Author: Ishika Arvind Jain
Site Location: Mumbai
Institute: G.S.Mandal’s Marathwada Institute of Technology- Dept. of Architecture
Advisor: Ar. Leena Aphale
description
Humans are constantly plagued by the thought of their mortality. We avoid addressing it in any form and physically steer away from spaces that signify death. Why do we fear it so intensely when it is a reality, we all have to face? This is what sparked my eagerness to comprehend such places.
The crematorium structures are dilapidated with basic and ill-maintained facilities. As a final year architecture student and my ability to perceive the importance of quality of space, seeing a final physical memory of a close person in such an ill-environment compounded the grief.
Much has been written about how architecture affects people’s emotion. It takes a lot of courage to open our hearts and express to the world how we feel at any given time, especially if the emotions that invade us, are negative. But there are those too, who display emotion through creative expression (sometimes even unconsciously).
Can architecture honour the deceased for a final time? Can it be a place that mitigates fear by facilitating celebration of life over death? Can architecture make it a symbol of life and not just death?
drawings
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As an architect, I find your idea very intriguing and inspiring. You raise some important questions about how architecture can relate to death and dying, and how it can create spaces that are meaningful, respectful, and comforting for the living and the dead. I resonate with completely with the thought of death being a reality that we all have to face, and that we should not fear it or avoid it, but rather embrace it as a part of life.
As a fellow architect, I think architecture can play a vital role in shaping our attitudes and experiences of death, and that it can honour the deceased for a final time by creating spaces that reflect their values, memories, and legacy.
I appreciate your careful effort and find your design to be a space that sensitively mitigates fear by facilitating celebration of life over death, and that it can make it a symbol of life and not just death by incorporating elements of nature, light, and art.
Well done and all the best!