Vikramāditya Prakāsh, DEATH OF A MODERNIST

UW Professor of Architecture Vikramāditya Prakāsh discusses his book Death of a Modernist. Through the voice of a narrator struggling to retrieve a dead body for its funeral, Death of a Modernist explores the social, cultural, aesthetic and emotional forces that churn into motion in contemporary India at the death of a ‘big’ man.

The death of a parent can unleash the most turbulent storm of unexpected emotions. Through the voice of a narrator struggling to retrieve a dead body for its funeral, Death of a Modernist explores the social, cultural, aesthetic and emotional forces that churn into motion in contemporary India at the death of a ‘big’ man. Set in Chandigarh, postcolonial India’s city famous for its modern architecture, this deeply personal account examines the universal conundrums of death, life and inheritance. At its heart lies the figure of modernism today, itself often given up for the dead.

This is a deeply moving, intimate account of Aditya Prakash as father, architect, artist, and man of letters. It is also a homage to Prakash’s beloved city Chandigarh.

Dr. Vikramãditya “Vikram” Prakãsh grew up in Chandigarh, India. He received his B. Arch. from the Chandigarh College of Architecture, Panjab University (1986), and an M.A. and Ph.D. in History and Theory of Architecture and Urbanism from Cornell University, New York (1989, 1994). He taught at the Center for Environmental Planning and Technology, Ahmedabad, India (1991 – 1993) and Arizona State University, Tempe (1994-1996) before joining University of Washington in 1996. He teaches studios, lecture courses and seminars on issues in global architecture and urbanism and postcolonial history and theory at the University of Washington in Seattle (USA). He is the Director of the Chandigarh Urban Lab, a multi-year project that studies Chandigarh, historically and today, as a case study in contemporary midsized urbanization in India.