Art Ichol Journal

Scavenger’s Trick
to explore various levels of art-making. Art Ichol gave me these possibilities. Local
materials were used in new and inventive ways. Existing architectural forms as well as
heritage values of the region were incorporated into the design.
Ambica di’s dad, Suraj P. Subherwal was the first and obvious choice as the architect.
A veteran architect at eighty-four years, with his in-depth experience and boundless
energy he became our guide. And it was he, who gave Art Ichol the structure we see
today. I had initially thought of creating a big hall with high ceiling for displaying
ceramics, paintings and sculptures, but it was Papaji who designed an L-shaped
structure, which has a mezzanine floor, office space for Ambica di, an artist
coordinator’s room and multiple conveniences. Drawing inspiration from Khajuraho
it was decided to build the main building at a height, with steps to reach the top. I felt
then that it would be impressive to look at and today, I feel vindicated in my stance.
This building is the iconic Khaprael Kothi at Art Ichol.
We went hunting to Banaras and Govindgarh for stones, carved pieces, small bricks
and pillars. We picked up a number of odd objects and whatever crazy stuff that
caught our fancy. It was tough being on the road so much and scavenging through
all kinds of material, but it was interesting and funny too - in the way that we looked
at, collected and restored these objects. When we scouted around the Maihar area,
in the iron and wood scrap yards, people wondered what we were up to. Ambica
di belongs to one of the well-known families of Maihar and the locals were puzzled
upon seeing her at such places. It was tiresome and tricky explaining to them why we
were purchasing so much junk. We became known to all the kabariwalas in Maihar
and Rewa. The technical help we got in Maihar was not very skilled and this posed
a huge problem as they had to be supervised all the time. There were no assistants
but Ambica di herself was there, for anything and everything. So was Papaji. I have
been accustomed to having my own way and working independently but here, I had
to work along with Papaji and his emphasis on practical aspects. But, it was a huge
learning experience for me because his technical knowledge came in handy, especially
while executing my rather bizarre ideas. As we worked together, I learned to respect
him more and more. Above all, it was his approach to people around him which
taught me to respect my co-workers too.
photo courtesy: art ichol