In Conversation: Hirante Welandawe The tuktuk pulls up along Bauddhalokamawatha drive, Hirante’s office is in the district of Colombo 07. Upon arriving, a short call to Melissa (Hirante’s intern), leads me to an inconspicuous timber door, well hidden in the shadows of thick foliage on the property’s front elevation. I’m being led through a brief but dark hallway before turning into an office. There, Hirante briefly discusses work with Melissa before our conversation begun proper. HW: Discuss with him and tell me. See if they can do a different kind of bond. This is roughly what it is. The problem is that the mason says that this might topple. Not against the wall like there, bloody hell.
and he talked exactly about this. But I think it’s the latest New Yorker. I read this yesterday, I will email it to you. He talks about, like when he writes music, he says he locks himself up in the attic and he doesn’t talk to anybody. Because he’s working and at that moment, he is just putting things together in his head, and he needs the silence to be very creative. So, it’s very important to cultivate, and you have to create the conditions for it to happen in your environment. So I’m trying to create it now with the garden. Ok so now, what do you want? ZA: (laughter) Actually, I really just wanted to have a chat with you.
See the problem with architecture, there is never enough time to do our own work, just designing for other people. And I’m trying to build this garden seat.
I came across the Neelung Arts Center, an found it to be a really interesting building. And I realised that there was more to it to be done.
ZA: Are you trying to build on a project of your own?
HW: Did you go inside and see the model?
HW: Just a garden seat. I have a lovely garden, which I go if I need to think, I will go to the garden. So it’s a very important seat, where I can meditate and think about work. ZA: And think about work? HW: Yes that’s the whole idea, that it becomes a part of you and the work gets better. You’re studying to be an architect? It’s going to take much of your time. ZA: Yes, it has been. HW: Because the actual work you do on a machine, is just the labour. The real work is what goes on inside your head, and that usually doesn’t happen when you’re drawing. Like often I work here, and then I go out, and sit in bed or think in the garden with a cup of tea. And then only my mind starts functioning properly in a creative way. When you get into that kind of quiet zone. There’s a very good article on the New Yorker about it; you should read it. Its about this musician he is a prodigy
Neelung Arts Centre by HWA
ZA: Yes, we sneaked in and the caretaker was nice enough to let us see the model. HW: That’s really nice. The problem is that they’re a bit fussy about outsiders. It’s a dance hall. And there are a lot of paedophiles walking in the streets, as you know there are a lot of little girls walking around in their butterfly dresses. And they have had a couple of incidents where people have just walked in and asked odd questions, so the Chairperson is a little cautious to let people into the compounds. And so, the safety of the students is very important, they’re only 5-6 years old. People have come in and said they wanted to make a donation and asked if we could give them some girls for an event. You know, things like that – which all sounds a bit odd. But that’s the problem. ZA: That building was done 10 years ago now? HW: Yes, it was and we’re looking to begin the next phase of the building. The next important part is to get the theatre up and