Symposium Session II

DR BHAU DAJI LAD MUSEUM & ART DECO ALIVE! PRESENT TWIN-CITY SYMPOSIUM  

Dr Bhau Daji Lad Museum & Art Deco Alive! present a day of ideas exchange, inspiring debate and driving conversations around heritage advocacy and preservation in a new, developing India by bringing together leading voices in architecture, design, policy making, academia, and the arts. Through a series of illustrated presentations and discussions, we hope to acknowledge the lasting influence of the timeless Art Deco movement on our urban landscape and modern living.

TALK 2: Cosmopolitan Nights in Mid-Century Bombay

As socialising moved from homes to restaurants and nightclubs, their decor offered global connections. An exploration of the material vision of cosmopolitan nights on display in these interiors.

With Prof. Abigail McGowan

SPEAKER: Professor Abigail McGowan

Professor Abigail McGowan is Professor of History at the University of Vermont, USA. Her work lies at the intersection of material culture, politics, and everyday life in colonial South Asia. She is the author of Crafting the Nation in Colonial India (Palgrave), which explores related issues of craft, consumption, and cultural expression during a period of nationalist development. Her upcoming book, Home Improvements: Housing Reforms and Home Ideals in Twentieth Century India dives deeper into how we live and design.

SCREENING 

Art Deco Alive! & The Citizens’ Archive of India present a short film that uncovers oral narratives surrounding early 20th-century Bombay, growing up around Deco and watching it disappear.