Woodscapes

In November, the Citadines Art Gallery hosted an exhibition of the woodcraft of Auroville architect Tejaswini, made in Auroville over the past year. “Furniture making has become extension of my architecture work,” she wrote in her invitation. The exhibition showcased unique pieces: tables, tabourets, stools and art works under her trade name ‘Woodscapes’.

“As an architect, I was always interested in furniture,” she says. “Architecture is about creating spaces, furniture is about filling them.” The inspiration, she says, was provided by Kenji. “When I was working with Suhasini some years ago, on Saturdays I would normally work a half day. I spent the other half watching Kenji working his craft.” The ‘apprenticeship’ lasted six months. “It is not that I learned carpentry from him, but just watching him, how he would get immersed in his work, made a deep impact.”

Tejaswini experiments with wood, most of it in organic form, and uses various materials for legs, such as stainless steel. But she is a designer, not an artisan. “Few furniture designers make the objects themselves. My pieces are made by two master carpenters who helped me understand the possibilities and limits of the materials and their crafts. The shared knowledge of different materials and the shared ambition to perform at the limit of our capacities is the unspoken bond between designers and makers,” she says. Woodscapes’ furniture is for sale in two designer boutiques in Bangalore and at her workshop in Auroshilpam, Auroville.

Tejaswini divides her work between architecture and woodwork, as for her, they complement each other. She started her own studio ‘Inscapes’ in 2010, after having worked with INTACH in Pondicherry and Suhasini in Auroville. “This work earns me my living,” she says. “But in Woodscapes, business is not a major consideration. This is all about connecting with wood, its form and shapes, and getting in touch with soul-searching ideas that translate into designs”. Her inspiration is decidedly Japanese. “I love the Peace Table and have plans to go to the USA and see George Nakashima’s workshop, and also to go to Japan.”