The Mumbai Architecture & Design (MAD) Salon + Lab was conceived in 2010 as a place to bring together experts and enthusiasts to debate contemporary issues in nation-building through the lens of architecture and design. It operates as a Salon and a Lab to foster exploratory projects at the intersection of the arts, sciences, and humanities. It is the brainchild of spaceship designer Susmita Mohanty and her partner Siddharth Das. They share a passion for graphic novels as a storytelling medium and art form. Susmita was introduced to the French bande dessinée scene while studying in Strasbourg in 1996, so they chose to collaborate with Institut Français en Inde to realize their dream of hosting a MAD Graphic Novel Residency.
The residency is aimed at graphic novelists and comics artists who wish to engage with the city of Bangalore in particular and India at large, to develop a new body of work. The MAD co-founders Susmita and Siddharth will facilitate the residency candidate’s interactions with the social, cultural and intellectual milieu of the city and help them develop their project further through their networks.
The residency is located in Bangalore, the capital of the Karnataka state, in south India. Widely known as the Silicon Valley of India, Bangalore is home to scientists, innovators, entrepreneurs, artists, writers and thinkers from all over the country. It has a vibrant cultural, social and intellectual life.
The residency is located in the leafy neighbourhood of Cox Town, created during British colonial times. It is home to colourful markets, old and new buildings, schools, temples and churches. The quiet and tree-lined streets are pleasantly walkable on foot, while the rest of the city is easily accessible by various modes of public transport - taxi, autorickshaw, metro and buses.