SPASM: A Two Point Perspective

Details

‘Two Point Perspective’ studies how ideas take form through material, time, and SPASM’s intuitive logic, with 30 brass models, drawings, films, and mock-ups revealing a practice that builds relationships between site, user, and the slow craft of making. SPASM Design, led by Sangeeta Merchant and Sanjeev Panjabi, has established a unique design philosophy characterised by innovation and an “intuitive logic” approach to architecture. Spasm is a unique and intimate innovation-based practice — a “mom n pop” shop. The soul of each project is deeply entwined with the studio’s personalities, collective thoughts, and worldview.

SPASM's peculiar conception of projects is rooted in site specificities, relevance to the brief, appropriateness of materials and trades, the act of construction and assembly, the wear and ageing of materials, sustainability in a broader sense, and above all, delivering an endearing piece of architecture that becomes a true extension of the user and the site. At the studio, there is a heavy emphasis on fine detail and craftsmanship.

Over the past three decades, they have worked on residential and mixed-use projects in India and Tanzania, each embodying a narrative that incorporates nature within the built forms. As a Mumbai-based practice, with both principal architects raised and practicing in the city, they now want to showcase the narratives that have developed in the studio for the city to engage with.

The exhibition aims to showcase SPASM’s journey, highlighting its key projects, design processes, and contributions to the architectural landscape. A wordless exhibit, it conveys ideas through the following mediums:
● 30 brass block models of 30 selected projects
● Pin-ups: concept diagrams and drawings along surfaces
● Short films playing simultaneously on a wall
● Mock-ups of key details devised across projects — creating thresholds

The specific way in which we respond to the gallery's context and site forces will determine how one frames and navigates the curation.

The intention is not merely to celebrate the range of projects achieved, but to create a meaningful space for architectural discourse — conveying how SPASM Design navigate varied contexts using varied details and methods.

The moment also marks the debut of ONCE, a new practice shaped around objects and furniture as vessels of memory, made to be lived with, repaired, passed on, and held close.
ONCE by Sumher Panjabi blends industrial design discipline with Maharashtra’s craft traditions to create contemporary furniture and objects that are both functional and sculptural. By pairing ancient materials with cutting-edge processes, it brings tactility, intention, and modern form back into a convenience-driven world through limited, deeply considered releases.

STIR is a Programme Partner for SPASM: A Two Point Perspective.