The word “photography” can be described as “drawing with light”. Conjointly in photography, colour and light go hand in hand. Here too in this project, we have explored these two fundamentals profusely.
The fascinating symmetrical ‘aperture blades’ which before the advent of digital cameras used to be the heart of SLR cameras; taking a clue from this, using the existing site shape & rotating it 14 times we got a two-dimensional grid engendering the flooring & wall pattern; which further culminated into a three-dimensional 14-segmented geometry proliferating the cylindrical tessellated drum, the tessellated ceiling pattern, reception desk, the reception seating, the boss table, the stool, and other accessories like planters, stationeries, carpets, for the studio.
Colour
In photography, colour affects the mood an image creates for the person seeing it. Creation is bountiful of colours. These galore of colours were represented by a selection of 14 hues & each further branched into 7 tints & 7 shades. In total 260 shades of colour have been used in this 1000 sq. ft. space. The 14 hues have been so kept that the presiding direction deity & their colour corresponds to the hues that we have used in that direction in honour of the deity and our culture. The resulting roving climbing colour wheel from floor to wall actually diminishes the boundary between the horizontal & vertical surface & presents one beautiful impelling volume of space into which a subject moves awestruck.
Lighting
The light blesses the studio in its myriad colours revealing a statuesque geometric grid of metal frame support, inspired by the primary studio grid; passing through the acrylic ensemble.
Reception Lighting: In the reception foyer 4K as the primary light colour. The RGB lighting is used to set the mood to recreate the all-encompassing light that the camera captures. As the tones of light change so do the feel, the bhava, the rasa of the space transforms.
Tessellated Drum Lighting: This comes a bit as a surprise as this light situated at the base of the tessellated drum breaks the visually static mass into something very light about to fly form. It has RGB lighting and forms 4 modes along with its jugalbandhi with the reception ceiling. They are: 1) both have the same light colour & changing dynamically together 2) the Ceiling with Static Colour light & Drum with dynamic colour light 3) the Drum with static colour light & Ceiling with dynamic colour light 4) Both have different colours changing dynamically.
Demonstration Suite Lighting: In Indian Culture all ordinal & cardinal directions have their representative chakra, colour, swara (notes), etc. Interestingly this understanding has been explored to locate the lighting colour required in this room i.e. blue & indigo/violet colour. Further, it was derived that Raga Bhairav’s bandish is used for placing these lights in the 135 odd glass lenses used to house the source. Regularly the 3K shade of light will be used to illuminate the space.
Photo Shoot Precinct Lighting: ‘Light is the shadow of God’ as Thomas Browne beautifully expresses, akin feeling arises as one enters into this pristine white photoshoot space. After all the walk from 260 colours shades of the reception area, to the black demonstration suite, through to the grey office space; one arises in this pure white space which expeditiously captivates & actuates the experiencer in meditative positure.
Material: The tessellated drum has been fabricated in 1.2mm mild steel sheet by the local fabricators on-site & is painted white. The partitions are made in metal framework cladded with cement sheet & then coloured.
The consequent studio design peacock’s mystery, miracle, and magic. The outcome is a harmony of conception, method and expression bringing akhanda rasa, undifferentiated and unabridged delight and delightfulness. Especially it is an inspiration & is hamming the required mettle to future generations residing in small towns of our country to bring glory to design.