Sketch walk to embrace heritage and urbanscape of Purasawalkam

CHENNAI: Madras Inherited, an initiative that exclusively leads heritage walks in Chennai, has come up with the latest edition of sketch walk to encourage people to document the neighbourhood of Purasawalkam.

Led by Ashmitha Athreya, an heritage enthusiast and architect, also head of operations of Madras Inherited, the walk is all set to encapsulate the vivid memories of the past from Purasai.

Ashmitha, who has previously conducted such heritage sketch walks in Mylapore, Vepery and Mount Road, says, “The idea behind these heritage walks is to make the participants (from across the city) aware and understand their surroundings better.

Our larger goal is to inspire the participants to gain knowledge about the history of the neighbourhood and share the knowledge with others.” Freshers with no experience in sketching can also participate in the event.

The walk will take place in collaboration with artist-architect Vigneshwaran, who will introduce the participants to various techniques involved in quick sketching. A freelance artist with more than a decade of experience in art, Vigneshwaran chose a course close to art and design to delve deep into the field. “I did rural scaping at Thimmarajampatti in Kancheepuram.

During my journey, I realised that sketches can capture and communicate intricacies more than a photograph. That pushed me to do sketch walks,” he starts. He also adds that sketch walks capture the essence of a place.

“After doing solo sketch walks, I started to notice small things around me that have a huge impact,” he remarks. Vigneshwaran feels that after knowing a place’s history, heritage and conservation aspects, people’s connection with the place will become strong and their perspective will change.

“After listening to the history and heritage of a particular locale, participants will visualise the place/building and engage in creative creation. The art works will be a result of the existing state of the place/building along with some creativity,” he explains.

According to Ashmitha, nowadays people are interested in knowing about our city’s history because more such avenues are emerging to take people back in time. “It is delightful to see youngsters’ engagement in the walks we conduct.

To be honest, there is more to the city than it offers. It is important to know where you are from, the history, culture, geography and more,” she says. Portraits of Purasai, a heritage sketch walk, will take place on September 30. If you would like to register, you can visit the official Instagram page of Madras Inherited.