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CURATOR'S NOTE

“I don’t want to protect the environment. I want to create a world where the environment does not need protection.”

-   unknown

Although our profession has evolved tremendously over time, we have yet to make a meaningful contribution to the health of our environment. The architectural context is still delimited to building opinions, polarization, and protest. We, at FAB, appreciate that while each one of us wants to enhance our environment, real transformation can be realized not by protests but rather only by the silent internal discovery of ourselves and our world.

Mahatma Gandhi said, “Be the change you wish to see in the world”. FAB follows this great adage for urging participants to reinvent themselves, to bring about impactful changes to our world. The theme this year is ‘L.I.F.E. - Looking Inward For your Environment’ with a premise to initiate a self-journey amongst like-minded professionals for furthering the cause of our environment. FAB urges participants to have deep introspection to explore and reevaluate their relationship with nature in an honest atmosphere in which both inclusivity and well-intentioned dissent would thrive.

At its undertone, FAB urges participants to look inward to find solutions to an ever-pertinent question: ‘How can we bequeath a better world to the future?’ FAB seeks deeper engagement from professionals and therefore is articulately designed to include conferences, exhibitions, workshops and more. It will bring forth issues across philosophy, design innovation, environment, materials, technology and more.

The subjects covered are not from some fantastic delusional frontier but take their cues from the present to deviate in response. There is nothing as certain as silence, stillness and solitude to unravel the secrets of L.I.F.E., and FAB works as a crucible in your inward journey. Let’s all use FAB to celebrate the silence in between, for therein lie the opportunities and possibilities to make a difference.

About
THE CURATOR

Sarita Vijayan has over 18 years of experience curating and executing initiatives for the betterment of urban spaces in India. She has been in senior editorial positions in all the major media houses in India (Business India and Jasubhai Media) and continues to consult with NGOs, and large infrastructure and design companies with regards to initiatives in urban India.

Key Initiatives

  • ‘India Urban Space’ an exhibition of ideas for ‘India Forward’ by 21 states of the country. Each state showcased their plans for the city.

  • The event was inaugurated by the Minister of Urban Development ‘361° Conference’, Asia’s largest dialogue on urban design with over 2000 delegates from all over the world. The conference has explored themes focusing on the informal city and its impact on urban life.

  • The ‘AEC World Expo’, a design expo that had international firms like Zaha Hadid Architects, RMJM and Norman Foster take part and showcase their work. Over 40,000 visitors visited this forum.

  •  Curation of the Urban Arts and Design section of Asia’s largest Arts and Culture Festival, the ‘Kala Ghoda Arts Festival’. The festival sees over 7,00,000 people over its 10-day duration.

  • Curation of the Urban Architecture and Films section of the cultural festival ‘Celebrate Bandra’.

  • ‘Street Smart’, a design competition in collaboration with NGO Janaagraha for solutions to improve India’s city streets.

  •  Along with the Harvard School of Design (South Asia Initiative), she curated an annual conference focusing on ‘Design as Social Capital’. The conference was attended by senior government and construction professionals.

  • Her firm is currently commissioned by leading Steel to execute ‘Rebuilding Dreams’, an online repository of information (building construction research, drawings and technology, professional databases and helplines) on disaster-proof construction for South East Asia.

  • Curation of ‘Building for a Billion’, an international design competition for housing every Indian with over 4,000 registrations from national and international architects.

  • Curation of India’s most futuristic conference on architecture, planning and urban/rural development ‘Confluence 2018’ themed on ‘Cities on the Horizon’.

  • Curation of FAB themed on ‘OPEN’, an ideas and experimental festival in the domain of architecture and building.

  • Curation of India’s most futuristic conference on architecture, planning and urban/rural development ‘Confluence 2019 themed on ‘Thinking Cities’.

  • Curation of ‘Village 2047’, a national design competition For the ABG Group for transforming rural India with over 1,400 registrations from across the country.

  • Curation of 9 events at IF.BE (F.Y. 2022-23), Mumbai at its Program Director

Sarita Vijayan 

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