Art India Residency, Vijayanagar

The Art India Residency hopes to foster creative thinking, by creating a space where collaboration and experimentation is possible. The space has been designed by sP+a, upon a sprawling 5 acres of blank canvas, in Karnataka’s city of Vijayanagar.

Inspired by the riverine landscape of the Tungabhadra, and her gentle sculpting of the surrounding hills, the project is rooted by a central ‘space of flows’; through which people access the property. On either side of this, lies a hill scape of various amenities available at the residency.

The site and its surrounding environment strive to be an inspiration to visitors and artists. The buildings are designed to have accessible roofs, so visitors have access to both, a landscape on ground, as well as a green roof, which serve as backgrounds for installation pieces across the campus.

To support local businesses, this project has used regionally available resources, including stone pebble dash plaster, lime-based finishes, stone gabion walls and in-situ oxide floors. The landscape design echoes this material approach with paths of stabilized pebble, recycled stone mosaics and local planting from the region.

The very design is testament to the space’s visionary nature- it references the historic significance and landscape of the region to create an inspiring spatial experience for the future.

Walking through the entry court, one will see the Gallery, Café, and a large pavilion-which leads visitors to the central court. Through here lie the artists’ workshops- for collective use - as well as individual studio spaces. There are also a series of amphitheatres on the edge of the property, which lead to a sculpture plaza. Beyond this, lie the residential spaces for the artists.