26 July,2019 10:16 AM IST | | The Guide Team
Aaraan Patel and Jeff Nelson
Growing up in SoBo, artist Aaraan Patel developed a knack for framing old buildings he spotted in a way that does justice to their charm. So, when he learnt of visual artist and musician Jeff Nelson's works on how people use space, it fascinated Patel and he got in touch.
"Nelson takes bits of everything ranging from metropolitan decay to glory and creates a new language. We were both drawn to the changing conceptions of space in Mumbai. A quest to use land in different ways has been a part of the city's idÂentity for 200 years. Today, seÂeing projects completely transform the city and the fact that we stand to lose certain old-school buildings, got us thinking about doing this project," Patel tells us about Mumbai is Upgrading, a collection of digital artworks by Nelson that are based on Patel's photographs.
(Left) A frame of Esplanade Mansion that could face possible demolition, (right) and the corresponding digital artwork by Nelson
"We hope to get the younger audience to start paying attention to heritage through digital art. It's hard to look beyond the iconic buildings when you speak of this, but the old crowd of Bombay is well aware of this legacy," the 25-year-old explains. Though some building such as the Gateway of India and the Rajabai Clock Tower are being conserved, there are older structures - fort ruins in Mahim, Worli and Sewri - that aren't receiving the same attention, he adds. "An IIT audit recently recommended that India's first cast iron building, Watson's on Esplanade, be demolished. Since I photographed it, it's been covered in barricades and ropes. It's been interesting to see spaces transform over the few months we have been working on the project," Patel shares.
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