Mumbai's Architectural Diversity In 10 Stunning Fisheye Images

The BMC

Despite being born and raised in Mumbai, it’s amazing how little we know of our city’s rich cultural heritage. For instance, while we do know that Mumbai is the only city in the world apart from Miami with a sizeable art-deco presence in its architecture, it’s also home to one of the largest representations of Neo-gothic architecture on earth.
Sadly, even a cursory glance at some of our most magnificent structures, such as CST and The Prince of Wales Museum, reveals the indiscriminate apathy of the government who doesn’t seem to see the importance of preserving these beautiful buildings in their original avatars. While we agree that little can be done to halt the march of modernity, it doesn’t mean that past, present and future cannot co-exist.

Media artist and University of NSW professor Sarah Kenderline, in her 2013 TEDx talk spoke matter-of-factly about the threats that cultural heritage faces around the world: political upheavals, war, manmade and natural destruction, climate change, and even mass tourism are all prime influencers.

“We must find strategies not only to preserve our heritage but to let its stories be rediscovered and reinvented,” she said. “This is both an artistic and technical challenge.”

In keeping with this, Kenderline recently concluded a show at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (formerly, the Prince of Wales museum) called Look Up Mumbai, an immersive installation that celebrates the city’s amazing architectural diversity. The exhibition consisted of 56 fisheye images of some of our most amazing heritage buildings.

Scroll down to see some of the images.

I. The Adishwarji Jain Temple