Open House at the de Saram House

Step into the De Saram House, where artists-in-residence Marin Escande and Pauline Drand have been living, as we open the doors for house tours and a view behind the musicians’ processes, as well as performances of their work, as part of the 2022 French Spring Festival. 

Sunday, June 26 2022

3 – 7 p.m.

De Saram House: 61/6 Ward Pl, Colombo 07

Catch the full program of the afternoon and register for a spot on Eventbrite!  

The De Saram House Residency is a program of the Geoffrey Bawa Trust and the Embassy of France to Sri Lanka and the Maldives, welcoming two artists to live and work in Colombo for two months, while they prepare their participation in the French Spring Festival, the embassy’s flagship cultural event.

De Saram House Residency 2022

The Geoffrey Bawa Trust and the Embassy of France to Sri Lanka and the Maldives, through the support of the Residency Fabric of Institut Français, are excited to announce the two selected French artists that will inaugurate the first edition of the De Saram House residency. Marin Escade and Pauline Drand will be welcomed in Colombo between May and June 2022. This programme selected candidates to reside in Colombo for a period of two months. The residents are invited to present a partial restitution of their research and production work during the ‘French Spring Festival’ – the Embassy’s flagship cultural event. The festival has presented every year since 2012 a dozen multidisciplinary events (music, literature, visual arts, cinema, virtual reality, debate, fashion, urbanism) between mid-June and mid-July.

Pauline Drand

Both unclassifiable and accessible, Pauline Drand’s art is driven by a timeless voice and a sharp poetic instinct. Since the release of her first EP in 2015, the Parisian singer-songwriter has been performing both as a soloist (voice, guitar, piano) and as a collective in various constellations, in France and internationally. She is currently working on her next album, whose creation is nourished by encounters with other forms of artistic expression, such as dance and plastic arts.

Pauline Drand Instagram

Marin Escande

Born in 1992, Marin Escande is a French composer and musicologist. Educated in Paris Conservatory (CNSMDP), he has composed both instrumental and electroacoustic music. Through various interdisciplinary collaborations, he has developed an original musical language in relation to the environmental soundscape, urbanism and architecture.

Marin Escande Soundcloud

Open Call
De Saram House Residency

The Embassy of France to Sri Lanka and the Maldives, in partnership with the Geoffrey Bawa Trust and through the support of the Residency Fabric of Institut Français, are joining forces to offer the first residency program in Sri Lanka aimed at French artists. This program will select a musician and an architect, who will reside in Colombo for a period of two months.

The residents will be invited to present a partial restitution of their research and production work during the "French Spring Festival", the Embassy's flagship cultural event. This festival presents every year since 2012 a dozen multidisciplinary events (music, literature, visual arts, cinema, virtual reality, debate, fashion, urbanism) between mid-June and mid-July.

Download the criteria and application details from the links below: 
More information–English
More information–French

Embassy of France to Sri Lanka and the Maldives: Press

The Geoffrey Bawa Trust Residencies Programme is directed to creative individuals with a disciplinary focus in Writing, Photography, Music and/or Performance. It gives the opportunity to live and work at the Druvi de Saram house for a period of a minimum of two weeks and up to three months.

In 1986 Geoffrey Bawa undertook the renovation of two small houses at Ward Place for Druvi and Sharmini de Saram. In April 2019 the Lunuganga Trust took on the management of the house Bawa designed, having worked with the de Sarams to restore this lyrical house. The restoration was part of the Trust’s programme to conserve Bawa buildings and sustain their ongoing operation and maintenance. Druvi is one of Sri Lanka’s most acclaimed pianists, and the house is designed with a music room at its centre. As part of the de Saram house restoration, the Trust also undertook the conservation and display of key art works in the Bawa art collection and the de Saram family art collection. An intrinsic part of the experience of the de Saram house, these works form a crucible display of works from the '43 Group, who were a catalyzing force behind the development of 20^th century Sri Lankan Art.

All rooms have a desk for working and are equipped with air conditioning and a private bathroom. The property has the following shared facilities which can be accessed by all residents:

Music Room

2 courtyards

Outdoor living room

Dining/meeting room

Kitchen

Free WiFi

Private parking

Radhika’s Room

This room was designed originally for Druvi and Sharmini’s youngest daughter. It has an ensuite bathroom and features a balcony overlooking the central courtyard and Music Room. The room has access separate from the main house.

Sharmini and
Druvi’s Room

This room was originally built as the master bedroom. It has an ensuite bathroom and features a mezzanine level workspace.

Mandhira’s Room

This room was originally built as the couple’s eldest daughter’s bedroom. It has an ensuite bathroom and features a mezzanine level workspace.

Annexe

The annexe, technically part of the old ancestral house on the property, has an ensuite bathroom, study, outdoor sitting area, cooking and laundry facilities with a rooftop terrace that opens up onto the main courtyard and driveway.

Communication and Dissemination

Artists in residence will have the opportunity to organize an open studio, workshop or performance at the property. The purpose of this will be to provide the artist with the possibility of presenting the process behind the creative act to the community, gathering and identifying motivational, technical and other elements. It will be a moment of special importance for the conclusion of the relationship between the local community and the resident. In addition, a temporary formal exhibition can be organized for the purpose of further developing a solid cultural agenda next to the local community. Such exhibitions will be aimed at reaching a broader and more diverse audience. Finally, the documentation of the creative process will be carried out by the Trust and will later be included on the Trust website and social media channels. 

Heart of art and culture in the City We encourage residents to use the location of the Druvi de Saram house within Colombo’s urban fabric as a starting point for understanding Geoffrey Bawa’s practice within the context of the city. Several key buildings including Bawa’s residence in Colombo, the National Museum, the Sapumal Foundation and the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Sri Lanka are conveniently located in close proximity to the house.

General Conditions
Radhika’s Room: USD 400 nett per week
Sharmini and Druvi’s Room: USD 500 nett per week
Mandhira’s Room: USD 600 nett per week
Annexe: USD 540 nett per week

• Accompanying person is applicable to a 50% discount on sharing basis. We also offer discounted rates for Sri Lankan residents.
  

• Fees include the private bedroom, use of all shared spaces, the studio and workshop facilities and all of the available equipment. Fees help with the operation and maintenance costs of the residency site.
  
  
• Once a week there will be a cleaning service. Laundry service is available on request and for an additional fee. The property is equipped with a kitchen that can be used freely by our residents to prepare meals. A fridge is available for storage.
  
  
• Residents have access to the Bawa Architectural Archive and Research Facility (upon request) at Number 11, Geoffrey Bawa’s Colombo Residence which is 2.3 km away from the residency space.
  
  
• Artists interested in participating should send by email (programmes@gbtrust.net) a short curriculum, motivation letter, description of the project and link to a webpage/examples of work. Applications will be evaluated by an advisory committee and will take into consideration the following parameters: a) artistic quality; b) relevance of the project; c) motivation of the candidate.
  
  
• If accepted, artists are recommended to reserve their place as soon as possible to avoid disappointment. The security deposit is 50% and obliges the Trust to keep your spaces reserved and free for the approved period of stay. We will send you an email and issue a receipt.
  
  
• We prefer international transfer for making the deposit. Please don’t forget to confirm the proposed dates as well as any additional details you may find useful. If you need a confirmation letter or acceptance letter, please contact us, we will gladly prepare it and send it back to you.
  
  
• To avoid problems with immigration, be sure to verify all visa requirements as soon as you accept your residency. Every country is different, it is best to start all visa processes as soon as you can.

Lunuganga and Geoffrey Bawa Trusts

The Geoffrey Bawa Trust is a non-profit, public trust that was established in 1982 with the objectives of furthering the fields of Architecture, the Fine Arts and Ecological and Environmental Studies.

The Lunuganga Trust  was set up in 1993 with the object of managing and preserving the estate of  Geoffrey Bawa.

Since its inception in 1993, the Lunuganga and Geoffrey Bawa Trusts have:

• Maintained Geoffrey Bawa’s historic residences at Lunuganga (in Bentota) and Number 11 (in Colombo), and their collections of fine and decorative arts
  
• Made Lunuganga and Number 11 accessible to the public through daily guided tours and other avenues
  
• Restored and reconstructed Number 5 at Lunuganga, the house designed by Geoffrey Bawa for Ena de Silva, which involved physically relocating the house from Colombo and reassembling it at its new location
  
• Overseen the renovation of the Druvi de Saram house in Colombo 7 and undertaken its management
  
• Consulted on the renovation and reconstruction of the Bentota Beach Hotel
  
• Organized the Geoffrey Bawa Award for Excellence in Architecture, now in its 5th cycle, recognizing and fostering the best in contemporary Sri Lankan Architecture
  
• Hosted the Annual Geoffrey Bawa Memorial Lecture, now in its 17^th cycle. Past speakers have included Cecil Balmond, Bijoy Jain, Abha Lambah and Marina Tabassum
  
• Awarded a host of travel grants and artist residencies
  
• Established a sanctuary for the endangered Hog Deer species on Honduwa island, Lunuganga in partnership with the Department of Wildlife Conservation
  

In addition, the Trusts:

• Established the Bawa Architectural Archive and Research Facility
  
• Enabled scholarship and study on Geoffrey Bawa’s Architecture and Collections
  
• Published on the Geoffrey Bawa Collections
  
• Curated and organised exhibitions based on the Collections
  
• Assisted international exhibitions and publication of Geoffrey Bawa’s work