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Nek Chand’s figurines from Rock Garden adorn Architecture Museum

According to Deepika Gandhi, the Director of the Museum, the versatility of the materials that Le Corbusier used for the making of Chandigarh are also reflective of Nek Chand’s works, who worked with diverse materials to create a wealth of art.

Nek Chand’s figurines from Rock Garden Works of Nek Chand at Architecture Museum in Chandigarh. Kamleshwar Singh

IT WAS after many debates and discussions that some of Nek Chand’s figurines from the Rock Garden formed a part of the collection of the Chandigarh Architecture Museum, Sector 10, which was set up in 1997 to document, preserve and showcase rare documents, sketches, archives, related to the making of Chandigarh.

On the third floor of the museum are panels on the history of the Rock Garden as well as a description of the making of the Rock Garden and Nek Chand’s philosophy and ideas for the unique space, with his work, made from waste materials now synonymous with Chandigarh. The sculptures of a man and a woman with a pot and planter, a monkey, etc, displayed prominently in front panels, make a special appearance in the museum, as a counterpoint to the strict geometry of the city.

According to Deepika Gandhi, the Director of the Museum, the versatility of the materials that Le Corbusier used for the making of Chandigarh are also reflective of Nek Chand’s works, who worked with diverse materials to create a wealth of art. Gandhi points to an interesting panel here, depicting a collection of stones by Pierre Jeanneret from the Ghaggar riverbed used as sculptural pieces, with Nek Chand also using materials from the Ghaggar for the initial work at the Rock Garden. “The creators were unaware of each other’s existence. Yet, you can see the similarity of thought and these are links that visitors can appreciate here,” added Gandhi.

Professor Rajnish Wattas, former principal of Chandigarh College of Architecture, remembers that a number of eminent architects, including S D Sharma, who has designed the sculptural building of the museum, adapted from a structure designed by Le Corbusier as an Exhibition Pavilion in Zurich, in 1965 were of the firm opinion that the landscape section of the museum would have a collection by Nek Chand. It is a section, adds Gandhi, which reflects the work done in the city after Corbusier with the Rock Garden, a creation that is known across the world. “This is a space which provides rare insights and creates many connects with the city and its making,” sums up Gandhi.

First uploaded on: 19-11-2017 at 12:22 IST
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