THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Kanakakunnu Palace grounds is hosting a unique four-day event called 'Spaces' which concludes on Sunday.
Jointly organised by Kerala Tourism, DC Books and DC school of Architecture and Design, it deals with aspects of design, culture and politics through discussions and demonstrations.
The highlight of the opening day was the session 'Architecture as culture: A symbiotic reflection' attended by Sri Lankan architect Palinda Kannagara, who is famous for his environment-friendly buildings.
He brought the recent floods into attention by connecting the impact of architectural ethics to the disaster which had its second visit on August 8, 2019.
"We have a duty to set an example to the society," Palinda told DC as he continued to reinforce the idea that bad architecture which leaves a footprint on the environment is the 'villain' behind the floods.
He recalled a similar situation he faced in Sri Lanka where he built a house on a scaffolding which reduces its imprint on the environment.
The session on 'Pageant and the paining bodies: counter-discourses on ideal female bodies' showed Anvita Sudarshan, the Miss India Kuwait (2011), facing questions on what beauty is and how to combat body shaming. With her experience of being overweight at the age of 13, she recalled to DC how she tackled body shaming.
"Beauty which has been institutionalised has been passed down from old traditions. Sometimes our reaction takes something healthy as a defensive" said Anvita.
Scores of visitors ranging from normal college students to professionals who are working in architecture and engineering sectors, attended the first-day event.
"Spaces event is all about giving a calm but serious tone and feel to it where artisans are coming up with installations. Tackling various topics such as the ideals of the female body, on how architecture and culture are connected truly make this event an open space for different thoughts", said a visitor.
