We recommend the use of headphones or earphones for a better experience, and then kindly adjust the sound levels from one recording to another suitable for your device.

Code: WH_OH_005(b)_AUD_S1(C1)

Childhood, memorable projects, partnership & personal residence

Summary:

Ambika Kamath introduces herself as Revathi Kamath’s daughter and begins to describe what she has heard of Revathi’s childhood. She recalls what Revathi said about her journey toward discovering and pursuing architecture and talks about Revathi’s relationship with her parents. She recalls a  point during Revathi’s architecture education, when she gained broadened exposure from stepping out from the comfort of her home during trips across the country. She notes how the film Dhara by Ein Lall captures her well. On the Anandgram project, she talks about how she realised that the project was monumental to Revathi even though it never got built. She mentions how she never learned of other first-generation women architects or their works from Revathi and how she held very  few as a source of inspiration. 

She goes into detail about her early memories of accompanying Revathi on field visits and  speaks of the high regard in which Revathi saw the craftspeople and masonry from the site and how she disregarded engineers. She notes how her mother could be uncompromising in her ways with her designs and on-site, and for what she saw were valid reasons. She speaks about Revathi’s feelings on bigger projects such as the Jindal project and why she did feel a certain way about them. She notes how it became interesting for her as she worked with newer materials like fly ash bricks and stainless steel. 

She recalls how the house Revathi finally built for the family was intended as foremostly an architect’s project, and then a home. She remembers the craftsperson who made the bathroom tiles of stone and lime plaster, and how his work made a mark on Revathi. She notes how she once struggled to find work with clients who shared her vision for architecture and further discusses Revathi’s relationship with her husband. She talks more about completed and incomplete projects, interactions, and individuals who resonated with her sensibilities, including details about her work on a Taj Hotel in Jaisalmer, and a competition for a Budhha statue, etc. She also recalls some of Revathi’s acquaintances and stories from the School of Planning and Architecture (SPA) she had heard her mention frequently. 

Practitioner:

Revathi Kamath

Interviewee:

Ambika Kamath

Interviewer:

Ishita Shah

Duration:

00.33.38

Mode:

Online

Date:

26/07/2021

Language:
English