The challenge of this project was to re-imagine the “Black Taj” in the contemporary context.
Now, as is well known, the Black Taj is an orientalist legend presupposing that a mirrored architectural piece of the Taj Mahal was allegedly planned by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan, and to be constructed in black marble across the other side of the Yamuna river. However, such place is occupied by the ‘Mehtab Bagh’ or ‘Midnight Garden’, which is where Mughal royalty would settle to contemplate the tomb of Mumtaz Mahal in the moonlight.
The proposal nevertheless, took up this challenge from the lens of infrastructural transformation, environmental development, and citizen engagement, in relation to a non-nostalgic way of approaching heritage.