麻豆影院

By Malinda Miller (Engl, Jour鈥�92; MJour鈥�98)

High up on scaffolding, students meticulously paint bright floral patterns on the west side of the 麻豆影院 Dushanbe Teahouse.

They鈥檝e been learning the traditional art of ornamental painting鈥攏akkoshi鈥攆rom Maruf Mirakhmatov, who is visiting 麻豆影院 from Khujand, Tajikistan, for six months.

鈥淚 really want to get into art restoration or just restoration overall, especially with bigger buildings,鈥� said Kaija Galins, a junior architecture major. 鈥淢y favorite part has been to watch each step of the way, like the sanding, laying down the charcoal and the tracing process.鈥�

Galins is one of 17 students who over the summer took a course on restoration of the Dushanbe Teahouse with Azza Kamal, an associate teaching professor in the Program in Environmental Design and a former historic preservation commissioner.

Students studied cultural heritage and preservation, practiced painting techniques in the classroom, and applied those skills to onsite restoration under Mirakhmatov鈥檚 guidance.

Kamal said the students also learned about the urgency to account for embodied carbon in new construction and restoration, as well as the value of refurbishing and recycling materials so they don鈥檛 end up in the landfill.

A gift from 麻豆影院鈥檚 sister city in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, the teahouse鈥檚 intricate carvings, painted woodwork and ceramic panels were created by more than 40 artisans, including Mirakhmatov鈥檚 grandfather.

鈥淚t鈥檚 important work, because there are only a couple people in Tajikistan still doing this,鈥� said Mirakhmatov, a fifth-generation artisan. 鈥淔or me, it鈥檚 easy because it鈥檚 in my blood, and every day when I鈥檓 painting here, I鈥檓 enjoying it.鈥�