| we would have published this earlier, had we
| been sent a copy before. the most ISOL(ated)
| of all indian architecture associations...
| did anyone attend?
http://www.indianlandscape.net/navicross.htm
INDIAN SOCIETY OF LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS
2nd Annual National Conference - 24th -25th February 2006
At The Taj West End, Bangalore
Theme: Navigating the Crossroads: Landscape Architecture in India
The realm of landscape architecture today is a nascent profession in the
Indian context. It has thrown up challenges relating to its definition,
role and requirement in a fast developing world. Historically, Indian
paintings, poetry, and treatises have celebrated landscape design, but
somehow that richness and wealth has evolved into a broader, generalized
stream hazing the identity of the profession itself.
This second conference of the Indian Society of Landscape Architects is
a crucial one in terms of establishing a wider understanding of the
identity and value of landscape architecture. Who are we in India today,
where do we come from, and where do we go from here?
In this globalising world where India has risen to the world's demands,
our profession still finds itself in an emergent stage. While the
profession elsewhere has grown to envelop allied fields such as arts,
ecology, architecture, and sciences - the metamorphosis in Indian
landscape architecture has, by comparison, been slow. In this global
scenario, will we be able to deliver or indeed surpass the various
global benchmarks to create an identity of landscape architecture in
India and abroad? It would be significant here to discuss what are the
values and principles that would lead us on our journey to professional
recognition and excellence.
The other dilemma that requires urgent attention in the present context
is the intermingling of local and global cultures. Is this to be treated
as a threat or a boon? Alternatively, in this shrinking world, is there
a need to separate the local versus the global at all? Design
aesthetics, after all, are universal. In this homogenising scenario will
cultural and ecological contexts dictate outdoor aesthetics in our
sub-continent?
We find ourselves at crossroads: this conference hopes to navigate the
different directions ISOLA, the profession and we, landscape architects
of India, could take in the future.
The conference structure will operate on four tracks spread across two days.
* Track1 - Foundation of the Indian Experience: Eminent
professionals have been invited to bring their experience to the table
to elaborate on the emergence of landscape architecture as a discipline
in India, the achievements of its practitioners and where it currently
stands in the design profession.
* Track 2 - Discussion Themes: A set of parallel discussion
sessions will tackle issues central to the theme of "Navigating the
Crossroads" relevant to our profession. In each session a panel of 3 to
4 speakers will each make brief presentations? Panelists will be
selected for the polemic stances they adopt that will provoke the
ensuing open discussion towards vigorous and substantive engagement with
the theme.
* Track 3 - International Experience: Well known professionals will
present how the issues that are being confronted in the Indian context
have been tackled in their respective regions.
* Track 4 - Parallel Disciplines: Presentations to be made from
disciplines that often intersect with landscape design - such as art,
architecture and ecology. This is seen to serve as a means of broadening
the focus of our profession as practiced in our country today.
The four tracks will converge in the concluding plenary session. A
presentation of the key opinions and observations that may have emerged
in the individual discussion groups will be used to provoke an open
discussion engaging the entire forum of participants.