Nestled in pockets of Mumbai, lie architectural gems from the early 1900s that still maintain their quaint charm. One such gem is a colonial-styled bungalow from the 1920s, a stone’s throw away from busy Linking Road, in Bandra. A popular venue for lifestyle pop-up events – the Vintage Garden’s sprawling 1,800 square foot courtyard, often hosts sales and workshops related to art, design, culture, and fashion. The Vintage Garden’s promoter and owner – former stylist and event organiser, Aarti Patkar – along with Srila Chatterjee of furniture and design store Baro, and Ritu and Surya Singh of Jaipur art collective, Wolf will now host an intriguingly named event, Stop and Smell the Roses.
Floral beginnings
The venue’s courtyard and two indoor rooms will be adorned by hundreds of roses made out of sustainable material. In a 1o-day festival celebrating spring, Patkar, Chatterjee and the Singhs have collaborated to bring together a mix of retail exhibits, workshops, and food inspired by the overarching theme of flowers. “There are various blooms, and amongst them is the ‘desi gulab’, known to evoke all the senses,” says Wolf, who will be building the rose garden with a team of 21 artists. Additionally, the Singhs have collaborated with Aditi Babel, an artist from Udaipur, who will lead a book-making workshop in the rose garden.
As visitors bask in the sun, they can also participate in a make-your-own-cyanotype workshop organised by The Cobalt Company. The 177-year-old photographic printing process uses sunlight or ultraviolet light to produce a blue coloured print on paper with light-sensitive dye. Other craft workshops include making flowers with Akanksha and Craftboat, by reusing the paper doilies from pop-up restaurants in the garden.
Creative agenda
Other highlights include a program on Ayurvastra, a branch of Ayurveda, that will elaborate on the use of natural dyes and their advantages. Musical performances by The True School of Music, a book reading by author Namita Devidayal accompanied by a sitar recital, a talk by fashion director and stylist, Anaita Shroff Adajania, and film screenings curated by film producer, director and screenwriter, Nikkhil Advani are also part of the creative agenda. As Chatterjee puts it “[The festival] is an attempt to create a greater sense of community, and [urge] people to live with their conscience.”
Stop and Smell The Roses will take place at The Vintage Garden, Turner Road, Bandra West from February 8-February 17.