Memory Palace, Triptych — D R A W I N G (SPATIAL) F I C T I O N S

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‘Memory Palace, Triptych’
Graphite on paper. 2021.
(178 x 84 cm)

“I sat staring at the empty page in front of me for hours now. The sun had already set some time ago and the lights from my neighbors’ windows had long since extinguished. It was quiet, and the glowing warmth from my desk lamp did not help in keeping me awake. I felt paralyzed. Not only was the page larger than me, its enormity was emphasised by its bleak emptiness. The first mark was always the hardest for me. The graphite pencil which I had held since sitting down, had remained sharp ever since. Every now and then, I would sink back into my chair, looking up at the night sky. Each time, the moon had moved significantly. The room was cold. The winter had not yet left its place to spring just yet. To keep myself warm, I pulled my desk lamp closer, letting the warm light caress my face.

I closed my eyes.

I found myself standing at the edge of the hillside town of Modena. It was a cold evening and the setting sun would soon disappear behind the hills in the distance. I stood still, catching the last sun rays on my face, as it cast a long shadow on the cobbled stone beneath my feet. After some time, I moved away from the cliff and ventured through Modena’s hidden alleyways, wandering through the quiet labyrinthine streets. But, the sun was not setting. Instead, an intense light cast directly above me. A blinding yellow circle appeared within a vivid blue sky, with no cloud in sight to hide behind. It was now sweltering hot. Looking for shade, I passed through a series of passages and covered staircases. Moving through the cascading maze I suddenly found myself in Geneva’s Old Town, which resembled the Italian labyrinth. I felt myself being transported from one place to another, to times dating back months and years ago, though not in order The delicate and familiar moldings of the Église Saint-Augustin from my childhood in Paris appeared next to the ornate corner of the Manila Metropolitan Theatre… Grand Central Terminal’s central clock stood next to the Parisian lampposts I used to climb and spin around on as a child… a set of stairs from Kahn’s IIM in Ahmedabad stood next to one of Doshi’s lightwells from his Sangath… rain spouts from Le Corbusier Sanskar Kendra cast shadows onto the Quad’s Dome which was supposed to be back in London.

Vivid flashbacks. Some places, I have dwelled in for years, where I could remember every scar and texture. Others, I have only seen at a glance. All, have left a deep imprint within. I had travelled through times and spaces past. Like watching a reel of places that were so familiar to me. I went on a promenade along my memories.

…a daydream”