“Praxis is the process by which a theory, lesson, or skill is enacted, practiced, embodied or realized. It may also refer to the act of engaging, applying, exercising, realizing or practicing ideas.” All encompassing, the practice of the architect, whether tangible, ambiguous or theoretical, is primarily concerned with the nature of being. This ontological understanding in ‘Praxis’ may begin to express how the work at Studio Mumbai is created from an iterative process, where ideas are explored through the production of large-scale mock-ups, material studies, sketches and drawings.Making things, to form an intrinsic part of our thought and body. Projects are developed through careful consideration of place, and a practice that engages intently in an environment and culture where building techniques and materials draw from an ingenuity arising from limited resources. The endeavour is to give an insight into the human infrastructure that has evolved in the workshops of the studio over the past seventeen years; the physical and emotional engagement of the people involved, and the resulting work.
Bijoy Jain was born in Mumbai, India in 1965 and received his M. Arch from Washington University in St Louis, USA in 1990. He worked in Los Angeles and London between 1989 and 1995 and returned to India in 1995 to found his practice.
Studio Mumbai is a human infrastructure of skilled craftsmen and architects who design and build the work directly. Gathered through time, this group shares an environment created from an iterative process, where ideas are explored through the production of large-scale mock-ups, models, material studies, sketches and drawings. Projects are developed through careful consideration of place and a practice that draws from traditional skills, local building techniques, materials, and an ingenuity arising from limited resources.
The essence of the work lies in the relationship between land and architecture. The endeavour is to show the genuine possibility in creating buildings that emerge through a process of collective dialogue and a face-to-face sharing of knowledge.
