Mumbai & Miami
Celebrating Art Deco’s 100th Birthday From Opposite Sides of The World
Art Deco isn’t just a look; it’s a language – and Miami and Mumbai are two of its most fluent speakers. Walk their streets and you’ll see why these cities are global capitals of Art Deco: bold geometry at human scale, curves that suggest motion, ornament that nods to local culture, and materials that caught the light of a new machine age. The talkSTEM nonprofit organization is delighted to partner with Art Deco Alive! to share observation-based and interesting STEM insights into a collection of stunning Art Deco buildings and structures in these two cities. talkSTEM has produced an open access, seven-part video series specifically for Art Deco Alive! and we invite all those interested to take virtual STEM walks with us (each video guide is 2 minutes long).
We promise that these video guides will allow absolutely everyone, ages 9-99, to see these inspiring sites in a new way – no special background is required! No, you don’t need to be a math whiz or a techie – it’s not about that! And, of course, if you’re fortunate enough to be able to go on an in-person walk at these locations, we invite you to first watch/listen to each of the two minute video guides on your mobile device, then enjoy the view and allow yourself to continue to notice, wonder, and pose your own STEM-related questions grounded in your observations. In fact, we’d love to see what you see and hear your questions – we invite you to share with us on social!
The Eros Cinema represented the rise of Bollywood and the new wealth that flooded Mumbai in the 1930s. And it’s still in use today!
Each video in this special art deco-themed, walkSTEM tour in Miami / Mumbai video series taps into the city’s energy, turning open-air galleries into hands-on learning for families, students, and anyone who loves exploring cities. Learn more here about our walkSTEM initiative where we partner with varied groups to see a wide range of places, from urban neighborhoods to college campuses and from parks to playgrounds, through the lens of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). You can access our open source video library consisting of hundreds of short videos to explore museums, zoos, parks, and other places through virtual, observation- and inquiry-based STEM walks.
Miami is known for three things: thriving nightlife, tropical climate, and Art Deco architecture… The Colony Hotel embodies all three…
WHY ART DECO, AND WHY NOW?
Born 100 years ago, Art Deco fused optimism with innovation. Advances in science and engineering created new materials such as reinforced concrete, glass block, stainless steel, and neon widely available. Designers translated those breakthroughs into clean lines, parallel bands, aerodynamic corners, and repeating motifs. In other words, Art Deco makes STEM visible. You can point to symmetry on a façade, feel a radius in a rounded corner, and spot the pattern logic in a tiled floor. That’s not nostalgia but a living toolkit for thinking.
In this seven-part video series, Andrew and Willa use the walkSTEM method of noticing and questioning to make that toolkit accessible.
Notice: the streamlined corners or the stepped parapets of the Shiv Shanti Bhavan apartment building.
Wonder: How do those shapes manage wind or rain? Why do some buildings use glass blocks while others extend deep chajjas (overhangs) to protect from the elements? Simple prompts lead to rich ideas in geometry, materials science, and urban engineering, no equations required to start.
The Shiv Shanti Bhavan isn’t just beautiful to look at, it’s an apartment building engineered to maximize efficiency and durability. Pure Art Deco!
Each city features three landmark stops (six in total) chosen for walkability, story, and visual “math you can see”. At these sites, we address the same key question: How does the design at this site follow Art Deco principles? In order to explore this central question through the lens of STEM, we use three concepts that unite the Art Deco movement and which are anchored in STEM disciplines: (1) geometric shapes and angularity (symmetry, scale, arcs, zigzags), (2) the use of new materials and technologies (terrazzo, concrete, glass, steel) and what they enable, and (3) repeating patterns and rhythms (bands, tiles, windows) that open doors to multiplication, ratio, and growth. You’ll notice family resemblances across oceans, such as streamlined forms and parallel lines, and crucial differences shaped by climate and culture. Notice Miami’s ocean-facing corners and signage… or Mumbai’s verandas, grilles, and Deco motifs reimagined through Indian design. Our goals are simple – to enjoy and appreciate these examples of art deco even more deeply by seeing them through the lens of STEM, to continue to observe more deeply and to generate additional questions grounded in our observations, to connect.
Queen’s Court at Mumbai’s Oval Maidan features rhythmic geometric grilles on windows and staircases…
Ready to see Miami and Mumbai through a sharper lens?
Join the walk and watch the videos here! These videos constitute the art deco-themed walkSTEM tours in Miami and Mumbai:
- Introduction to walkSTEM tours in Miami and Mumbai – https://youtu.be/XsbQY5TSTUQ
- The Colony Hotel – https://youtu.be/PzubzLNOd28
- Miami Beach Post Office – https://youtu.be/9DZ_Fm3vsGc
- The Wolfsonion-Florida International University – https://youtu.be/qX1ZvRm240k
- Eros Cinema – https://youtu.be/p4c466tmc-t
- Laxmi Insurance Building – https://youtu.be/jfEQZKXu7i
- Shiv Shanti Bhavan Apartment Building – https://youtu.be/Ay0JIIaCeCQ
Special thanks to architect Harsimar Arora for collaborating and to the amazing Art Deco Alive! Team for capturing and sharing video footage at selected sites. Also to Andrew and Willa who are invaluable members of the talkSTEM team, thanks to talkSTEM’s continued partnership with Hello SciCom.
For more information, visit www.talkstem.org
or @talkingSTEM on Instagram.
