2024 was a year of growth and a range of meaningful new projects for us. Our To Lunuganga programme concluded after three seasons and eighteen months in July, our exhibition Geoffrey Bawa: It is Essential to be There travelled to the Yale Architecture Gallery in the U.S.A., and we moved our offices from Number 11 to a home on Horton Place designed by Geoffrey Bawa. Keep reading for a look back at our year.
The year in numbers:
January / February / March
Chairman Emeritus of Vitra Rolf Fehlbaum and art historian Federica Zanco gave a talk on the Vitra Design project and the Barragán Archives.
Sculpted Time: An Architecture-Focused Film Series launched with a screening of Bawa’s Garden by architect and filmmaker Clara Kraft Isono.
Tree Talks, a podcast exploring wider narratives through the flora and fauna of Lunuganga, premiered in February.
Artist Firi Rahman launched his installations In between: the Existence of Firdaus and Perch at Lunuganga.
Open House Colombo: Gardens and Green Spaces included tours of Saara Nilla, the Chloe de Soysa House, Gordon Gardens, Lakmahal Community Library, the Cathedral of Christ the Living Saviour, the Merrill J. Fernando Center West, Ishq Colombo, and Borella Cemetery.
April / May / June
We hosted a workshop with Let’s Build Great Things! as part of the Ladies’ College Institute of Professional Studies’ Imagination Studio.
Curator and researcher Nada Raza gave a talk on the Alserkal Arts Foundation and her own research and curation practices.
We launched our children’s programming series Many Imaginings in collaboration with Let’s Build Great Things! through an interactive treasure map activity.
Artist Shenuka Corea launched her installation Turning Corners at Lunuganga.
July / August / September
The To Lunuganga Launch of Season 3 opening reception featured a Tree Talks Listening Room at our new space.
The To Lunuganga Launch of Season 3 continued with the exhibition launch of Botany and Batik: The Living Archives of Ena de Silva featuring original artwork by artist Salome Nanayakkara, an installation tour by artist Firi Rahman, a performance by composer Ravibandhu Vidyapathy and Sapthak Ensemble, and a dinner by Colombo restaurant GINI.
The To Lunuganga Launch of Season 3 concluded with the installation launch of Saudade: Encountering the Haunting Presence of Prince Dorovana by artist Chathuri Nissansala, a Queering the Garden detour of Lunuganga, a picnic by GINI, and a scavenger hunt by our Youth Advisory Board.
Architect and educator Anupama Kundoo delivered the 21st Annual Geoffrey Bawa Memorial Lecture and led an inspiring workshop titled “Pedagogy and Practice” for young architects and students.
GBT-led Open House Colombo and Open House Basel collaborated on an interactive talk comparing the two festivals and a tour of the De Saram House.
Geoffrey Bawa: It is Essential to be There, the first exhibition to examine Geoffrey Bawa’s five-decade practice through an extensive review of the Archives with particular focus on its drawings, opened at the Yale Architecture Gallery in the U.S.A. Chief Curator Shayari de Silva led an exhibition tour for Yale students and faculty and delivered a lecture titled “Drawing from the Geoffrey Bawa Archives” as part of the School’s Fall 2024 public lecture programme.
October / November / December
October: We moved our offices and design store from Number 11 to a house designed by Geoffrey Bawa in 1958 on Horton Place.
December: Chief Curator Shayari de Silva and Curator Aneesha Mustachi attended ICAM22 at the M+ museum in Hong Kong where they presented at a session on Long-term Strategic Planning.
December: Sculpted Time: An Architecture-Focused Film Series concluded with a screening of Mandabi in partnership with the Alliance Française de Colombo at Lakmahal Community Library.
December: Our December Design Market spotlighted Sri Lankan craftsmanship through local vendors and makers.
December: Design in the Moment: Furniture by the Geoffrey Bawa Practice, a collaborative exhibition with Phantom Hands, opened at The Bawa Space.