Dérive - Searching for Silence

For most of us, the experience of a heavily populated and busy Indian urban area is no small challenge. To simply explore the city, or just to get somewhere, requires an amount of energy and patience that we aren't accustomed to in our Western lifestyle. While walking the streets, our sensory system is under constant attack - from the noise and the crowds, from challenging sights, and from strong odors that pervade every part of the city. It seems as we are all leaves, drifting at the will of the wind on a unplanned trajectory, attempting to calculate our steps through traffic, waste, and water obstacles. The city constantly invades our personal space; even if it seems that you have managed to escape momentarily as your thoughts sail to faraway places of peace and tranquility, the small, fragile hands of a child grasp at you and pull you back to the ground, to the difficult visages that prevail here.

The Dérive track

Jama Masjid

The Jama Masjid mosque compound is located in the heart of the old city, surrounded by a wall separating the inner compound from the hustle and bustle of the market outside. The high walls damper the city noise and creates a visual barrier, as well as preventing motor traffic.

Ahmed Shah Cemetery

A narrow alley leads from the market to the cemetery  The end of the alleyway opens to an inner courtyard filled with graves, and the area is shaded by a large canopy of trees. The cemetery is entirely separated from the city, the sounds of the market are barely audible, and there are no vendors or motor traffic. Nevertheless, the space is not welcoming and is not inviting for a lengthy stay. 

IP Mission Church

The IP Mission Church is located at a very busy intersection, and is surrounded by high-traffic multi-lane roads. The grounds house the priests' residences and the church itself, separated from the city by a high brick wall. The inner courtyard has a calm, peaceful atmosphere, as opposed to what exists beyond the church compound's walls.

Victoria Garden

Just across the road from the IP Mission lies the Victoria Gardens. Compared to the Church, the Gardens do not have any physical separation from the city's traffic, but its size and thick vegetation act as a natural filter, allowing for a quiet and pleasant outdoor space.

Ahmedabad Rooftop Restaurant

So far we have seen many types of peaceful spaces in Ahmedabad. In examining them we found that every place has some kind of physical filter or barrier that separates it from the action of this heavily populated city. In the case of the Ahmedabad Rooftop Restaurant, height is the barrier that separates the space and provides it with its quiet and calm atmosphere. 

Le Corbusier / Villa Shodan

I was told that when he was young, in order to get to his bedroom on the first floor, Mr. Shodan used to climb the ramp riding on the back of his horse. Now he gets to his bedroom with an elevator that he installed few years ago. With all these architectural tourists coming to spy and to take photos, he must regret the day he gave the job to LC. It has been years that he would not let anybody in; whenever someone comes, the servant draws the curtain.