2020

Theme : response . conflict . response

Conflict is an inherent condition of existence and can be seen as an opportunity to be used as a constructive catalyst for change rather than something undesirable.

In the process of design, we are confronted with the conflict between various tangible and intangible aspects of the built environment spanning across various scales of interventions. We work with opposing and competing interests between individual identity and our shared humanity, between us and the natural ecosystems we inhabit and between our historical referents and the now.

In this light, Kurula Varkey Design Forum 2020 calls upon participants to reflect upon their projects in an attempt to uncover responsive architectural positions to the theme of this forum.

Curatorial Note

The KVDF team has been overwhelmed by the response to its call for entries and its curatorial team has enjoyed the process of engaging with the wide range of concerns raised across the 184 projects that were received. The discussions around choosing the final 15 projects were detailed, intense and rewarding in themselves. The selection is neither a judgement nor an endorsement of these projects, nor is it a rejection of those not chosen. It is an attempt to identify a set of design approaches which represent a diverse range of concerns and responses, schools of thought, modes of representations, and act as catalysts for a multifaceted and enriching discussion. All sub-themes have been curated in a manner that highlights the essential relationships across them, thereby tying them to the larger theme of ‘response . conflict . response’.