Saranjit Birdi Artist and Architect

I Dance
I dance with the spirits
And the God in my bones.
A whiplash absolution
Of electric, elastic energy
Compelled by feelings
Propelled by conscience
Untold emotions in
Hands that prayed
To build a Third Shelter.
The Vital be with me
To play the body move
To dance and draw power
Of within and without
From a friendly Greatness,
A synthesis of All.

FOLLOW - An Exhibition of Work
24th-28th May 2004
Royal Birmingham Society of Artists (RBSA) Gallery, St Pauls Square, Birmingham

For me, ‘…FOLLOW…’ is the most important word in language. It embodies how living things are born, die, learn and create. The exhibition will be a multimedia experience including performance and, I believe, the first of its kind at the RBSA.

I work with a range of mediums from drawing, sculpture and painting through to architectural form, photography, digital media, poetry and dance. My work involves synergies and synthesis between these. Improvisation and spontaneity, for example in jazz, are also major influences in the work.

Dance movement and Drawing are the two primeval building blocks of human society since the Stone Age. Language came much later; it is descriptive whereas the former are physical and gestural experiences. Through these, I have tried to connect with architecture.

Drawing is the most powerful tool known to man, whether by hand or computer. I am fascinated by constraints and limits. A series of drawings that will be exhibited transfer co-ordination skills in dance to drawing, with many parts of the body!

Since qualifying from Bristol University in 1984, I have been working as an Architect whilst performing/teaching dance and playing as jazz percussionist in various bands.

In 1995 began to rediscover my inner journey as an artist. I trained using multimedia computer technology for technical, graphical and artistic ends and subsequently taught these skills at Btech and Degree level.

In 1997 I began to focus my experiences which culminated in an Interior Design MA research “Synthesis as a Conceptual Basis for Design” (Distinction) at UCE. This involved looking at the intricate connections between dance, music and architectural form. I used digital imaging and computer animation as tools of exploration. The research investigated the work and teachings of Kandinsky and artists/theorists of the Modern movement.

1n 1999 I embarked on ‘Gallery in the Trees’ Public Artist training which has subsequently led to winning several Public Art Commissions. I established my arts practice in 2000. My collaborations with other artists have included gallery installations, light and buildings, theatre and film production and performance art.

I am drawn towards analysis of structure and dynamics of space, searching for poetic meaning in form. Poetry and symbolism serve as vehicles to explore universal philosophies.
Saranjit Birdi

Paul Bartlett
MA Royal Academy Schools, RBA., RBSA
" As an artist attending my drawing sessions over many years I have witnessed Saranjit drawing better using his right or left hand or foot than most people could dream of using their best normal means! Slightly playful thoughts about him conjure up an image of each hand and foot expertly wielding a different pencil, brush, pen etcetera at the same time to pursue his multifarious creative interests while wondering how he can find any time to sleep!

My specific knowledge of his drawing and painting is only the tip of the iceberg. I am gradually learning of other aspects including: winning public sculpture commissions despite a huge open send-in, innovative choreography/fine art, live and video performance, musical composition and gigs, creative writing, research into and practical application of computer-aided design, ‘painting with light’ to illuminate buildings as an art event, college lecturing on a range of topics. Any one of these aspects could be a big enough challenge for many people, but to combine all of them is amazing.

Yet this, still, is not the whole story. Like the Leonardo da Vinci “job application letter” where he famously leaves to the end mentioning that he also paints – I will say that Saranjit is also a fully qualified and practicing Architect.

It is fascinating to speculate how his career wil cross fertilise and go from strength to strength."
Paul Bartlett