'Celebrating the Capitol', a new exhibition of photographic work by Noor Dasmesh Singh, is about to open in Chandigarh – the architect, urbanist and Wallpaper* contributor’s home town. Organised in time for the famous 20th-century city's anniversary (it was founded on 7 October 1953), the event, planned alongside a panel discussion on the making of Chandigarh, aims at honouring the legacy of modernist architecture, Le Corbusier and his team in the country, and beyond.
Exploring Chandigarh and ‘Celebrating the Capitol’
While the exhibition opens on Monday 7 October, the panel event kicks off the celebration in style on Saturday 5th, leading smoothly onto the art show's inauguration. The exhibition is set in the Capitol itself – at the brutalist Tower of Shadow – a 'dream venue', according to Singh.
A feted architectural pilgrimage destination for experts and enthusiasts the world around, Chandigarh's Capitol complex was designed by Le Corbusier and his team in the mid-20th century. It is now a Unesco World Heritage monument.
Its three main buildings – the Palace of Assembly, the Secretariat Building and the High Court – are monumental and sculptural. Meanwhile, the complex also comprises four distinct standalone monuments, the Geometric Hill, the Tower of Shadows, the Martyrs Monument, and the Open Hand Monument, which has since come to symbolise the city.
Le Corbusier also famously designed, apart from the buildings, the complex's furniture, fittings and artworks, making this a truly holistic opus spanning scales and disciplines.
Many of the furniture pieces were gradually lost or damaged. British-Indian collector Rajan Bijlani has long been tracking down and restoring pieces of unseen Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeanneret Chandigarh furniture, making up a valuable collection and celebrating its legacy.
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