UNFOLD STORY OF P K SEN BHABAN WORK WITH
URONTO RESIDENTIAL ART EXCHANGE PROGRAM
P K Sen Bhaban
The working venue of this season is the P K Sen Bhaban in Sadarghat thana of Chittagong. The building was constructed approximately in 1920, it took around three years to complete the building.
PK Sen Bhaban is one of the traditional and the ancient buildings in Chittagong. It was one of the biggest Bhabans in Chittagong during the British era. Zemindar Prasanna Kumar Sen, a kind-hearted man in Raozan, built the traditional building on the bank of the river Karnaphuli. P K Sen was a Rice and oil Trader in Noa Para, had his own mills in Chittagong.
He also established many tolls and school in the area during that period. He owned a huge land area starting from the sadarghat thana port corner till the Hotel Raj which is nearby to the building. After getting bankrupt during 1946 P K Sen had to sell the entire land ownership.
During that period many trader tried to buy the building and Shushil Ghosh finally got the chance to own this building. As Per Present Family Members, the building is standing in 9katha and the entire area of the building boundary is around 17 katha(yet there are debates on the exact measure or area). The building is mainly four storied but with the Minar on top, adds more three stories of height to the building. The building is deigned in a hexagon shapes which is very unique and very much interesting. There are many big beautiful ventilators with geometric shapes. Wide windows are main characteristics of the building.
It has more than 40 rooms and two separate stair system for getting in and out of the building. It had color glasses and very impressive decorative works but in present time its standing on the last legs. Shushil Ghosh died in 2000 and after his death his family members are taking care of the space. The building is a witness of many memories, like the war time, tortures of army battalions, Histories related to Surya Sen (22 March 1894 – 12 January 1934) and many more good and bad memories are folded in the old bricks of the building.
Theme of this project:
In this project the participants are invited to portray the ruined diverse beauty of the house, the lost history, the truth even why not myth as well through their distinctive media. The building for this episode is a very interesting structure and we are looking forward to bring out all the silent memories and beauties of the building in this episode. Participants are expected to explore the site in their way and bring out an esthetical expression of their findings and realization. The expression of the participants must express anything about the house or anything related to the house and its history. Any discipline of artist or creative individual is invited as long as they can connect to the site with their practice. Participants are highly encouraged to bring out the best, working with natural founding material or available materials around.