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Doors to dreams and memories

14 October 2006, 18:00 PM
LIFESTYLE
By Fayza Haq
14 October 2006, 18:00 PM
Array of antique doors on display. PHOTO: STAR
Doors open into houses and speak of the tastes and times of the owners of these homes. Myriam Bassinot, director Alliance Francaise, speaking at the opening of the exhibition of antique doors at the gallery of Alliance Francaise, said, "I've always been fascinated by antiques." When she arrived in Bangladesh she was totally taken up by the doors and shutters that she found in the streets of old Dhaka and Sonargaon. She found the similar pieces in the antique shops at Gulshan 2. She said, "When you imagine all the people passing through them you are intrigued by the life of the past, where people rejoiced and mourned, passing though these doors in their everyday existence." She used the latter to form the exhibition along with excellent photographs on the same subject by Mujibur Rahman Khan, who teaches photography at Alliance Francaise. The photographs formed the backdrop of the ancient, carved doors with their fascinating motifs.

The door from Faridpur has leaves, stems, curling all across the top of its three sections. It contains two pillars which are carved with floral motifs. Apart from the row of motifs on top and bottom, it has carved sections with simple but delightful flower patterns. The door itself is a delight of carpentry with more ornate flowers. There are more rosettes on the four sides contained within rectangles. From Mahasthangarh, Bogra, comes the gray and red door with floral relief and added geometrical motifs. The colour is vivid in the centre. Also from Bogra is door No 16 which has designs of horses, fish, flowers and tendrils. There are iron rings at the sides and a chain in front.

Peacocks, snakes, horses, lions, waves from the river and geometrical patterns go to decorate another door. On four pillars on this door are four sunbursts. The birds, animals and reptiles are neatly carved, while the pillars are in the form of spirals with motifs at the bottom and top. This is in brown and blue and comes from Faridpur. Another one contains a carved horse and a lion along with the sunbursts and rosettes. The friezes at the bottom and top contain intricate floral patterns.

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Door No 4 is decorated with parrots, flowers, sunbursts and rectangular shapes. This is in bright red and chrome green. From Mahasthangarh comes another door with careful rectangular shapes, and carved flowers. Door 2 has square motifs and miniature oval windows.

A painting, containing a woman done in the oriental art style, painted by Abdus Sattar, looks through a large window where the windowpanes are missing. One of the photographs, that add to the ambiance and form a setting for the doors, capture an 80-year-old door from Nawabganj. It has vertical lines, dots and bars. There is a photograph with graffiti in Bangla and English and with carved motifs and diamond patterns. This is from Narayanganj. A 200-year old door from Nawabganj brings in old shades, shapes and colours.

The exhibition was indeed original and thought-provoking.