I have always been fascinated by the ambiguity of the term 'frame'. As a curator, I encounter frames in galleries where they give an aura to the work. As a cinema aficionado, I think of the still image of the cinematic frame—whose rapid succession on the projection screen magically suggests movement to the spectator.

As an architectural historian, I am fascinated by a building's ability to frame a vista. Architects have used this framing capacity in various ways – from the outlook window

that transforms an exterior into an aestheticised landscape akin to a painting, to the loggia in the Renaissance palazzo affording a privileged gaze, to the panoramic framing of Le Corbusier's Villa Le Lac, where the format is that of the movie screen. In all these instances, the building is transformed into a camera – an apparatus wherein to constitute and behold an image.

Metaphorically, frames also imply frameworks – larger contexts that give meaning to a specific event or occurrence. As we gear up for the first iteration of the Architecture & Design Film Festival in Mumbai, I hope these brief considerations give some food for thought to reflect on the many meaningful encounters between the cinematic and architecture.

With my best wishes for the New Year, see you in Mumbai.