In the first episode of Cross Border Conversations – a STIR-original video series in collaboration with LOCO Design – we have London-based architect Arthur Mamou-Mani of Mamou-Mani Ltd and designer Ayaz Basrai of The Busride Lab from Goa, India.

The dialogue steered by STIR Founder and Editor-in-Chief, Amit Gupta, brought the two contemporaries together who as if sitting in a virtual cafe dropped their professional hats and chatted candidly like friends with common interests.

In the 60-minute conversation, they exchanged memories from some of their most unforgettable personal encounters in life that shaped their understanding of design and what it means to be a designer.

You need augmentation to be able to access a side of your psyche in a way that allows you to see workings of the universe. It allows you to look behind the curtain and see what makes things work. – Ayaz Basrai, The Busride Lab, Goa

Both Arthur and Ayaz employ computational tools and parametric techniques in their respective works – in short what the two refer as a process of ‘messing with the machine’. However, what connects them on a rather profound and more personal level is their approach to seeking unusual meaning in the vast complexity of their architectural and design practices.

The conversation traversed across temporary and permanent temple towns, build and burn rituals, game design based on ancient Indian temple architecture and the universal, sacred design underlying all of life.

While Arthur looked back at the year 2018 when he constructed the colossal temple Galaxia at the centre of the Black Rock City during the popular Burning Man festival, Ayaz reminisced his time working in the Indian city of Auroville that shaped his understanding of a permanent utopian city and its multiple shortcomings.

The more sponge-like we are, the closer we are to the lattice of the universe. – Arthur Mamou-Mani, Mamou-Mani Ltd, London

In addition, the two recollected instances from growing up years, early inspirations and role models that put down each one's roots in design.

Ayaz helms an architectural research lab that explores speculative fiction to create solution from the ‘micro to the macro, slightly mad to totally insane’; Arthur uses robotics and virtual reality tools to create digitally fabricated architecture. Delving into the memories opened up the conversation, and what came our way were fascinating anecdotes and insights from beyond work that were cues enough to discern the striking parallels between the two minds.

Further, perspectives converged into the dialogue from the ideas of capitalism of change, right brain vs left brain, infinity of centres, and manifestation of chaos, finality and augmentation in architecture and design.

Find all this and a lot more in the video on what the two spoke about and what they believe is the shape of things to come.

Cross Border Conversations
Curated by Pramiti Madhavji and Amit Gupta, STIR X LOCO Design present candid video conversations among creative professionals across geographical borders and creative disciplines of architecture, design, art and beyond.

LOCO Design: Shape of things to come
Steered by values of leadership and integrity, LOCO Design strives to create aesthetic innovation with a creative essence enriched by design values, master artisans and technical expertise, contributing to a responsible future.
Know more at www.locodesign.in