30 AND THRIVING
The City Sch o o l of Architecture recently celebrated 30 years of architectural education by hosting the CSA Design Festival on the 05th of November 2016. The inaugural celebration included a number of stalls, student exhibitions and guest lectures which were attended by students, alumni and curious visitors alike. The event also marked the unveiling of the CSA 30th Anniversary publication as well as the first edition of the annual newsletter.
The festivities began with the lighting of the traditional oil lamp amidst tunes flowing from the Kiss FM radio stall. The gentle drizzle did not deter participants from visiting the numerous stalls; which included baked goods, trinkets and themed souvenirs. The studios held a plethora of activities designed to attract both older and younger visitors who had the opportunity to indulge in the student exhibition, gain information and clarification from the career guidance stall and take part in the giant Jenga set with frivolous abandon.
The student exhibition included design panels and models from various batches ranging from First years to Final year CDPs. The addition of beanbags and projected movies helped encourage curious visitors to relax and enjoy the dimly lit surroundings of the exhibition. The career guidance stall was manned by a rag- tag team of recent graduates, current students and lecturers all of whom provided advice and clarification on matters pertaining to the profession and degree. The games room mimicked the atmosphere of a student break room and allowed visitors to experience the camaraderie of university life through interactive games and installations.
The two- day design festival also boasted a (architecturally) star- studded line- up of speakers including; prominent Modernist Artist Prof. Jagath Weerasinghe, renowned Architects Madhura Prematilleke, Anjalendran and Channa Daswatte as well as popular academic figure David Robson. Each speaker elaborated on different topics of architectural significance, ranging from in- depth analyses of the relationship between Modernist art and design, detailed descriptions of personal projects and outlooks into the changing state of Geoffery Bawa’s designs.
The events wound down with a slow set of tunes performed by musical duo Lasith and Rushinee, and signaled the finale of the inaugural 30th Year celebratory Design Festival. Will there be more to come? Fingers crossed in anticipation of the next 30 years!