American author, Victoria Lautman will come to India in January to discuss her new book, The Vanishing Stepwells of India, at multiple venues between January 20 - February 12, 2018.
In Jaipur, Victoria is
speaking at the renowned Jaipur Literature Festival and the interdisciplinary
lifestyle design studio - Anantaya Decor. In New Delhi, the author would be
giving presentations at The American Centre, CMYK Bookstore, India Habitat Center, The INTACH Heritage
Academy and School of Architecture at Delhi Technical Campus in Greater Noida.
The
Vanishing Stepwells of India is an marvellous book, documenting the author’s
extensive travels across India and her exploration of the country’s ancient
water-harvesting systems – brilliant examples of ancient Indian engineering,
now largely forgotten.
The book presents seventy-five subterranean wonders, a
fraction of those Victoria spent four years photographing throughout India.
Informative rather than scholarly, the book sheds light on a unique - if
ignored - architectural typology, through several hundred colour photographs
and detailed entries. GPS coordinates are provided, in the hopes that readers
will be inspired to see these elusive beauties with their own eyes.
“An
important, timely, and fascinating book focused on an extremely neglected subject.”
- Dr. Madhuvanti Ghose, Alsdorf Associate Curator of Indian, Southeast Asian,
Himalayan and Islamic Art, The Art Institute of Chicago
“The images
are so beautiful that they make you want to cry." - Will Hunter, Director,
The London School of Architecture
"Astonishing,
hidden treasures beautifully photographed and described in lively, interesting
prose. An extraordinary book.” - Richard Lariviere, President The Field Museum,
Chicago.
Tourists
throng India’s temples, palaces, forts and mosques, but the country’s ancient
stepwells are largely unknown. These remarkable subterranean structures not
only provided communities with water all year long but also served as civic
centers, refuges, remote oases and, in many cases, active places of worship.
But besides their many functions, stepwells were marvels of engineering,
architecture, and art. Some were lavish and ornate, others minimal and
utilitarian. They could be enormous, plunging nine stories into the earth, or
could be intimately scaled for private use. Thousands of these fascinating
edifices once proliferated across India, but most were abandoned as a result of
modernization and depleted water tables. While some have been restored by the
government, most are sadly neglected and in danger of extinction.
Event Itinerary
Date
|
Time
|
Venue
|
Sunday, Jan 21, 2018
|
6pm
|
In-conversation with Divay Gupta, principal
director INTACH Architectural Heritage at CMYK, New Delhi
|
Monday, Jan 22, 2018
|
7pm
|
Talk and presentation, India
Habitat Centre, New Delhi
|
Friday, Jan 26, 2018
|
3:45-4:45pm
|
Panel discussion, Durbar Hall, Jaipur
Literature Festival, Jaipur
|
Saturday, Jan 27, 2018
|
4-6pm
|
In-conversation with travel writer,
Dharmendra Kanwar at Anantaya Decor, Jaipur
|
Monday, Feb 5, 2018
|
4:30pm
|
Talk and presentation, auditorium, INTACH
Heritage Academy, New Delhi
|
Wednesday, Feb 7, 2018
|
11am
|
Lecture and presentation, auditorium,
School of Architecture, Delhi Technical Campus,
Greater Noida
|
Thursday, Feb 8, 2018
|
3:30pm
|
Lecture and presentation, The
American Centre, New Delhi
|
'INSTITUTE OF CREATIVE SCIENCES' - AN ENTRANCE PREPARATION STUDIO FOR ARCHITECTURE , DESIGN AND ART CAREERS.
- B.ARCH ( NATA / JEE ) COACHING CLASSES
- UCEED, IIT BOMBAY ENTRANCE COACHING CLASSES
- NID, NIFT, IIT -UCEED AND OTHER DESIGN COLLEGES
- CEED & NID MASTERS EXAM PREPARATION
- PORTFOLIO FOR ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN STUDIES ABROAD
- DIPLOMA IN CAD DRAFTING AND DESIGNING
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