Immediately after my Masters, I went to India. I spent three weeks of my stay working for the Leh Old Town Initiative (LOTI), an offshoot of the Tibet Heritage Fund. The old town, nestled at the heart of the Himalayas, was once the site of an important crossroads for the Central Asian caravan trade. Ladakh’s culture has been shaped more than most by the transmission of goods and ideas from such disparate regions as Tibet, Yarkand, Kashmir, Afghanistan. The town is dissected by branches of the Silk Road that connects city states, such as Samarkand and Bukhara.The influence of this vibrant trade is still tangible in the capital, Leh. The Central Asian Museum in the city center is dedicated to this aspect of the region’s history. When I arrived, the Museum was almost complete, but the restaurant area in its courtyard still needed a design concept. A traditional tea kitchen, where visitors would be able to get local snacks and beverages, was already under construction. Now, it was about finding a seating solution that involved more then just standard restaurant chairs. It was important that guests had a space to sit down and enjoy a break. They could even borrow books from the adjoining library, or simply unwind and pass the time. The courtyard should be an area for relaxation and encourage locals and the tourists to mingle in a natural environment.
For the first time since my first semester I had to cope with the design process only using pen and paper. Luckily, the fact that the courtyard was situated on the exact spot where the caravans used to park, made finding a suitable design concept easy.
The furniture creates an instant connection with the caravans that used to come and go from this exact spot. This gives the visitor a strong sense of the history of the place, even at first glance. What’s more, it has a practical use: the “bistari” mattresses once used as suitcases (when rolled up) or as bedding, by traveling salesman, were reinvented here as seating. Visitors were even invited to roll them out flat and make themselves comfortable.
Wooden boxes, like those that were tied to the backs of pack animals, were used here as tables. I replaced their side panels with translucent plexiglass, featuring old pictures of caravans. Battery-powered LED lights illuminated the pictures as soon as it got dark. This not only enhanced the atmosphere, but also helped the tourists to understand the place’s historical context. Additionally, each box contained a traditional ladakhi board game, some just like the ones played by locals on nearby street corners, and some older, rarer games. This feature was designed to attract locals to the museum courtyard. Maybe they could even teach the tourists the rules and introduce them to their traditions? If sharing a laugh over an exciting games doesn’t have the power to overcome the barriers of foreign cultures, what does?
I’d like to thank Yutaka Hirako and the whole LOTI team for a beautiful and exciting experience!
