Shed Some Light

My early experiences as a child visiting another country have been those of facile amazement and suffused with wonder. One such vivid memory that will remain etched forever involves a trip to the palace of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. Fortunately this was a time when my Pa was spearheading a bevy of construction projects for him which automatically entitled me as a 9 year old to tag along and visit the horse stables, the gardens and..and ‘The’ Palace!!
My initial reactions of awe gave way to amazement. Of course it needs no introduction as to how opulent the Arabs are in their ways of living. Ginormous dome shaped foyers, landings the size of Victorian balconies, Moroccan influences and their fascination for all things ‘Gold’. However what took the cake was the life-sized chandelier strategically hung right in the center of the entrance foyer. Over two storeys tall, the only light in the room seemed to be coming from this huge installation.
This was when the love for crystals (before Swarovski became a staple for crystals) immediately translated to having one prized possession of a chandelier in the house.
The last I heard from a friend who visited the palace was that the chandelier had been removed and was thus replaced by concealed lighting that seemed to permeate out of corners – obscure yet effective.
The era of ‘contemporary’ lighting had dawned upon the Arabs as much as the rest of the world!
Striking a balance between art deco and the concepts of minimalism, contemporary lighting as a whole come across the blend that manages to touch the chords that go in sync with human moods. Some used to create an ambience, some to alter the mood and some heavily derived from cultures across the world.


These are the kind of illuminations that are generic to many forms of art yet at the same time has an individualistic character of their own. Conveniently managing to blend itself with Cubism, Purism, Viennese Secession, Nouveau and various other forms of architecture; modern lighting has had home and commercial space owners lining up for the classic Pablo Pardo ‘Piccola’ desk lamp or even something as basic as a Phillips LED lamp that can transform spaces in no time.
Call it the era of the sleek, the straight or the concealed; the fact remains that contemporary lighting takes Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and his likes to a different plane of execution altogether.
My knowledge on architecture and design at times decapitates me when someone asks for elaborations on arcs, parabolas, tracks, sunbursts, curves and what’s organic and what’s not! However one thing I know for sure; these perfect compositions of finesse, structural balance, integrity and aesthetic sense – I certainly like. ..and though a very very over exaggerated statement this is – “I’d rather go for the Piccola than a Tiffany right now!!”

When Frank Gehry beat The Tudors by 10-0..!!

It was not a long time ago when the best descriptions about a place were the ones that were a reflection in lieu with one’s culture and the way of life. Agatha Christies houses; (albeit the victims or the perpetrator’s), always used to be the one’s located amidst lush greenery at the corner of Hyde Park or some even obscure place by the name of Holkham Hall or Wells-next-the-sea!!
Enter the Millennium and call it a shift in mindset or (as I prefer to call it: The love for all things ‘Box’), the ornate cravings seem to have vanished, the dome-shaped ceilings have disappeared. John Vanbrugh and his Baroque style of architecture no longer stood trial. Royally sidelined by the common man, the newest penchant for contemporary designs was something that took the world by storm.
A friend of mine who roamed around the world looking for the perfect shelter to settle down once told me, “Contemporary/Modern" in the world of art and architecture means sleek, clean and mathematical lines. It's industrial and geometric based instead of free-form and organic. That's why these houses are not called traditional, Victorian, country or whatever else. These houses are beautiful because they have amazing spaces. They do not need "embellishments" or useless tacky additions to be presentable and they are much more than "boring looking boxes.” Thereby finishing off with a flourish and shooting me a dirty look at the end of the last word.
Yeah..the box part of it was in retaliation!
But is this at the cost of efficiently turning a blind eye towards what has been?
“Seems unlikely”, quips another one of the box-loving generation.
Contemporary designs and living are not something that has evolved out of the governance or the fall-out of from the reign of a certain style of architecture. It is more of a fusion that binds the technological conveniences as the fission of a developed revolution to integrate it with space fluidity, functionality, open spaces and sleek décor.


From fashionably warm windy afternoons on your patio to the prized piece of Mies van der Rohe Barcelona day bed, clearly it is minimalism and al fresco’s that looked like they’ve been held over and over again in the Museum of Modern art rule the world this minute.
And while I keep up my constant struggle with whatever happened to the Tudor mansions yet being utterly tempted by the Tout de Suite ‘Frank Gehry’ creations, there are those who go in for yet another helping of their extra-rare Beef steaks on their ‘contemporary’ patios.
Another helping of Carlo Scarpa anyone?