Material Immaterial Studio stands as a testament to the raw allure of architectural minimalism, crafting designs that transcend mere functionality to evoke profound aesthetic experiences. Their ethos are inherently minimalist in favor of a deliberate focus on omission rather than addition. In an interview with Nitin Barchha, the visionary behind the studio, we delve into the inspiration, philosophy, and aspirations that fuel this creative endeavor.
Architecture to Architectural Sculptures
I practiced architecture for eight years before founding the studio. I don't know any other language. I was looking for something iconic to give to somebody and I noticed a gap in the availability of iconic pieces in India. Instead of lamenting this shortage, I decided to fill the void by creating unique designs that merge architectural principles with functional art. So that was the tipping point.
Sanctum and Re-cast
We recently launched two collections, Sanctum and Re-cast. So Sanctum is a series of stepwell models. We have stepwells in our country at different places but they are usually the least visited. Very few people would really go to visit stepwells but they are marvellous pieces of architecture. When you talk of Amer fort or even the Red fort, they are built over time and generations. Similarly, a lot of these stepwells are built over generations, the first version of it was built in some 400 BC and then they were improvised over time. Sanctum as a series took us five years to make. We were basically taking pictures, mostly as a visual survey in different parts of the country and then we further shortlisted and slowly came down to nine pieces. So that's one of the reasons why it was fascinating to me. Another reason was that it was quite minimal in its approach. Most of it was very functional and when you have these functional architecture, the play of light and shadow is very evident in them.
With Re-cast, we wanted to give like a kit of tools for people to create furniture. Re-cast was essentially supposed to be for creating a space. We tried to capture as many elements of space as possible, combining it with the memories of the simple old houses. This was our version of what is heritage. Space is what should be preserved, not the decoration of the space.
Brutalist Movement
Brutalism is a movement that talks about stark minimalism, where you have only just the essential elements. Beauty is achieved by proportions and ratios, so there's no decoration to make a building look good. The building is beautiful just because of it's different proportions. This movement greatly inspired our practice of creating minimalist architectural sculptures.
Aspirations for Future
We are committed to exploring innovative designs that promote interaction and playfulness. We are working on more products that promote the interaction between humans and our sculptures. Our goal is to also garner international recognition while continuing to push the boundaries of architectural aesthetics.
Words Paridhi Badgotri
Date 14.05.2024