About Me

Hi,

I am Aditi Raychoudhury… don’t even attempt to pronounce my last name!

I am an architect by training. But I do less architecture and more writing, painting, drawing and environmental installation and landscape design these days. I am currently on a sabbatical from my career in sustainable building design to work on my picture books and paintings.

But I didn’t always do this. Nor has it been an easy decision.

Me+Study of Callas in Chalk Pastels. Photo Credit: Aditi Raychoudhury, 2008.

In my years of existential conflict, between a passion for the arts, and making a tangible contribution to society- (and paying bills!) – I have bounced around degrees and careers in dance (1976 – 1989), architecture (1989 – 1997), and sustainable building design (1997 – 2007). But a full time career in the arts seemed like an extension of my indeliable self-indulgence … An indulgence for me to avoid till retirement. Or so I said.

But retirement is too far away, and I didn’t adapt well at all to a 9a-7p cube-farm environment, spending hours away from the very environment that I was trying to protect. By January of 2007, I had reduced tons of greenhouse gas emissions, and improved daylight and air quality for thousands of workers and children. I had also gone up one dress size! R-rrr-i-ppp. Ok, I quit!

I went to school – yet again – for Peace and Conflict studies. But the arts kept stubbornly at my heels. And I finally decided to do what I enjoy the most – draw, paint, sculpt, and do environmental installations and landscape design. And write.

I try to reconcile my implacable conflict between environmental reconstruction and creative expression by litanizing that the arts and environmental good don’t have to be mutually exclusive after all. Naïve as it may sound!!!

The arts can sear the inner recesses of our soul as nothing – except perhaps falling in love – can. It can rattle our conscience into unexpected awakenings, and push us into spaces we would rather not see. It can provoke original thought, and call to question our perception of the world. It can cause us to examine our relationship with ourselves, our environment and humanity.

At least, that’s what I think it can do, what I hope to do – if I can steady my unreliable reserves of patience, conviction and fortitude.

I want to use the arts as a journalistic tool “reporting” on the environment and social displacement. I also want to use the arts to develop workshops for environmental, social, and psychological reconstruction. As for making a living, I hope that will come, too- uhh.. Gulp!

As for now, I enjoy my life in Oakland, California – its generous sunshine, water birds, its gnarly trees, their weathered barks and the beautiful paths around Lake Merritt. I also enjoy going to Lake Tahoe and Yosemite where I occasionally ski and rock-climb.

I work at home amidst exuberant ferns, temperamental orchids, and fiery red bins. I am rather fond of the oak outside my window, which flirts in turn with the wind and the pine.

I am constantly inspired by wild blue skies and fragile waves, stony grey beaches, and rich tide pools, amorous clouds and wind swept trees, savage grasses and vibrant leaves, wild flowers and ocean kelp, sea urchins and anemones, and the great whale migration of the California coast.

I love puppets, shadow theater, noh and butoh. I also like scintillating conversations and steaming espressos.

If I ever lose 15 lbs. I will revert to eating a mousse au chocolat every week! Mmm… mmm… mmm…

Cheers,

Aditi Raychoudhury,
Oakland, CA. 2008.