L'Arche, Toronto

So I've been back in Toronto for a week now, recovering and relaxing, but it's time to get back to business. Yesterday I went to the L'Arche downtown Toronto, well East York. The administration/arts building was an old renovated Baptist church in a residential neighborhood, which was done fairly recently by Joe Lobko Architect. Who I will look into more because he has developed good relationship with L'Arche and has been working wiht them on several projects.

 The Toronto branch slowly started in the 70's but wasn't offically split from the main Richmond Hill one until 2005. So the main design mandate for the building were to let in a lot of light, use natural materials, be accessible and feel like a home (not an institution). I also visited two fo the resential houses which are in the same neighborhood, which were typical house layouts (2-3 storeys, central stair) except they had 9 bedrooms. 

The difference in this community I noticed was that the homes are not a part of one larger compound building, as in India, but spread out in the hood. This allows for more freedom with the residents, to come and go but still have that support system. It was interesting seeing the North American version of L'Arche, which as a building typology was different. Clearly we can't have open air buildings like India, although beautiful, because of the harsh climate. They were almost all  re-inhabitation projects, which they would purchase when the opportunity arose in a typical urban fashion.  So this a bit more realistic with Canadian standards and culture in mind. 

To see all they different ways of creating a community on urban and rural sites around the world has been great but it's good to narrow into the local vernacular.

Elephant ride in the mountains!

Madison: my new friend

 Selen: Cochin is proud to have 9 Jewish people living in thier town. They counted.

 The dead leech that was on my foot.

Aaron: they have mini bananas you would love. Proably eat 10 in one sitting. I'll try to smuggle you some back.

Our houseboat for the night cruising the backwaters of the man-made lagoons by the Dutch.

Beautiful Kerla

It's so lovely in South India....since Cochin we journeyed 5 hours up to the mountains to stay at the Tiger reserve, where we had a boat ride around the forest and saw wild elephants, bison and antelopes. Unfortunately didn't see any tigers but I did have a leech on my foot unknown to me. So I was eating breakfast and shook something squishy off my foot that got caught between my sandals. The server runs up and picks it up and throws salt on it....well I left my blood in India I guess. Also we got to ride an ELEPHANT through the forest!!! It was pretty cool....they're skin is so rough and their hair is like wire. Last night we stayed at Coconut Lagoon, a place that has collected traditional buildings from the area that have been abandoned or fallen into disrepair and moved them to one area. They restored them and re-inhabited the spaces. It's very interesting they way they dealt with ventilation and stack effect by creating peaked vents on the apex of the thatched roof and incorporated long overhangs over the "windows". Off to the rice boat, I'll put up more pics soon.

Calicut-Cochin

The difference between North and South India is definitely felt here. It much more lush, cool and organized at least in Bangalore. The overnight train ride was like the night before a final crit (all 11 of them that I've been thourhg combined). We slept on theses narrow and short bunks that stacked and they had little curtains which you can close for privacy but they suffocated you from fresh air. My mom says its was sleeping in a coffin....needless to say were a bit sick from the torturous journey.

Our visit to the last Asha Niketan Nandi Bazaar went very well. It's really a tropical paradise out here on the west coast. Life here is a bit slower and quieter, which the residents say is good for the spitirt. This one was more like its own village with multiple houses sprawled over 10 acres, connected through a winding pathway. The government recently puchased some land from them (which was donated to begin with) and they were able to build 3 new buildings, designed by a local architect. I think they were partially successful, the buildings are strikingly large and seem to have too much space for not enough program. You can see they've attempted to divide the spaces to be more intimate with ordinary pin-up dividers. Overall and interesting approach to community living which is good to take back with me. As per the other Asha Niketan's, they were very welcoming and friendly.

Now we are in Cochin, a 5 hr train ride south of Calicut, to explore more of the South Indian culture. Last night we had out first exposure with a traditional dance called Kathakali, which was all about using had gestures and facial movements. Off to explore more!

-Kristiana

Spent the morning at Asha Niketan (L'arche) - Bangalore. Their home was very tropical with an open concept courtyard. The building is made up of many smaller spaces that alllowed for privacy. We observed the making of crafts, scarves and floor mats, embroidery candle making and Bamboo painting. It was very special to be invited to share lunch with everyone. It would be great if they had a venue that they could sell their art to the public on a daily basis as opposed to only a few time a year. Kristiana is thinking of incorporating this concept into her program for Beginning Again in leiu of a second hand store. Last nite we caved in and ate at the Hard Rock Cafe and ate "BEEF". The weather is holding out for us and we are exploring the city today. Tonite is the BIG overnite train ride to Calicut. Hope we survive this nite in tact! 

Diana   

Almost Died Thrice in Kolkata

So we pretty much almost died three times. It's torrential downpour in Kolkata, as They haven't had rain in 20 days, i8ts a welcome sight for the locals. However our journey to visit L'Arche in the slums area was pretty sketch, the taxi almost couldn't make it down the street and the flooding was ankle to knee deep. Also sketchiest taxi drive ever who also got us hit by a huge freaken bus. However we survive and the visit to the communities were very nice. There are two houses each which house 7 residents each , but during the day they have 25-50 locals from the surrounding slum area come in for the nursery or for the day. They have quite the arts and craft workshop, producing some beautiful handiwork (cards, batiks, candles, jewellery). The members invited us in for lunch, a sit down affair where we gathered in a circle and were served wonderful Bengali cuisine which was thankfully not that spicy. Overall an interesting experience in Kolkata. A lot of poverty, homelessness and chaos but balanced whit a liveliness and vibrancy that shines through. The L'Arche communities here work in partnership with Mother Teresa charity to try and make a difference to the people in need and are working toward creating a more caring and living city where all are welcome. We survived our visit, but ti was heartbreaking and uplifting at the same time. Today we explore Bangalore. Hanging with Venutha's family!

-kristiana

Celebrity in Delhi

Yeah that's me...I'm pretty much a celebrity here (well my mom too but I pose for the pictures). I guess people have never seen white girls  before (it's probably the ink too). They stare everywhere I go but you know me I don't really like attention. So I said it was hot when we arrived, well that doesn't compare to yesterday and today. I've never sweat so much in my life...you move you sweat you breathe you sweat....see where I'm going with this? The monsoon rain come 1-2 tome a day. The environment goes really still, you can feel it....and then it rains hard for 15-20 min, but it's quite refreshing.

Yesterday we went on a 3hr train ride, there and back,  to Agra which plays hos to the TAJ MAHAL!!! and the Agra fort. Indian Railways is pretty sketch, especially the stations where some people just live and beg. It's really impovershied in some (most) places and it's hard to ignore the starving children on the streets, especally when you come back to a lovely hotel and are treated to well by the tour guides. 

The Taj Mahal is as beautiful as in my first year Art History textbook and it was worth the long day to see it. We had our first real Indian meal, butter chicken which they made mild spicy for me because I'm lame, rice and naan bread. I could eat it all day.

Today we went around New and Old Delhi which was interesting. We saw alot of important monuments (Ghandi's Memorial, Qunb Minar which is a sandstone tower). My favourite was probably the rickshaw ride in the Bazaar of Old Delhi where the streets are as narrow as 4ft wide, filled with sari stalls, jewellery, wedding stalls, food and spices. Incredible and scary....my mom got hit in the head with passing merchandise.

So tomorrow were off to Kolkata to see L'Arche.