by financial institutions." (http://bit.ly/2Bh8Gex). It is a lovely example of Brutalist Architecture. "With its coarse concrete surfaces, elevated gardens and trio of high-rise towers, the Barbican Estate offered a new vision for how high-density residential neighbourhoods could be integrated with schools, shops and restaurants, as well world-class cultural destinations." (http://bit.ly/2VKJs1r) #london #newadventures #exploreuk #nonperiodicoscillations #sunshine🌞 #barbican #brutalist #brutalism #architecture #design #lunch #walk #worldwar #concrete

During our trip to Wuyishan, once again, while the "youthful" were busy scaling another mountain peak, I found myself in a beautiful pavilion in a quite zone. As I lay within the pavilion, slowly drifting into a nap, the beautiful geometry of the roof captivated me. How these simple yet elegantly laid out octagons made of wood have stood for hundreds of years, witness to myriad human emotions and activities in the garden. Location: http://bit.ly/2kWR2YT Wiki: http://bit.ly/2m4bDuF #shanghai #newadventures #explorechina #nonperiodicoscillations #wuyishan #architecture #design #construction #geometry #pavilion #space #wood #nature #sustainability

Walking through the Bund area, along the side streets is highly recommended. Free from the insane crowd and extremely suffocating retail outlets, one can savour the juxtaposition of the old and the new as well as have the space to stand peacefully without being pushed aside. Everywhere you turn, you witness the constant conflict between the heritage and the effort to preserve it while the New gradually imposes itself in a bid to make its presence felt. There is a character in these buildings that reaches out to the soul even after so many years that no glass box can compete with. The raging debate of our time though is how long should we cling on to the past, and at what expense? Sometimes, annihilating the old and building anew may be the prudent thing to do. Then again, who am I to say what those with the means should do? #shanghai #newadventures #explorechina #nonperiodicoscillations #architecture #design #...

The privilege of being in my position is the freedom to explore the city on a working day. While it may sound very appealing, the need for constant and varied mental stimuli can quickly take the sheen off this. A weekday morning stroll through Nanjing West till The Bund without the maddening crowd gave me an opportunity to savour some Baozis (steamed buns with varied filling | http://bit.ly/2ksbTDh) and Jianbing (Chinese crepe/flapjack/burrito | http://bit.ly/2m256jS) as well as the time to appreciate the physical space and little details. The one thing I hate about this breakfast is the insane amount of single use plastic that is used. Imagine one plastic bag for (usually) one Baozi! Although the Nanjing West commercial area was not crowded I was a bit surprised to see so many people on The Bund promenade in the morning. Tourists, locals, school children practicing song & dance routines for the National Day (I think), fashion photography, jogger...

"Four Neighbouring Villas were murdered by the city, with their bodies being consumed by social desires." The multi layered, extremely dynamic, urban morphology of cities like Shanghai can be mind numbing. The insane pace of urban development wipes out historical references faster than one can keep pace with. A big thank you to the two lovely people who gave me this book. Having seen Gurgaon transform from vast open fields with frequent mini tornadoes swirling up dust, to the concrete and glass jungle that it is today, makes me feel as if I've been static while the city has blazed past me. #shanghai #newadventures #explorechina #nonperiodicoscillations #morphology #urban #development #historical #architecture #design #gurgaon #static #phenomenology

Shanghai's love for adaptive reuse of industrial structures is extraordinary and The Power Station of Art (PSA | http://bit.ly/PSA_Shanghai ) is probably one of the most interesting example. Originally founded as the Nanshi Electric Plant in 1897, it moved to its present site in 1935. The chimney and structure housing the PSA was built in 1985. Established on Oct. 1st, 2012, the PSA is the first state-run museum dedicated to contemporary art in mainland China. The structure houses various exhibition spaces and forms a great backdrop for art. Beautiful steel details peek out from various places reminding the visitor that the building itself is a piece of art. They still have an EOT on the rails and I wonder if it works? I don't particularly like the "thermometer" on the chimney though.  The adjacent buildings house commercial and retail spaces along with galleries. There are new additions with fabulo...