Architecture Must Be Experienced, Not Just Observed: Australia-Based Researcher Asees Prab

Chandigarh-born architect, academic and filmmaker Asees Prab, currently pursuing her PhD in Architecture and Urban Design at RMIT University, Australia, believes that cities are best understood not only through drawings and buildings but also through the lived experiences of the people who inhabit them.

As part of her visit to Chandigarh, her two research-based short films, Act! Citizen and otherness, were screened at Tagore Theatre, followed by an interactive panel discussion featuring eminent architect Surinder Bahga, architect Shilpa Das, senior advocate Manmohan Sarin, and journalist Aarish Chhabra, who shared their perspectives on Chandigarh’s architecture, urban evolution and civic identity.

Interacting with the media in Chandigarh, Asees said her doctoral research explores how architecture influences everyday life and how cinema can become a powerful medium to communicate ideas that often remain confined to academic discourse.

“Architecture shapes the way we live, move and interact, yet much of the conversation around it remains inaccessible to the public. Through filmmaking, I wanted to create an engaging way for people to experience and reflect upon the city they inhabit every day,” she said.

Asees explained that her research uses film as a creative methodology to examine Chandigarh’s architecture, public spaces and urban identity. Rather than documenting the city in a conventional manner, her work encourages audiences to engage with Chandigarh through memory, dialogue and lived experience.

Speaking about her two short films, Act! Citizen and otherness, she said the projects emerged from her doctoral research at RMIT University. Act! Citizen encourages residents to rediscover Chandigarh’s public spaces, including the Capitol Complex, and reflect on their relationship with the city. otherness examines Le Corbusier’s concept of modularity and explores how one of Chandigarh’s defining planning principles has evolved and is understood in contemporary times.

A university Gold Medallist in Architecture, Asees has built a multidisciplinary career spanning architectural practice, urban design, research, higher education and filmmaking across India and Australia. Alongside her doctoral research, she leads a professional practice delivering Building Information Modelling (BIM) services for complex data centre projects. She has taught architecture and interior design at universities in both India and Australia and is also a published writer whose work focuses on architecture, heritage, cities and contemporary urban culture.

A third-generation resident of Chandigarh, Asees said the city continues to inspire her work, adding that her objective is to make architectural conversations more inclusive by connecting research with the wider community.