We don't remember the last time we entered a home and were greeted in the kitchen. And we'll admit, we haven't thought very highly of the idea. But when on a sunny Monday morning, we walk into an 80-year-old apartment that seems to have grown only younger with age, we know we've changed our mind. Artist Vishwa Shroff ushers us into the space where we meet architect Katsushi Goto, with whom she shares the apartment, as well as London-based curator Charlie Levine, who leave their laptops behind to chat with us. As we're seated in the open kitchen, light enters through the window as if swelling up an already wide space. It is easy to see then, that Shroff and Goto's home has been transformed into a larger collaborative environment — giving way for SquareWorks Laboratory (SqW:Lab), a three-month creative fellowship to take shape.

What's in a name?
We ask Goto. And he comes up with an answer with multiple meanings for the architecture and urban design practice. "The English use the term 'square' to indicate a public space. And people have faith in them. Although this isn't one, the work that we do revolves around this. 'Works' also stands for a studio that is always working," he explains. The roots of collaboration between Shroff, Levine and Goto go back to 2011 when they met in the UK, where Levine ran a gallery in Birmingham. "There was us as well as Rosanna van Mierlo, an art writer and Tash Kahn, a painter. And we then invited a plus one to be a part of the fellowship to form a group of 10," Levine says.