Laki, my inspiration from artist to architect
Laki and Nela: An enduring friendship. Pic by Romesh De Silva
Incredible artist, sculptor, architect, landscape architect, naturalist, botanist, writer, poet, mathematician, flautist and above all a brilliant teacher, Laki Senanayake who passed away on May 30, was a multi-faceted man.
Laki was my first art teacher at Cora Abraham’s ‘Melbourne Art School’, that I was associated with from the age of 10. It was during this period that he met and married Ranji. I vividly recall Laki on a powerful, loud and fast motorbike with Ranji on the pillion. Their daughter Mintaka, named after the third star in Orion’s Belt, was born a few years later.
He was the most loved teacher who allowed us to do anything and everything with paints. We even painted on his jeans! He used to draw like a dream. Owls were his favourite study even as early as that.
He taught me the ancient craft of batik as he started to work with Ena de Silva, for whom Geoffrey Bawa had designed an outstanding house – his very first. I find myself lucky to have had such a ‘genius’ creating a ‘prelude’ to my career as an artist-architect as I call myself, when I failed to be a musician in my mother’s eyes!
Needless to say Laki was a great inspiration to launch my long journey transiting from an Artist to an Architect, to what I am today.
Laki was born in 1937 to a Communist father, Reggie Senanayake who fled to India to avoid confrontation with the British Administration. His mother, Florence Senanayake was the first woman Member of Parliament. So are we surprised that they produced a creative son? Educated at Royal College, Laki lost his father at an early age of seven and was brought up by his mother.
After leaving school, Laki’s creative talents took precedence as he commenced his first job at Architects Billimoria & Peiris as a drawing office assistant. Alas! this didn’t last long.
While teaching at Cora Abraham’s, he met Ena de Silva whose son Anil was taught by Laki, and Barbara Sansoni, whose sons were also Laki’s students at art school. With Barbara’s association scraps of hand woven ‘Barefoot’ fabric were thrown at us to paint and create collages of vivid colour.
Soon Laki became a part of Architects Edward Reid & Begg having been introduced to Maestro Geoffrey Bawa. Laki commenced his close links with Geoffrey where he was featured as an artist, sculptor in most or all of Geoffrey’s amazing creations.
In my formative years , I was greatly influenced by Geoffrey’s work where Laki was prominently featured. Triton Ahungalle, today known as ‘Heritance’ is my favourite, where Geoffrey teases the viewer taking them through a narrow winding passage that bursts out into a breathtaking space with unbelievable views creating an element of surprise.
One is greeted upon entry at the Reception to Laki’s relief wall sculpture in white of a Talipot palm and beyond, by his intricate black and white pen and ink drawings that depict the Sinharaja forest on the walls.
Laki’s contribution to Geoffrey’s Bentota Beach Hotel has stood the test of time through several renovations -now cleverly resurrected to its former glory by Channa Daswatte. Laki’s stylised peacock stands guarding the stairway to date.
A sketch of the battle of the Portuguese in Sri Lanka was transposed to an outstanding sculpture twirling up the balustrade of a spiral staircase at the entrance to the ‘Lighthouse Hotel’ that stands out today as one of Laki’s incredible works. At Kandalama Hotel, Laki’s sculpture of the dramatic owl prominently guards the staircase. Most notable of his works is the Chandelier depicting a Talipot palm, delicately designed to hang from the apex of the roof and ceiling of the main chamber of the Parliament building that Geoffrey designed.
It is evident that Laki’s work is intrinsic with that of Geoffrey’s.
Together with Barbara Sansoni, fondly referred to as ‘B’, Laki toured the island helping record the amazing viharas and dagobas. Later she produced an outstanding collection of sketches in the ‘Architecture of an Island’ depicting religious, public and domestic buildings – a diminishing heritage that soon will be lost. This was published in collaboration with her husband Ronald Lewcock and Laki.
Barbara’s and Laki’s outstanding sketches are documented in this book which incidentally was photocopied and put together in my office by my colleague and partner C. Anjalendran, who contributed towards this publication.
Laki rekindled his architectural skills later, when together with Nihal Amerasinghe, Turner Wickremasinghe (another of my gurus) and Chris De Saram, he established the architectural firm ‘Envioroplan’ that was responsible for the Jinasena offices in Colombo 2. This too was very elegantly planned along with some exceptional houses that the firm undertook for business magnates.
In 1983, Laki was invited by the Finance Minister to design currency notes for Sri Lanka and produced the most incredible set of intricate currency notes incorporating the endemic Flora & Fauna of Sri Lanka in subtle shades of colour for easy identification. Unfortunately for reasons unknown, these notes were not in circulation for long when they ought to have been there forever.
Laki has done some outstanding sculpture for the Miles Young House at Mirissa designed by my friend, teacher and colleague C. Anjalendran, the Lydia Goonesekera’s House in Bentota now owned by Rohan and Dulanjalee Jayakody and for Thirukumar and Nirupama Nadesan’s holiday home in Trincomalee.
‘Diyabubula’ in Dambulla became his abode after his association with Ena during which time Laki produced the staggeringly beautiful designed batiks in the most exquisite fusion of colours. Laki partnered Ena for many years in this craft. Ena’s large batik flags suspended from the atrium of Lanka Oberoi and the batik motifs on the ceiling of the Bentota Beach Hotel could be attributed to Laki and Anil Gamini Jayasuriya (Ena’s son) – my first and last art teachers.
A five acre plot of land in Dambulla originally owned by Laki’s lawyer brother Nimal was bought over by Laki in 1972 for his artist retreat. ‘Diyabubula’ was so named due to a ‘gurgling perennial spring’ – the highlight of this piece of land. Apart for this natural feature, Laki created a series of water bodies as still pools, expansive ponds and cascades, creating a constant auditory symphony.
A simple stilted pavilion acts as Laki’s abode with expansive views as it is perched over the waters. Birds weave in and out of the pavilion, massive boulders discovered on site are made to emerge while overgrown gnarled Ficus trees prance around with their roots swinging in the wind.
Laki’s clever orchestration of views links one area to a larger landscaped area, keeping certain elements of mystery alive, nurturing rich wildlife. This is where Laki enjoyed living, amidst the kingfishers, owls, water monitors, otters, fish and monkeys – surrounded by the flora and fauna.
All these creatures would certainly miss this man who whistled a perfect tune, answering to their calls, while often listening to classical music and jazz over his perfectly camouflaged Hi-Fi system.
Laki enjoyed living in ‘Diyabubula’ until he decided to sell it 15 years ago to the owners of Ayurvedic Resorts. He designed a hotel and a few chalets on the property and negotiated with the new owners to remain in his Pavilion House where he sculpted and painted, gathering inspiration for his creative spirit while being in the peace and harmony of nature among water, boulders and native vegetation – one man’s extraordinary vision!
My story of this ingenious “Master of Creativity” will not be complete without talking of Noel Dias -his ever faithful Assistant whom he met in 1972, working for him at Diyabubula then for a daily wage of Rs 2.50! Noel continued understudying him in landscaping acquiring Laki’s vast knowledge.
Laki was the Landscape Designer for all of my international and national award winning projects along with Noel who executed them. Together with Noel, Laki landscaped my own house setting it amidst several water bodies, large trees, boulders, pots, railway sleepers and mirrors in a terribly urban setting.
The last couple of years of Laki’s creative life he spent in Kalapaluwawa, Rajagiriya where he built a house for himself in Noel’s compound so Noel was able to take good care of him till the very last.
Laki’s health declined in December 2020 and he was rushed from Diyabubula to Colombo for a triple bypass surgery. He slipped away quietly at the end of May 2021.
Laki leaves behind his daughter, Mintaka, now domiciled in Orlando, who monitored her beloved father till the very end, via Zoom – the new normal in lockdown.
Thus Sri Lanka bade “adios” to an incredibly creative son of the soil, creating a vacuum that never can and never will be filled!