Launch: Bombay Deco

On September 1 we had a very special gathering at Tarq Gallery in Colaba. We’re delighted to have partnered with Hena Kapadia and the gallery team to unveil the zine Bombay Deco: Hidden in Plain Sight at the historic Dhanraj Mahal building. The venue was extra special as it’s one of the most iconic examples of Art Deco architecture in the island city.

Prof. Mustansir Dalvi, faculty at the Sir JJ School of Architecture delivered a lecture about ‘The Architects of Bombay Deco’, to introduce the subject. He shared his insightful research into the student work produced at the College, the professional practice of leading architects in the 1930-60s and the development of Bombay Deco as a style unique to the city’s character.

It was a wonderful evening made even better by the support of so many of Storycity’s readers and former team members. Our ever enthusiastic friend Nupur Joshi of Paper Planes also opened sales of the zine on their website. The response has already been terrific!

Read more about Bombay Deco: Hidden in Plain Sight or follow our Instagram @storycityindia

Be a Part of Heritage: INTACH Mumbai

The INTACH Mumbai Chapter came up with the fantastic idea of inviting heritage enthusiasts from around Mumbai to share their individual research. Storycity was delighted to participate on June 17, 2017. Our Editor, Ruchita Madhok made a presentation about our Tiling Bombay project investigating the design history of Mumbai’s 19th-century interiors.

Despite the rains, we had a really enjoyable time learning about all the intriguing and curious topics our fellow Mumbaikars are interested in. From lost statues to film studios, architectural wonders to historic disasters, there was something for everyone that day. Best of all, we finally got to meet some of our Instagram friends @vinampster and @bawmbe, with whom we’ve only interacted online and never actually met! A true meeting of minds and gathering of people after our own heart!

Look Down!

Hidden away in the heritage buildings, libraries, museums, home and offices of Mumbai, are floors filled with wondrous patterns made of handmade tiles. While exploring these century-old spaces and forgotten corridors, we discovered a rich trove of visual delight that we wanted to share. So we’re documenting and illustrating the gamut of colours, patterns and floors of these heritage building from South Mumbai.

Follow this project on Instagram @storycityindia to find out the story of each place.

An Open Call
If you know of places we can visit to document interesting heritage tiles, or have photos you think we could illustrate, send us your pictures or write to us or ping us on Instagram. We’re looking forward to creating this open archive with you!