Gira Sarabhai
Gira Sarabhai | |
|---|---|
 Gira Sarabhai in 1951 | |
| Born | 1923 |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Occupation(s) | Designer, curator, entrepreneur |
| Known for | National Institute of Design, Calico Museum of Textiles, Calico Dome, B.M. Institute of Mental Health |
| Movement | Modernism |
| Parent(s) | Seth Ambalal Sarabhai Saraladevi Sarabhai |
| Relatives | Gautam Sarabhai (brother) Vikram Sarabhai (brother) Gita Sarabhai Mayor (sister) Anasuya Sarabhai (aunt) Mrinalini Sarabhai (sister-in-law) |
Gira Sarabhai (born 1923) is an Indian architect, designer and a design pedagogue. She was born into the Sarabhai Family and was the youngest of eight siblings. She is known for contributing to several industrial and educational projects in Gujarat. Gira Sarabhai is the representative of the Sarabhai Foundation, a public charitable trust.[1] She lives in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.
Early life
Gira Sarabhai was born in 1923 to industrialist Seth Ambalal Sarabhai and Reva (later renamed as Saraladevi Sarabhai) and was the youngest of their eight children. She was home schooled along with her siblings, and never had formal education. In her late teens she moved to New York with her family. In New York, she trained with Frank Lloyd Wright at his Taliesin West Studio in Arizona from 1947 to 1951.[2] She and her brother, Gautam Sarabhai worked together in Calico Mills, and also in several other architecture and design projects. [3] She also started Shilpi, a graphic design agency which was the first Indian based advertising agency.[3]
Career and legacy
Gira along with her brother Gautam made significant contributions to modern architecture in India, during 1950s and 1960s. Sarabhai’s work was highly influenced by Frank Lloyd Wright.[3] They sought to create an architectural response to regional concerns by using local materials. They were instrumental in inviting Charles and Ray Eames, Buckminster Fuller, Louis Kahn and Frei Otto to Ahmedabad for developing architecture and design education in India. They contributed prominently to the setting up of several leading national institutes in Ahmedabad, such as the National Institute of Design,[2] Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad and B. M. Institute of Mental Health.[3]
In 1949, Sarabhai established, designed the building, and curated the Calico Museum of Textiles which houses a historic collection of Indian Fabrics. It is also a centre for design knowledge, resources, research and publication.[3] From 1951 to 1955, as Le Corbusier worked on the design of Villa Sarabhai, he consulted with Gira Sarabhai.[4]
Gira and Gautam worked in collaboration with Fuller to develop the experimental Calico Dome. It was the first space frame structure in India, which lays collapsed.[3][5]As of 2019, the dome is being reconstructed by the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation as a heritage site.[6]
Towards the later years of her career she started experimenting with traditional Indian forms, elements and motifs for her contemporary work.[3]
National Institute of Design
Gira, along with Gautam had been crucial in establishing the National Institute of Design at Ahmedabad (NID). They organized regular consultations at Sanskar Kendra Museum, with experts such as Dashrath Patel, James Prestini, and Vikram Sarabhai, to brainstorm on the academic model for the institute..[7] Under the mentorship of Gira and Gautam, the first batch of designers trained in India graduated.[8]
Kurma Rao gives Gira Sarabhai credit in shaping the Textile Design Program at NID. She would visit the institute, observe the students and give valuable feedback and make sure the students have full access to the Calico Museum, a privilege not extended to others.[2]
She was also instrumental in designing the iconic NID building. In 1964-65, she designed the partition system of NID based on the floor grid. She learnt about the nuances of architecture from Frank Lloyd Wright and fully applied her learning to the design of the NID building. The Sarabhais and their advisors meticulously worked on the architecture plans. Gira and Gautam supervised the tasks of getting materials, equipment and building administrative resources.[2]
In 1964, Gira Sarabhai, invited George Nakashima to Ahmedabad. He spent three weeks in the institute's wood workshop, designing chairs, benches, tables, ottomans, lounges, daybeds, shelves and mirror frames.[9] They were kept in production in limited numbers at the institute by referring to the detailed drawings and instructions left by Nakashima, until about 1975, when Sarabhai stepped down.[10]Sarabhai met with several people at The Royal College of Art in London and invited them to come to NID as consultants.[2]
S. M. Shinde recalls that she greatly valued discipline. She had a keen attention to detail, one couldn't place a nail where it was not meant to be.[2]
See also
References
- ^ S, Mohamed Imranullah (2018-08-14). "Vikram Sarabhai's sister wants idol theft case quashed". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2021-03-19.
- ^ a b c d e f National Institute of Design (2013). 50 Years of the National Institute of Design, 1961-2011. Ahmedabad: Research and Publications, National Institute of Design. ISBN 978-81-86199-71-8.
- ^ a b c d e f g Desai, Madhavi (2017). Women Architects and Modernism In India. Routledge. pp. 59–63. ISBN 978-1-138-28142-4.
- ^ UBBELOHDE, M. SUSAN (2003). "The Dance of a Summer Day: Le Corbusier's Sarabhai House in Ahmedabad, India". Traditional Dwellings and Settlements Review. 14 (2): 65–80. ISSN 1050-2092. JSTOR 41758019.
- ^ "Explained: The signature of Kahn and other foreign architects on Indian cities". The Indian Express. 2020-12-29. Retrieved 2021-03-24.
- ^ Aug 17, TNN / Updated; 2019; Ist, 06:54. "Gujarat: Nine years on, no progress on Calico Dome | Ahmedabad News - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 2021-03-26.
{{cite web}}:|last2=has numeric name (help)CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Lautman, Victoria (2013-04-20). "'The timing was fortunate'". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2021-03-20.
- ^ world, STIR. "Design education in India: An experiment in modernity". www.stirworld.com. Retrieved 2021-03-19.
- ^ Kachru, Tanishka (2017). Nakashima at NID. Ahmedabad: NID Press. p. 4. ISBN 978-81-86199-87-9.
- ^ "George Nakashima's iconic grass-seated chairs up for auction at Saffronart". The Week. Retrieved 2021-03-19.