Brinda Somaya and Nathaniel Kahn on the intersection of memory and legacy

“The feelings are complicated, about my father, now that I am a father myself. It is difficult to look at a person like my dad, to wind back the clock and ask if he could have made different choices…he couldn’t do that…At the time I made the film, I accepted that, but now I do not,” said American filmmaker Nathaniel Kahn, son of renowned American architect Louis Kahn, following the screening of his film My Architect (2003) at the ADFF:STIR Mumbai 2025 . In an ~epilog(ue) on the film, Nathaniel touched upon  memory, legacy and architecture through the lens of his father’s life and his own film, in a conversation with Indian architect and urban conservationist Brinda Somaya. The architecture festival’s ~log(ue) session, held at the National Centre for the Performing Arts’ (NCPA) Little Theatre in Mumbai, India, shed light upon the filmmaker’s changed outlook towards his creation and the practice of architecture, more than a decade after the film’s release. The design festival’s ~log(ue) programme, through disparate mediums, promoted critical discourse on a wide range of subjects on architecture and design, breaking traditional formats of panel discussions.

Louis, as Nathaniel revealed, in his pursuit of making great architecture, often struggled to find a balance between his professional and personal life. Although he had accepted this as an occupational hazard at the time of making the film, he felt differently now. Speaking with Somaya, he emphasised that great work can indeed coexist with a good quality of life. Striving to channel evocative experiences, he spoke about the intent behind making a project such as this, saying, “I am not interested in judging [people] in the films that I make. I am interested in putting something into the world that we all can talk and think about.”

We all often think that when an artist is truly a genius, then there are many compromises they make in life. I consider myself a much more ordinary person. So the balance perhaps is much easier to attain. – Brinda Somaya

The ADFF session also discussed urban conservation in the context of one of Louis’ most noteworthy works in India, the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) in Ahmedabad, whose pilot renovation was carried out by Somaya’s practice after winning an architectural competition in 2014. The renovation plans for the campus, however, were eventually stalled. In the ~epilog(ue), Somaya argued that 20th century Indian architecture “does not have an important enough place” in the country, underlining the need for preserving structures such as IIM Ahmedabad. The project is like no other, Nathaniel agreed, where the in-between spaces come alive to weave an experiential urban fabric. The filmmaker pressed on the need for not simply protecting the structures, but the entire built environments they create and the public realm they contribute to.

Anybody could put up with a room that isn’t perfect if you are in an environment that is inspiring. – Nathaniel Kahn

Naturally, a campus built in the 70s cannot be expected to continue to stay entirely relevant today. Albeit, one also cannot ignore the undeniable austerity and serenity of the institutional architecture that inspired generations of students. Nathaniel argued that this “magic of a place”, this ability to influence lives and evoke collective memory, is what needs to be preserved in architecture. Adding to this, Somaya spoke about how small experiences make up life and how Nathaniel laid bare his father’s life in segments in the film, giving the viewers a ‘special experience’ of the entirety of the latter’s life.

With ADFF:STIR Mumbai geared to return to the National Centre for the Performing Arts in 2026, we look back to key conversations from the ~log(ue) programme and highlights from the 2025 edition. Stay tuned for more throwbacks and exciting updates to be released in the coming weeks.