Mukund Iyer has travelled long and far enough to give him a new perspective to his art. Trained as an architect but then brought closer to art and expression, he believes in making things sustainable and would love to live in a forest.
Eventually, experiencing spaces through art was my calling and I gave into it.
Tell us about your journey from discovering your craft to acquiring the skill you have now.
I joined architecture not knowing where I was heading. My education somehow taught me everything that I am not supposed to be doing in life. Architecture exposed me to life through travelling and observing details. Eventually, experiencing spaces through art was my calling and I gave into it. Drawing lines without questioning and judging lead me to create optical illusions and finding my own language to communicate with the energies around.
And now his energies are flowing.
After dealing with various demands from clients and/or bosses, what’s that one experience that you learned the most from?
Good and bad experiences are bound to happen, just trust yourself and follow your heart.
Whose work as an Artist & Bio-architect do you admire the most in the world? What do you appreciate about their work?
M C Escher, Moebius, Hayao Miyazaki. That the universe is around us and within us. Their sense of detailing and the optical illusions keeps the viewer in a loop, a conversation with oneself.
That sounds like something Mukund emulates in his own work.
What do people not realize about Artists & Bio-architects?
That we also need money for survival.
One must feed the body to give energy to the mind for creativity.
Which project of yours are you particularly proud of? Could you tell us a little more about it?
“2 weeks with 200 women and the little yellow men” a series of sketches and paintings inspired by interactions with cows and the people I met during my journey in Turkey. I was living a nomadic life volunteering in dairy farms and doing hands on natural building projects. The journey and the art together got me closer to myself, it was thought-free and it guided me in deconditioning myself to what I was accustomed to. Through this series the viewer is invited with oneself.
This isn’t from that series but it’s so inviting to be lost in.
Give us a piece of advice that really helps you with your own workflow.
Have faith in the fall and believe in the unknown.
With enough time and effort, the unknown becomes known.
What are you working on now?
Writing and illustrating a book on the intuitive art of natural building.
Where do you see yourself in the future?
Lost in art in the heart of a forest.
Making more work that invites the viewer to take more than a second look.
Have you tried out a completely different creative field? How did that turn out?
Since I am a trained architect, the different field was art for me. I completed my degree in B. Arch and started practicing natural building and eventually found myself drifting more into art. Now I’m focusing on bringing both of them together.
We wonder what kind of creation that will be. In the meantime, appreciate this.
If you had to start afresh in the industry today, what path would you choose?
I wouldn’t change a thing.
If you could claim that any one person’s work in the world was yours, what would it be?
I’m not sure who created it , but I would love “Nature” to be claimed as my work. (He means all of nature rather than the work of one specific person)
Themes of nature and the natural world around us can be seen in Mukund’s work.
Now that you have a firm foothold in the creative world, what would you like to say to ‘all the haters’?
A saint named Hidirellez was walking along the coast. At the same spot, a young clown was juggling and having fun. As he saw the saint pass, he ran upto him and said, “Oh enlightened one, Hidirellez, please pass some wisdom to me” To which the saint replied, “I have no wisdom to pass on to you, you are but a clown and a juggler. What do you know other than clowning” The clown was disappointed but then became thoughtful about how the saint reacted. Meanwhile, the saint continued to walk towards the sea and in a matter of seconds he was seen walking on water, something only an enlightened soul could do. As the saint was busy wandering on the water, he heard a noise come from behind him. To his surprise he saw the clown running on the water with ease. The clown once again reached the saint and requests him again, this time, more fervently, “Oh enlightened one, Hidirellez, please pass some wisdom to me, I will work hard towards it.”
Hidirellez, taken aback, replied “My dear son, go continue doing whatever you were doing.”
This story from the Middle East explains how irrespective of one’s prior actions, obsession and passion towards any act can lead one to enlightenment. One’s unconditional love is unhindered by others opinion towards it.
And that leads to something surprising and maybe even beautiful.
What’s your favourite font?
Favourite movie?
Kahlil Gibran’s “ The Prophet”.
A book everybody should read?
Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach.
Your quick tip to all designers?
Have unconditional love for whatever you do.
Who has the best projects you’ve seen on IndieFolio?
Could you make something exclusive for us in the next 5 minutes?
It’s called Wagoba and we can only say, ‘Wah! Wah!”
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