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The Hindu
19-07-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
A tale of two cities: Mumbai and Chennai
When Art Deco was introduced to the world in April 1925 at the Paris Exposition, it was in many ways a reaction to Art Nouveau, a style that was based on the premise of nature-abhorring straight lines and formal geometry. Art Deco brought geometric shapes into sharp focus once again and, interestingly, it did so with the same materials that Art Nouveau had espoused: iron, glass, concrete, and later aluminium, chromium, and mosaics. Worldwide, the arrival of the architecture and design style coincided with many technological advances. Machinery was playing a greater role in daily life, concrete was being used increasingly for construction, large ocean liners were in vogue, and flying was just beginning to come into its own. Art Deco would make use of all these. In America, where cinema was exploding, the new architectural form came to be closely associated with it. Studios, cinema theatres and even stars' houses came to be built in the Art Deco style. It was almost as though a new medium demanded a new architectural form. And it wasn't limited to just buildings; it extended to furniture, crockery, glassware, electric lights, even jewellery. It also influenced English typefaces. Banks lead the way In India, Art Deco arrived in Bombay in 1932. In many ways, it reflected the aspirations of Indians. At a time when British business houses dominated the economy, a few Indians dreamt of becoming entrepreneurs. And when it came to their offices, they chose Art Deco. The first was that of Syndicate Bank in Bombay. And soon Art Deco became the idiom of Indian-run banks, insurance companies and stockbroking firms — as though they were turning their backs on the colonial styles of Indo Saracenic and Bombay Gothic. Bombay was by then the financial capital of India. And its Art Deco icons were large edifices with extensive decorative motifs done in concrete. Even today, many of these survive in the Fort and surrounding areas, some maintained in splendid fashion. But it was undoubtedly the Marine Drive, with its curve dominated by Art Deco buildings, that gave the city its distinctive character. Mansions vs. flats Madras bungalows took to Art Deco but in Bombay, where space was always a constraint, it was flats that came to be in the new style. This is also why Madras lost much of its Art Deco, as pulling down a bungalow is far easier than getting tenants and owners to vacate a block of flats. Ironically, that led to Bombay preserving much of its Art Deco and making it the second largest agglomeration of that style in the world, after Miami. Madras was just a few years behind, its Art Deco beginning not with Dare House (1938), which houses the offices of the Murugappa Group, as is often believed, but with the Oriental Insurance Building on Armenian Street in 1936. To see the equivalent of Bombay's Marine Drive here, we need to visit NSC Bose Road. If the British business houses were just round the corner on First Line Beach, on NSC Bose Road came up Indian edifices in Art Deco: State Bank of Mysore, Bombay Mutual, and National Insurance, which together with Dare House present almost a uniform skyline. At right angles on the Esplanade are United India, Madras (now Chennai) House and the Tamil Isai Sangam. Deeper inside are other jewels such as Andhra and Prithvi Insurance buildings. The Art Deco design did away with the portico, a standard feature of Indo Saracenic design, the buildings opened onto the street, and also introduced plenty of windows, as opposed to the verandahs of earlier design. Cinema, the biggest ambassador But it was undoubtedly cinema that took Art Deco to the public. As Bombay and Madras were its capitals, the style came to flourish in theatres and studios as well. The first Art Deco cinema theatre in India is almost certainly Bombay's Regal, opening for business in 1933. It was designed by Charles Stevens, whose father F.W. Stevens had designed the Victoria (now Chhatrapati Shivaji) Terminus. In Madras, Casino, which opened in 1941, was perhaps the first in the new style, and its architect was a Parsi — one of the sons of the Irani owners. Parsi dominion Indian architects spearheaded Art Deco in Bombay and Madras. The establishment of the Indian Institute of Architects in Bombay in 1929 had much to do with the growth of this form. Almost all the proponents were Parsis — Mistry, Bhedwar, Divecha, and Dastur, to name a few — and some Maharashtrians such as Mhatre. Madras was introduced to Art Deco by a Maharashtrian, L.M. Chitale, whose legacy includes his eponymous firm, well into the third generation. The only difference: the Madras buildings were smaller and plainer. Perhaps it reflected the local psyche. Cinema remained faithful to the design long after it had faded elsewhere. In rural India, theatres continued to be built in the Art Deco style well into the 1960s, as it was felt that the movie-going populace associated it most closely with cinema. Worldwide, however, the style had faded by the late 1940s. World War II meant a huge disruption of shipping lines and a collapse of economy worldwide, and the Great Depression had just preceded it. When these ended, it was time for new designs reflective of socialist patterns of society. Sadly, not much of Art Deco survives in India. While the Raj edifices were considered heritage, Art Deco was not old enough to merit protection. It is in this context that Mumbai's success in getting UNESCO recognition for its Art Deco is significant. The writer and historian is based in Chennai.
Miami Herald
16-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Miami Herald
At the Wolfsonian-FIU, all the world's a fair
Halfway across the world in Japan as thousands of visitors are diving into the future at Expo 2025, a Miami Beach museum is giving locals a view into the World's Fairs of the past. 'World's Fairs: Visions of Tomorrow' at the Wolfsonian-FIU explores the once-popular International Exposition event format, using the museum's extensive collection of design-related objects to illustrate World's Fair events, which served as celebrations of scientific and technological progress. 'In the past, it was the only big way to see new technologies or representations of nations through their pavilions,' says Silvia Barisione, chief curator at the Wolfsonian. The exhibition arrives a few months after Expo 2025 officially opened on April 13 in Osaka, Japan's third most populous city and a previous World's Fair host. Neither the current fair nor the previous 1970 edition in the city, which was the first official expo to be hosted in Asia and held the record for most-attended until Shanghai in 2010, are mentioned due to the museum not holding any of the collateral tied to the events in its current collection. Instead, the focus is on the late 19th and early 20th century, the era when World's Fairs were at their height. Eight expos are covered that illustrate the format's rise, heyday, and decline, from the spectacular Paris Exposition of 1889 through the futuristic New York fairs of 1939 and 1964 to the environmentally focused Expo '74 in Spokane, Washington. They show the transformation of the concept across time: Originally conceived of in the 19th century as soft-power competitions between imperial powers, they evolved into idealistic displays of technological progress and eventually into a way for developing nations to put themselves on the map. 'We have a very comprehensive collection of World's Fair materials,' says Frank Luca, chief librarian at the Wolfsonian. 'So space was the biggest consideration of what we couldn't include, but in terms of what we wanted to include, it was those kinds of iconic structures that really lend themselves to this idea of a Utopian future.' Objects from various fairs display the major structures and innovations of each event. A bronze statue from the Paris Exposition shows builders crafting the Eiffel Tower, which was built as a temporary structure for the fair. The first consumer television set, an RCA Victor TRK 12 the size of a washing machine, displayed at the 1939 New York World's Fair, shows the role of Expos in debuting new technology. Posters, brochures, and other archival materials speak to the ways World's Fairs were used as showcases for modern design. A book from the 1929 Barcelona International Exhibition shows the German Pavilion, a landmark of the International Style designed by legendary Modernist architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. Posters from the Chicago World's Fair of 1933, meanwhile, focus on the emerging Art Deco style that would become extremely popular in Miami Beach the following decade. According to Luca, the fairs of this era were meant to give people hope in dark times. 'During the Great Depression, you had more American World's Fairs than in any other decade,' he says. 'In troubled times, you need to boost people's morale. You need to get architects, engineers, construction workers working to build all these structures, and people to man the buildings and these rides once they are built. This was considered a great way to boost your economy and attract domestic and international tourism. It was considered a win-win, economically and psychologically for people who are extremely stressed.' The exhibition also shows how World's Fairs have at times given way to more overt political expression. Guidebooks from the 1958 Brussels Expo feature contrasting visions of the future during the Cold War: A consumerist utopia at the U.S. pavilion next to the technological prowess of the Soviet Union. The 1939 section displays a maquette for 'The Threatening Shadow,' a proposed sunshade sculpture modeled after a line of soldiers giving the Nazi salute. Conceived as a cri de coeur against the then-rising wave of fascism sweeping across Europe, it was rejected by the organizers and never built. Although most World's Fair pavilions are torn down after the end of each exhibition, remnants of various World Expos still exist in cities all over the world. The Eiffel Tower was considered by artists and intellectuals 'a monstrosity at the time,' says Barisione, but soon became a timeless and beloved icon of its city. The same is true of the Atomium in Brussels, the Seattle Space Needle, and Habitat '67 in Montreal. Parks such as Flushing Meadows in Queens, New York and Chicago's Midway are former Expo sites. Yet despite this legacy, World's Fairs basically disappeared from North America in the 1980s. Geopolitical events such as the oil crisis of 1973 and the environmentalist movement caused the public to call the costly events into question, while theme parks such as Disney's Epcot and sporting events like the Olympic Games began to emerge as alternatives. As a result, Barisione says, 'people don't know what a World's Fair is.' Yet the curators hope that by educating the public about these utopian events, they can address the similar political issues of our own time. 'We also want to remember the historical context,' says Luca, 'because very often these fairs are done in troubled times, as a means of saying, 'oh, I know things aren't great right now, but things will be better.'' If you go: WHAT: 'World's Fairs: Visions of Tomorrow' WHERE: The Wolfsonian-FIU, 1001 Washington Ave., Miami Beach WHEN: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. Open until 9 p.m. on Friday. Through Feb. 22, 2026. COST: $12 for adults; $8 for seniors, students with ID, and children ages six to 18; free for members, Florida residents, visitors with disabilities and accompanying caregivers, children under 6, Florida university system students and staff, and active U.S. military and veterans with ID INFORMATION: 305-531-1001 or is a nonprofit media source for the arts featuring fresh and original stories by writers dedicated to theater, dance, visual arts, film, music, and more. Don't miss a story at
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
Bringing 'Cha' to the World: International Expositions and the 'Selling' of Japanese Tea
The prototype for today's international expositions, where countries from around the world showcase new products and their specialties and which provide opportunities for cultural exchanges and business talks, is said to be the Crystal Palace Exhibition in London in 1851. Scholars Yoshino Ako and Ido Kōichi explore Japan's participation in modern world's fairs, starting from the 1867 Paris Exposition through to the 1933–34 Chicago World's Fair. In Kindai banpaku to cha: Sekai ga odoroita Nihon no kissagaikō shi (Modern World Expositions and Tea: A History of Japan's Tea Diplomacy), the authors, who researched newspaper reports and other historical materials and visited former expo sites, provide a chronological rundown on the connection between these fairs and the spread of Japanese tea and tea culture. The Birth of Wakōcha Exports The Tokugawa shogunate sent a delegation from Japan, headed by Tokugawa Akitake, younger brother of shogun Tokugawa Yoshinobu, to the 1867 Paris Exposition, organized by French emperor Napoleon III. Among the delegation's members were Shibusawa Eiichi, later known as the 'father of the Japanese capitalism,' and at the shōgun's request, representatives of the powerful domains of Satsuma and Saga. The book relates that the Japanese pavilion's tearoom created a sensation among Parisians and that the exhibit was awarded a silver medal by Napoleon III. Japanese tea was featured, marking the start of the relationship between ocha and world expositions. A photo from the book showing kimono-clad women at the Japanese pavilion's tearoom at the 1867 Paris Exposition. (© Album/Quintlox/Kyōdō) In 1873, Saga Prefecture exhibited kōcha , or black tea, at the Vienna World's Fair. While Japan's principal tea beverage was unfermented green tea, but authorities from Saga had learned at the 1867 Paris Exposition that black tea, created by fermenting tea leaves, was preferable for export to Europe. Subsequently, tea growers throughout Japan began producing wakōcha , black tea grown and produced in Japan, which, according to the authors, was a historic moment for the Japanese tea industry. Incidentally, Buddhist monk Baisaō (1675–1763), founder of senchadō variation of the Japanese tea ceremony distinguished by its use of green tea leaves rather than matcha , hailed from Saga, the birthplace of wakōcha . Introducing the 'Way of Tea' International expositions were also a way of introducing Japan's tea culture to the world. At the Centennial Exposition of 1876 in Philadelphia, held to mark the 100th anniversary of US independence, a list of exhibits contains three references to 'cha-no-yu.' The authors note in their book that this may be the first mention of sadō , the Japanese tea ceremony, in an official document. At the 1878 Paris Exposition, the Japanese pavilion included a tea house; a pamphlet in French explained the history of sadō . According to the book, industrialist, art collector, and founder of the Mitsui trading house Masuda Takashi (1848–1938) dispatched three carpenters from Japan to erect the structure. Later in life, Masuda became a tea ceremony master under the name Donnō. Okakura Kakuzō (or Tenshin, 1868–1913), best known for his The Book of Tea that was published in New York in 1906, acted as a presenter of Japan's tea culture at two world fairs. He wrote an explanatory pamphlet in English about the Hōōden tea house at the Japanese pavilion at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair, and at the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis, he spoke on the artistic cachet of 'cha-no-yu.' Spotlight on Japanese Women Although featuring Japanese tea at world expositions first and foremost reflected the government's export promotion policy, tea also played a role in promoting Japanese culture, which is described in the book through the contributions of Japanese women. The Japanese pavilion's tearoom at the 1867 Paris Exposition, Japan's first world's fair, was attended by three geisha who had traveled to Paris for the occasion. At the time, the Japanese women were an object of fascination among the French public, and many people flocked to see them. At the Panama–Pacific International Exposition held in San Francisco in 1915, the Japanese pavilion featured a Japanese tearoom made of cypress that was attended by seven young 'tea girls' wearing kimono with long, flowing sleeves. A February 2, 1915, article in the local Japanese-language newspaper The Japanese American News reported on the women's arrival in San Francisco, describing them as 'well-educated young ladies from good families' that included the daughters of a high-ranking government official and of a navy admiral. At the 1933 Chicago World's Fair, 10 nisei (second-generation Japanese-American) women were hired to staff the Japanese pavilion's tearoom. They were also featured on picture postcards and in advertising materials for Japanese green tea. That fair also showcased the Rinkōtei tearoom, which was furnished with tables and chairs. The tearoom had been donated by Masuda to foster friendship between Japan and the United States. The tea was prepared by the 20-year-old daughter of a Japanese surgeon who had been sent from Japan for the occasion. Japanese Tea Presence Boosted at US World Fairs During the days of empire when the Western powers ruled the world, tea was an important international commodity. Green tea and semi-fermented oolong tea along with black tea grown in China and exported to Europe and North America dominated the market at the time. The British Empire, dependent on tea imports from China, fought back by setting up huge plantations for Assam black tea in its colonial territories of India and Ceylon (today Sri Lanka). Beginning in the late nineteenth century, when Japan established its own empire, green tea was exported mainly to the United States. In the aftermath of the first Sino-Japanese War (1894–95), Taiwan became a Japanese colony, and oolong and other teas from Taiwan were also exported to the United States via Japan. The book includes details about the Taiwan tearooms at the St. Louis, San Francisco, and Paris world expositions. Robert Hellyer, a researcher of the modern tea trade, also makes an appearance in the book. Hellyer is a descendant of the nineteenth-century founders of Hellyer & Company, a Nagasaki-based tea exporter that Hellyer mentions in his book Green with Milk and Sugar: When Japan Filled America's Tea Cups . In the work, Hellyer describes how Japanese green tea became popular in the US Midwest beginning in the late 1800s, so much so that it was called 'green tea country.' Hellyer believes that the world's fairs in the midwestern cities of St. Louis and Chicago helped raise awareness of green tea in the region. But this tea trade ended abruptly with Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor. Japan lost its empire with its defeat in 1945, and the government's prewar ambitions of having Japanese tea take over global markets evaporated with it. Yoshino and Ido conclude their book by noting that Japanese tea exports have begun rising again. Japan has, of course, gone on to host six international expositions of its own, starting with the 1970 Osaka Expo, the first held in Asia. I have heard that many events at the current exposition, Expo 2025 Osaka Kansai, also incorporate the concept of omotenashi hospitality embodied by sadō . The Playground of Life: Jellyfish Pavilion, especially, exemplifies the spirit of tea, and I am looking forward to new relationships emerging between Japanese tea and world expositions. Kindai banpaku to cha: Sekai ga odoroita Nihon no kissagaikō shi (Modern World Expositions and Tea: A History of Japan's Tea Diplomacy) By Yoshino Ako and Ido KōichiPublished by Tankōsha Publishing in February, 2025 ISBN: 978-4-473-04660-4
The Hindu
06-05-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
Celebrating 100 years of the Art Deco style in Madras
It was on April 29, 1925, that the Paris Exposition formally introduced the Art Deco style to the world. It took 10 years for the form to come to Madras. In between, Bombay took to it, the Syndicate Bank building in that city being the country's first, completed in 1932. And it was a man from the Bombay Presidency who brought Art Deco to this city. Laxman Mahadeo Chitale (1892-1960) was noticed for his skills in drawing by Maharaja Sayaji Rao Gaekwad III of Baroda and took up a draughtsman course and then apprenticed under H.V. Lanchester, who was, in the early 1900s, one of the architects consulted for the city of New Delhi. In the event he did not get that contract but went on to design Umaid Bhavan Palace in Jodhpur, one of India's largest residences in the Art Deco style. Corner entrance Returning after a few years in England working with Lanchester, Chitale moved to Madras, joined the PWD, and then quit in 1932 to set up practice as an independent architect. And thus began Madras' journey in Art Deco. His first major structure in that style in the city was the Oriental Insurance Building, on Armenian Street. Making full use of a corner plot, Chitale, in the style popularised by Sir Edwin Lutyens in Delhi, designed a building with a corner entrance, thereby maximising the sides along two streets. Oriental Insurance Building, still standing, was also the city's first multi-storey, for it had six floors, counting two in the basement. Bombay had already set the trend for banks and insurance companies floated by Indians building their headquarters in the Art Deco style. It was almost as though they wanted to defy British business interests by breaking free of Neo-classical, Indo-Saracenic, and Bombay Gothic. And so Madras followed suit. Chitale built many such as the National Insurance Building (1938) on China Bazaar Road and almost certainly the Andhra Insurance Building (1939). Raja Sir Annamalai Chettiar took a great liking to Chitale and got him to design the Annamalai University building. He therefore designed the Annamalai Manram on the Esplanade in 1952 as well. It is a happy amalgam of Chettinad and Art Deco. Theatres followed suit The rest of the city was not idle. Cinema theatres, which had till then adhered to the strictly classical, and mostly with a street front box office, took to Art Deco, probably with Casino (1941). Cinema studios — Gemini, AVM, and Vijaya-Vauhini — all had even their preview theatres in Art Deco! Businesshouses found the style attractive, with Parry demolishing its old buildings and constructing a new one in 1938, the present Dare House. Even P Orr & Sons, archives reveal, toyed with an Art Deco structure to replace its Chisholm-designed building, but never got around to it. All along NSC Bose Road, the old Madras Christian College campus was sold in lots, and Art Deco edifices came up, most still standing. Even Connemara underwent a facelift in the new style. Hotels such as Oceanic and Dasaprakash were jewels of Art Deco. In housing too, Art Deco became a trend for residences in T. Nagar, Mylapore, Alwarpet, and Adyar. Silverware and furniture took to Art Deco and print used its fonts. It was all the rage. By the 1950s though, the style was giving way to the Modernist/Brutalist made fashionable by Socialist thought. Today, Mumbai has managed to get UNESCO protection for its Art Deco, at least for Marine Drive. We, on the other hand, have watched most of our buildings vanish. We need to protect what is left. (V. Sriram is a writer and historian.)
