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Constructed Images: Taj Mahal, Agra, India

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Constructed Images By Pritam Lenka [Pic1 – Taj Mahal, Agra, India] Hola! Gracias!! Taught by a Columbian friend on a social networking site, these words are the first ones that come out of my mouth when I land at Barcelona. Sipping from my first cup of Café Con Leche, I proceed towards my hostel, ignorant of the fact that during my course of stay in this architecturally rich city, I would eventually start questioning myself over years of accepted philosophies. While taking long walks through l’Eixample, Raval, and the Las Rambla, I realize myself going through a surge of contrasting spatialities and varied notions. And I rethink for a moment my previous subconscious connection with Barcelona. The splendor of Sagrada Familia and Porta Fira Towers …show more content…

So what images are associated with India? Is it the alluring beauty and grandiose of the Taj Mahal? Or a tiny, seemingly insignificant Om symbol, which when carved into any rock gives it the status of a shrine? Similar to the padlock that a lovely lady ties to a bridge or fence to symbolize her love! [Pic2 – Padlock at the Bridge] I feel myself being captivated by the power of those architectural images that depict underlying meaning than those that portray mere Opticality . And from here begins my intellectual journey of finding answers to one question—can self-constructed images defy accepted notions and represent the real power of Architecture? I recall the numerous Odishan temples where my parents used to take me when I was a kid. The decreasing light, the increasing enclosure, and the intensifying solitude en-route to the dark sanctums would overpower me. And cut-off from the world outside, I would engage, undisturbed, in a personal one to one dialogue. Architecture creates images (narratives) just like a movie. This particular image, where form loses its importance with darkness, redefines the power that Architecture

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