Comics

What does an Architect do?

Published

8 years ago

July 5, 2016

The honest ramblings of a student of architecture

Oh, are you finishing 12th standard? What’s next?” “I’m going to architecture school, Aunty.” “So you’ll be doing my new cow shed, then?” “Of course I will, Aunty!” This is me at the beginning of my architectural journey when I’m not sure what this profession entails. There are five years to be spent in the architecture college, so I figure that somewhere along the way, the answer would come to me..

Phase 1: I’m going to design houses.

I’m-going-to-design-houses_FWD_Life

Since the eighth standard, I’ve had a growing fascination for architecture. I’ve spent my summers making cardboard models of my dream home, creating nooks to read my books, having a giant tree in my bedroom, and even planting an aquarium in between all this. There is a rush of excitement now that I am in my 12th standard. My decision to be an architect is readily approved as my mathematics scores are ‘too good to waste on the Fine Arts’. Hence, my love for drawing + my good scores = architecture; added up well.

Phase 2: Unsure, but I love this!

Unsure,-but-I-love-this_FWD_Life

I’ve enrolled myself in an architecture college and realise that designing a cow shed is actually a respectfully serious and complex task at hand! Off late, I am developing more skills. I am sketching, cutting, sticking, tearing, carving, printing and doing a whole lot of other things I never thought I would do in an architecture college. The subjects range from structures to sociology, from printmaking to construction. There are times when
we even follow cows around

Phase 3: No, I’m not an Engineer!

No,-I’m-not-an-Engineer_FWD_Life

I have to explain how I am learning to design ‘buildings’, as my mundane explanation seems to dilute the richness of this profession. Nobody is amused by my tale of following the cows. Sometimes I just nod in defeat every time I am introduced as an engineer. I need some help; hence, I resort to the internet. “An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings”. NO, NO, NO! That’s not right! (For future reference, stay clear of Wikipedia definitions if you don’t want to be torn apart by your architect friends). Defeated, I go back to my chants of “I’m learning how to design ‘buildings”.

Phase 4: I’m a master of space

I’m-a-master-of-space_FWD_Life

I pore over texts glimpsing into the history of the profession and its vague beginnings, where the carpenter was sometimes the architect while at other times there was no real difference between an architect, an artist, and a sculptor. Over time, I begin to feel the power that rests in an architect’s hands. He is the master of space, a creator of dwellings connecting them to the sky and the earth aesthetically, and weaving together an experience.
Unfortunately, my newfound understanding amuses only myself. If a doctor told you how he is ‘the healer of not only the physical body but also the mental soul aided by his knowledge’, you would roll your eyes and respond with, “I have a health problem and you fix it”. The search for a definition is my search for understanding, and there is no need to force that upon anybody else.

Flash forward to the present, where I’m explaining to a curious group how I design ‘buildings’, and they congratulate me on my first project. This is easier, but through the nods and smiles, I decide that I wouldn’t mention that I am indeed designing that cow shed.

Words and Illustration by Leeza John

Related Topics:architecture FWD Art FWD Comics

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Comics

Moon Knight: The New Marvel Hero

Published

3 years ago

April 12, 2022

Contributor

What would happen if you had a dual personality leading a life, completely oblivious and on contrary to your own? And what if that person inside you made a deal with an Egyptian god in return for doing his deeds?

Well – that exactly is the all new Marvel Studios’ show Moon Knight all about. The show which is based on the original Marvel comic book of the same name is a story about the night vigilante who gained his powers because of the Egyptian moon god, Khonsu. The alter ego of this character is a little complicated, As in the show Moon Knight is made up of two characters, Steven with a V the museum gift shop salesman and the ruthless mercenary Marc Spector. But while we look into the comic book there is one more person named Jake Lockley in them as well. All three of them mixed up in a chaotic manner makes the character one of the most interesting of them all. The show has Oscar Issac in the role of Moon Knight while Ethan Hawke plays the main antagonist.

Check into Disney+ Hotstar every Wednesday to watch Moon Knight

Words By: Goutham Satheesh

Comics

Batman: The Riddler Journey Continues

Published

3 years ago

March 31, 2022

Contributor

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Marvel Releases ‘Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings’ Teaser

Published

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Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings has gotten its first trailer, showing off the high-flying martial arts action and a new hero for the interconnected universe of Marvel films and shows: Shang-Chi (Simu Liu), who’s known in the comics as Marvel’s preeminent master of martial arts.

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