BEYOND MUSEUMS: PROJECT ‘FIKR’
He is a storyteller, whether it is reinventing or designing museums, redeveloping, and reinstating the narrative of heritage cities, chronicling history, or curating experiences, he does it with commendable dexterity. For DFI, ‘Fikr’ was a challenging design project. “Fikr is a profound manifesto. As a metaphor for the new stance on the sensitive subject of faith in Islam, the book narrates its true essence and leadership role in communicating its tenets. The book's subject matter is based on human perceptions, and thus the narration is subjective and easy to comprehend. It evolves the understanding of this faith, celebrating traditional values that are relevant to contemporary times. The meaning of Fikr in the context of the book would be a concern in English. This sentiment is associated with interest, welfare, happiness and borne out of a genuine sense of responsibility. From Fikr comes awareness and thought, which in turn leads to understanding and clarity. Eventually, the higher purpose is to seek direction and meaning for oneself and others,” explains the architect.
For ‘Fikr’ the ‘arch’ is used as a metaphor. “Just like the architectural element that frames the views beyond, for the manifesto, it frames Fikr: ideas, thoughts and reflections. At the same time, it entices one to look beyond them.” The symbolic representation of an open arch at the apex is a metaphor for the opening of the mind. A mind receptive to new ideas becomes the fulcrum of paradigm shifts in perceptions. Intense introspection and questioning are a part of this cathartic process.
Architecture is a powerful weapon, and Bathla wields it with responsibility to not just the structure that he is articulating, but also for the collective humanity that will experience it. Like he mentioned, he intends to create a repository of work for the future generation to study and reflect upon. His realm of architecture has moved beyond the materiality, the architectural detailing, or even the context. For Bathla, architecture is an evolved form of storytelling, which he excels at like a true showman.