Part 1: Choreography of Spaces

A play of colors, textures, along with shade and shadow – the Shamaj Biggyan Chattar at Dhaka University promises all its visitors an experience that transcends boundaries as to how nature attempts to coexist amongst busy settings. A passerby, at a glance, cannot truly comprehend the dramatic play of space and levels inside. Surely, going with Shivan, someone who has experienced the space before, can express the magical essence that it holds better and how it tends to integrate with nature. She emphasizes on the locality of the enclosure, as it is surrounded by various points of interest like the Dhaka University Central Mosque and the Dhaka University library, yet, for many it is a small solace that embraces nature, away from the surrounding bustle of the area. To her, the enclosure is an arena of its own, where nature delicately blends along with the manmade landscape, and in her words, “feels like a breath of fresh air, away from the outside world”. She follows the natural order of trees, which act as guides, its body paving the way to go along with it and delve deeper into the focal point of the space. Her interpretation of the environment is that of a free flowing language of her own, quite flexible and gradually unravelling on its own. This journey leads her to spend minutes by the wide, faded, maroon brick steps that encircle a central water body, as she listening to the quiet hum of nature, birds and occasionally some people.