The ClanDestine House
House of Berserk x R+R Architects
Art Collaborator: House of Berserk | Studio Head: Priyanka Thaker
Architecture Firm: R+R Architects | Principal Architects: Ramesh Lohar and Raghav Patel
Photography Credit: Photographix India
Meant To Be.
‘Clandestine’ refers to something done secretively, bearing an illicit demeanour. The christening of this collaboration stems from a feeling of joy, gratitude, and merry-making (illicit or not).
CLAN + DESTINE
The former is a group of interrelated families (biological or chosen).
The latter hints at being chosen for a particular purpose.
The home and our paths crossed serendipitously. The process went far beyond what jargon could define as ‘scope of work’ on paper, making the architects, the homeowners, and us comrades who laughed, butted heads, and celebrated voraciously while we were at it!
We came together to celebrate journeys, anecdotes, and dreams through the kaleidoscope of art — transient, vivid, and joyous in its demeanour.
The ClanDestine House offers its blueprint to the Patels as a recreational extension of their sumptuous home. This basement to their private residence sits burrowed under the endless stretch of verdure, refusing to divulge what it holds.
Tabula rasa.
Our former site visits revealed a ‘naked’ space. A sea of white over the walls, umber balustrades, and veined grey marble defined the almost cavernous expanse that showcased an interplay of morphing volumes and fleeting natural light.
Craving character, colour in vivacious doses, and the absence of it in some, our intent focused on lending the space definition through palpable storytelling.
Our partners in crime, R+R Architects, bear a penchant for monochromes; their spaces are primarily dictated by the principles of minimalism and a mindful tryst with colour. Engaging in a creative jig, we celebrate pushing each other’s perception of possibilities with every collaboration. Raghav and Ramesh remind the folks of House of Berserk of the beauty in restraint while we take them on a whirlwind tour of hues. It is a coming together of worlds, creating art and spaces that are inextricably bound.
Coming to the ones who dwell within — gregarious, warm, and well-travelled, the Patels are every benevolent stereotype Gujaratis are synonymous with! What came through unmistakably was their evident love, gesturally-rich conversations, animated retellings of holidays across the globe, and their ability to make you feel like you’ve known them your entire life.
Art for their home would be an ode to all this and more. A narrative of life so far while making plenty of room for what is yet to come. In this endeavour, thresholds and spatial surfaces become one with the art, lacing one’s path with visually-rich surprises galore!
MOVING CACHE
The first monochrome work of art takes over the formerly bare staircase wall as one approaches the basement’s depth.
The word ‘moving’ hints at the trajectory of experiences and moments creating the illustration. It also personifies the literal movement while journeying through the volume, the visuals walking alongside an observer.
The word ‘cache’ represents a collection of items stowed in a hidden location. The name of this artwork nods to the almost elusive location of the structure, connected yet discreetly associated with the residence.
Inspired by their archived photographs, conversations, and banter, we’ve dreamt up an animated memory reel that comes undone, retelling tales through bizarre and nostalgic elements. Conjuring the timelessness of black and white, the imagery is a surrealist take on reminiscing the family’s escapades. The art unfurls as a line illustration that inconspicuously contorts into metal silhouettes, making it seem alive.
The visual narrative depicts anonymous characters on a venturesome quest around the world, accompanied by a smorgasbord of ancient dinosaurs, unbothered Swiss cows, parachute-strapped dogs, cats strumming guitars, and shoals of myriad fish juxtaposed against renowned architectural landmarks. Intriguingly, one’s route across the staircase is also projected in the imagery — starting the journey on land and pictorially descending into an underwater, submerged vignette.
A collage of animate beings, inanimate objects, and whimsical maps across time and space, Moving Cache is a travelogue of experiences where each moment weaves seamlessly into the next. The installation can be peppered with curios, photographs, and trinkets as the Patels explore new places, offering them an ever-morphing canvas.
Towards the landing, an enfolded, mild steel installation stands like a delicate sculpture, illuminated so its shadows project ephemeral glimpses across the ceilings; its silhouette also depicts scenes of the family’s odyssey.
BLESSEDLY
A powerful word and emotion in equal strengths, the name of this artwork is a homage to feeling an overwhelming sense of freedom from the banalities of life.
Tracing the course through the stairwell, one is funnelled into an informal lounge inhabited by the family during intimate soirées. Entering the lounge, one is surprised by an eclectic celebration of colour, an experience they become privy to upon facing the feature wall, slatted by perforations painted over by hand.
Inspired thoroughly by the roots of Cubism, the canvas of the walls is layered with fragmented, abstract figures and objects that speak of chaotic yet vibrant chronicles. The organic and angular silhouettes birth a free-flowing composition tinted in a spectrum of warm and cool tones; a bold gradient lets the hues play hide-and-seek along both halves of the illustration.
A semiotic stimulus is evident in this artwork, using a blend of figures and symbols to paint a descriptive visual that can be interpreted in numerous ways. The imagery unfolds vividly and remains discreet in some nodes, enticing an observer’s gaze to unearth slivers of clues!
A blissful mood seems apparent to the onlooker, collaging imagery of the family’s past, present, and future together — expressive faces, brimming chalices held in many hands, mystical animals, and musical instruments dot the composition, bound by a satirical undertone. Think of it as our perception of the family’s energy, distilled into the space bearing witness to blissful days spent in the company of kith and kin.
A beloved detail is of symbols of birds that have been embedded into the matrix, marking new beginnings and flights of inspiration across renewed horizons. A new space and energy for the Patels to claim!
With over 30 original colours, the studio intended to break the mould of using cool and warm tones, entertaining the notion of their coexistence which was both unapologetic and endearing! The cooler palette poses as a backdrop to the seating (passive) zone, flowing into the warmer palette that frames zones where people are steeped in movement (active).
Daylight seeps into the lounge abundantly in the mornings, permeating the skylight and enlivening the art. At dusk, the interiors light up warmly, doubling the wall’s presence as a reflection over the glass doors connecting the lounge to the outdoor dining area.
Colour Me Yours.
The ClanDestine House has enabled us to view our abilities and growth in a different light, reminding us of the everlasting imprint people have on their spaces and the power of experiences we fight to keep alive in our hearts.
Art is supposed to let one feel, reminisce, and imagine. Joining forces with Raghav and Ramesh in this home is an ode to this sentiment. We fearlessly push each other to reinvent the nexus of art and spaces, the nucleus of all magic and mayhem!
In a world inundated with memory-starved phones and fictitious electronic clouds, this home and its people urge us to keep moments and those we love fiercely close. To let spaces become sincere storytellers of times cherished and awaited.