Dharmesh Jadeja                                                Gallery
Gujarat, India

WHEN DID YOU COME TO AUROVILLE?
I came to Auroville in 1992. It seemed like I always wanted to come here even though my first visit to this place was as someone who was traveling through southern Indian states just exploring India, its people, cultures and something that makes it so special in spite of its innumerable manifestations.

BACKGROUND, OR SOME INFO ON YOUR TRAINING
The aspect of design has always fascinated me even though my formal training was much more technical, and more appropriate for a civil engineer than an architect or a builder. I have always enjoyed looking at design from a very impersonal viewpoint, and sometimes very critically. 

EVOLUTION OF YOUR WORK...
Though I like appreciating and exploring almost all forms of design, ranging from architecture to product design to calligraphy and graphics to pottery, my search somehow has always been to combine the various forms through the work I do, and most of the time I am doing many things at a time which are completely at opposite ends. In the last few years I have been trying out various things like architecture, various building techniques, architectural ceramics and pottery, calligraphy, photography and product design. I feel comfortable with various materials like natural stone, concrete, steel and mud, and I like simple and minimal design styles.

To me the design which incorporates and absorbs other forms of design and varied materials in itself is a good design regardless of the field it belongs to. Architecture being one such field, with the maximum possibility to do the same, is one of the most fascinating ones. It even includes the idea of space within its fold, which is so interwoven with most of the arts and their expression.

THROUGH YOUR WORK, WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO FIND, OR EXPRESS?
My work so far is more of a search rather than an expression. The buildings I have done so far incorporate many different materials, and the styles vary too. It would be difficult to classify them in any particular category as the flavour of my work is very local, reflecting the fact that I have been working in this particular region of India so far. I can say that there are certain elements which I am inspired to use in my work, and the ones which form the most prominent part of my architectural expression are the courtyards. Buildings either open to a larger central courtyard, or enclose within themselves an open-to-air space, depending on size and nature of the building. One of the favourite elements of my work has always been the staircase which connects to the higher floor or opening up to the terrace. I like the natural feel of the materials exposed as they are, and I like using mud as a medium expressing this openness.

WHICH OF YOUR WORKS BEST EXPRESSES YOUR VISION, OR PHILOSOPHY?
The ATITHI GRIHA guest house in Bharat Nivas, the Indian Pavilion of Auroville, is one of my major works where the central space is almost overwhelming in nature. It forms the most important part of the building. All the rooms open on to this courtyard, and the whole design is very introvert in nature. The entire building is centred around a neem tree which already existed on the site. The central staircase which goes up to the open terrace winds itself around this tree. This project has again been more of a learning experience, and to feel spaces and various materials being used in the building, rather than an expression of any particular style. Though I have used many traditional elements, like the wooden pillars around the courtyard, spanning the sitting-out spaces of verandah, and the earthern tiles over it, it's much more about the space it creates than the materials it uses.

WHICH ARCHITECTURAL PROJECT IN AUROVILLE OTHER THAN YOUR OWN DO YOU APPRECIATE MOST?
Architecture in Auroville has been an expression of various styles of design since its inauguration. But personally I feel that the one and only project so far which is evergreen, and even replicable today, is the community of Aspiration. The thatched roof houses there enclose spaces within which are so lively and calm. The sheer freedom they provide to their users is so much an expression of the idea of Auroville as a whole. The community feeling and the minimal level of design expressed in its proportions and use of materials have so far not been replicated by any other project in Auroville.

Works in Auroville
Kottakarai Organic Food Processing Unit building
House for self, Petite Ferme
Atithi Griha guest house

dharmesh@auroville.org.in

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