• Channa Daswatte on Geoffrey Bawa’s legacy through the lens of ‘Design in the Moment’

No name resonates as powerfully in the world of Lankan architecture and design as that of Geoffrey Bawa. 

Celebrated for his pioneering work in tropical modernism, Bawa’s design practice not only focused on creating buildings, but also on creating furniture, landscapes, and spaces that felt both timeless and deeply rooted in their context – in their time and place, in the moment. And this – designing for the moment – was a core part of Bawa’s philosophy. 

This ethos is at the heart of ‘Design in the Moment: Furniture by the Geoffrey Bawa Practice,’ an exhibition now open at the Geoffrey Bawa Space in Colombo. The exhibition, a collaboration between the Geoffrey Bawa Trust and Bangalore-based furniture company Phantom Hands, explores Bawa’s furniture and other interior design elements, both well-known and otherwise. 

The exhibition interrogates the idea and process of reproduction through furniture designs, including the ‘Next-Door Café’ Chair and Saddle Chair. 

Phantom Hands’ Geoffrey Bawa Collection, a furniture collection offering re-editions of these designs and others from the architect’s practice, launched alongside the exhibition, will be available for purchase in 2025. 

These re-edition are reproductions of these furniture pieces rooted in the context of the present day in terms of using more freely available materials and manufacturing than when they were initially designed in response to the challenges of the moment. 

These pieces, many of which were born out of responses to Sri Lanka’s closed economy in the mid-20th century, reflect Bawa’s creative yet thoughtful response to scarcity and external constraints. With imports restricted, Bawa and his associates turned to local materials, local craftspeople, and existing structures and pieces to create designs that were both functional and innovative.

This week, The Sunday Morning Brunch sat down with Geoffrey Bawa Trust Chairperson Channa Daswatte for some insight into Bawa’s philosophy of designing contextually for your present time and place and what that philosophy can translate into in the present day, especially amid the ever-growing need for sustainable and mindful approaches to how we live our lives and the spaces we live in. 

A meeting of minds 

Daswatte’s journey with Bawa began in the late 1980s, when he first visited Lunuganga, Bawa’s enchanting country estate in Bentota, as a university student as a reward for a job well done by his mentor, the architect C. Anjalendran. 

This meeting led to a friendship and eventually to Bawa offering Daswatte a place in his practice when he was designing Hotel Kandalama, one of his most iconic projects. 

“It was a treat to be taken there,” Daswatte recalls. “I was struck by the way Bawa’s work felt so rooted in its context, yet so timeless.” Years later, after completing his studies in London, he joined Bawa’s practice, marking the start of a collaboration that would shape his own design philosophy.

Daswatte expanded on how Bawa used to approach projects. “A lot of it is designing with what you have available to you in the best way possible. It makes a project a new challenge with its own set of issues to confront and resolve through how you design it by looking at it from the perspective of the people using it and not as an object to be created just to visually please someone,” he said of the underlying driving force behind how both he and Bawa approached design. 

“Architecture is the conversation of movement through space. I take a lot of the positions Bawa did [in my own approach], using the materials and things around you, something which is becoming increasingly difficult in a world where anything is available from anywhere. But I still feel it is necessary to be completely true to your work; it needs to be about dealing with what you have around you,” he added.

Constraint – a blessing in disguise

The ethos of constraint is vividly captured in the ‘Design in the Moment’ exhibition, which showcases furniture pieces born out of Sri Lanka’s closed economy in the mid-20th century. With imports restricted, Bawa and his associates turned to local materials and artisans, creating designs that were both functional and deeply connected to their environment.

‘Design in the Moment’ illustrates how Bawa responded to the needs of his clients in the moment – something to sit or lie on in many cases. While in many instances what he could design was impacted by political and economic constraints, Daswatte stressed that this lack of materials was in no way a negative aspect, and even today, should not serve to impact how designers approached creating something new. 

“The ‘lack’ was an instigator of creativity and that is what is so important,” Daswatte said, pointing out that even the economic crisis of 2022 had prompted similar movements of thought centred around being creative with the resources available and prioritising local materials and craftsmanship. 

Commenting on the constraints of the mid-20th century against which Bawa did most of his defining work, Daswatte said: “Many of the successes of Bawa’s architecture lay in dealing with the particular set of issues that needed to be dealt with at that moment; coming out of the colonial period, trying to find yourself, and braving difficult economic straits – it was a perfect storm for creativity to happen, and Bawa and his mates took full use of it.” 

One of the most striking aspects of Bawa’s furniture is its playful ingenuity. “There is an amusement to each piece. They are not just objects to sit on; they are expressions of joy and creativity,” Daswatte observed.

He shared an anecdote about a chair design that emerged from Bawa’s desire to create a comfortable café chair amid an environment that prevented imports. 

“Bawa asked me to trace the profile of a classic Parisian café chair, but he wanted to adapt it to suit our context. He knew exactly what made the chair comfortable and what could be changed. In the end, we created something entirely new – a chair that was both familiar and uniquely Sri Lankan,” Daswatte recalled. 

This process of adaptation and reinvention is central to the concept of ‘designing in the moment’. “It is about responding to the needs of the present while staying true to the essence of the design. It is not about reproducing the past; it is about reinterpreting it for today,” he added.

Identity and sustainability

Amid the dominating trends of mass production and globalised design, Daswatte believes that Bawa’s approach offers a powerful counterpoint. 

“Today, we have access to so many materials and influences that it is easy to lose sight of who we are. Designing in the moment means engaging with your context, using what is around you, and creating something that reflects your identity,” he said. 

This is particularly relevant in urban settings such as Colombo, where the cosmopolitan spirit often clashes with the need for sustainability. 

“Colombo is a melting pot. It is a place where people bring their diverse backgrounds and create something new. However, to design for Colombo today, we need to be clear about our direction. We cannot just copy what is trending; we need to create something that is rooted in our place and time,” Daswatte reflected.

Sustainability, too, is a key consideration. “Bawa’s work was inherently sustainable because he used what was available,” he noted. “Today, we have to be more conscious about our choices. But the principles remain the same: reuse, recycle, and create with intention.”

This also links to the Geoffrey Bawa Trust’s most recent milestone, the newly opened Geoffrey Bawa Space, a fitting tribute to the architect’s legacy. 

“It is a place where people can come and engage with Bawa’s work, but also with broader ideas about architecture, design, and the environment,” Daswatte said.

The space, which includes Bawa’s extensive collection of books and drawings, is designed to be a hub for creativity and conversation. 

“We want it to be a place where people can question ideas and explore new possibilities. There is a lack of similar spaces in Colombo and we hope to fill that gap,” he added.

Timeless design is often very much of its time

As the ‘Design in the Moment’ exhibition demonstrates, Bawa’s work is as relevant today as it was decades ago. 

“Bawa did not set out to create timeless designs. He simply responded to the moment with creativity and integrity. And that is what makes his work timeless,” Daswatte reflected.

For Daswatte, the challenge and the joy of design lies in this balance between the past and the present, the local and the global, the functional and the beautiful. 

“Designing in the moment is not just about solving problems. It is about creating something that speaks to who we are and where we are going,” he said.

‘Design in the Moment: Furniture by the Geoffrey Bawa Practice’ will be on view at the newly-opened Geoffrey Bawa Space in Colombo 7 between 13 December 2024 and 31 May 2025. The Geoffrey Bawa Space is open Wednesday through Sunday from 12-6 p.m. except major holidays. A series of curatorial tours and public programming will take place throughout the duration of the exhibition. 

Info box

For more information visit:

Web.: geoffreybawa.com and phantomhands.in

PHOTO VENURA CHANDRAMALITHA