The city - sliced, diced and served with a dash of sauce
Pic/Shadab Khan
Weathering heights
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A helicopter flies past the Global Vipassana Pagoda in Gorai, Borivali
Sign of things to come
A signage of the Art Deco structure Keval Mahal. PIC COURTESY/FORT
The Bombay High Court, Regal cinema and the Standard Chartered building in Fort are among the heritage structures that received some new plaques this week, thanks to the FORT (Federation of Residents Trusts). Since 2018, the group has been working to bring recognition to the iconic structures that are part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site-tagged Victorian and Art Deco ensembles of Mumbai. “Within the site, there are 92 buildings and 94 sites. These signs carry information in general, about architecture, and trivia about the buildings,” said Apoorva Iyengar, associate director, FORT, adding that a holistic project has never been undertaken for such a large area in the country. Some of the signages also carry the names of the buildings in Braille. “This is a starting point. To have the name of the building in Braille is a baby step towards making heritage buildings accessible to everyone,” she remarked.
Listen to this
Menezes records on a waterfront
Sound, for city musician and sound engineer David de Menezes, is associated with memory. “I’m an aural learner. My recordings folder is more like a photo album for me,” he shared with this diarist. Menezes, often travels with his recording equipment, capturing different soundscapes to preserve them; places, he believes, are constantly changing and will only get noisier. The musician recently concluded a short acoustic ecology survey for a school project where he used his recorded sounds to understand their impact on people. The survey’s online form asked participants to listen to one recording a day, and rate how it made them feel — from annoyed to grounded. The findings revealed how differently people can react to the same sound, be it city sounds or rainy nights. While music is most often associated with influencing people’s moods, we forget the impact that the sounds around us can have on us. “I would tell people to record what their surroundings sound like. There’s so much to listen to if we remain in the present and pay more attention,” he added.
Booked to make a change
It’s Frankfurt calling for Mumbai-based art platform Art1st. They have been selected for the Frankfurter Buchmesse’ Invitation Programme for 2022, which supports select publishers from developing nations around the world. Lead editor Ayushi Saxena shared that they hope to connect with folks interested in publishing books on art education and trans-disciplinary learning through Indian art. “We’re looking to meet global publishers to make connections with a common goal in mind,” Saxena added.
What is this new car-obar?
A die-cast car from Fernandes’ collection
The die-cast car community in India is on the rise. But even today, many brand these miniature cars made of metal as just toys. “People collect these cars as collectibles which are intricately detailed to represent the original versions. Often, when I or my fellow collectors are out to buy die-cast cars, people think we’re buying it for our kids, or look at us like we’re odd,” shared collector Merwin Fernandes.
To start a conversation with people about the hobby and how it’s celebrated across the world, Divergent Works (@divergent.works), an ideating and executing agency, is organising the first edition of DiCarama, at Candies, Pali Hill, on October 30. “DiCarama is a meet-up for die-cast car lovers and for those who want to understand what this hobby is all about. We want to build the community in such a manner that we get to showcase India at international conventions.” The initiative will travel to Pune and Bengaluru next.
Close-knit for Diwali
A previous session of Queer Katta
Since 2018, The QKnit Foundation, a non-profit that works with LGBTQiA+ individuals and marginalised women has been bringing people together from and outside the community to create safe spaces of discourse through monthly kattas. This Diwali, their Queer Katta at Shivaji Park on Sunday is aimed at assuaging homesick migrants from other cities who might feel left out amid the festivities. “There’s also a potluck; one can get anything they like,” revealed research coordinator and COO Apurva Paithane. They also hope to offer a space for queer individuals to celebrate with their family of choice. “Often, queer people don’t want to celebrate festivals due to issues of acceptance among their own families. This is an opportunity to bring or even find their family of choice,” Paithane said.
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