del laboratory view book issue 3 (2014-15)

VIEW BOOK

2015. Design + Environment + Law Laboratory.

The DEL Laboratory is an initiative of Natural Justice &Srishti Institute of Art, Design and Technology.

DEL Lab Logo Design: Sonalee Mandke

Photo credits in this viewbook: Deepta Sateesh, Rutuja Patil, Mariya Madraswala, Malvika Tewari, TEDx NMIMS

“We walked into the arms of the forest” was supported by Madras Crocodile Bank Trust.

“Splice” was partially funded by the Department of Landscape Architecture, PennDesign.

CONTENTS

Who We Are 05

How We Work 07

Research & Collaboration 09

The Heroes Project 11

“We walked into the

Arms of the Forest” 15

Splice - The Iconic Joint 19

Events 23

Ecosystem 36

Design + Environment + Law Laboratory View Book | 5

WHO WE ARE

Vision

The Design+Environment+Law Laboratory (DEL Laboratory) is set up to challenge existing legal, environmental, social, economic and cultural frameworks through interdisciplinary thinking and creativity. The DEL Laboratory is an intiative of Srishti and Natural Justice. We believe that the artist/designer brings an interdisciplinary approach to complexities and contradictions on the ground in contentious landscapes, through synthesis and imagination, to investigate, image and intervene.

The studio-lab carries out collaborative research projects, to explore the intersections between design and the humanities, through active engagement in the environment; to bring design approach to pedagogy, policy and practice; and, to strengthen socio-ecological relationships, making way for synchronous engagement in our enironment.

6 | Design + Environment + Law Laboratory


Values that guide our approach, methodology and pedagogy

• Interdisciplinary thinking

• Openness & reflection

• Embracing complexity

• Empathy & mindfulness

• Experience-based learning

• Group learning

• Collaborative decision-making

HOW WE WORK


RESEARCH & COLLABORATION

We believe that research, based on theory, practice and reflection, form the foundation of how design thinking and methodology can contribute to and impact broader issues of policy-making, regional and spatial planning, conflict resolution, local practices, uncovering new lenses and pathways for humanity to navigate through our changing world and environments. The Western Ghats, a contentious landscape that has drawn much attention over the past few years, is of research interest as the conflicts on the ground today stem from the current image and imagination of the Ghats.

The DEL Laboratory has entered into research work with BHSI (Vivek Dhareshwar) and faculty at Department of Landscape Architecture at UPenn (Anuradha Mathur and Dilip da Cunha), to begin a revisualization and reimagining of the Ghats, through studio projects as well as doctoral work, symposia and workshops. At the faculty research level, the team is now beginning to explore the nature of design in the humanities, and humanities in design, through workshops, seminars and discussions, engaging a diverse group of scholars, artists, designers, and educators across India.

Partners/Collaborators:- Bangalore Human Sciences Initiative (BHSI)- School of Design, University of Pennsylvania- Madras Crocodile Bank Trust- Natural Justice, Global


Still from the comic book ‘Return To The Kalahari’


THE HEROES PROJECT

The Heroes Project, inspired by Joseph Campbell’s hero’s journey, is an on-going collaboration between Natural Justice in South Africa and the DEL Laboratory, since 2013. It is an initiative in the move towards social reform in South Africa, to enable the KhoiSan youth make informed choices. The site for transformation is the Cape Flats, just outside Cape Town. Here, where most KhoiSan reside today in the midst of gangsterism, drug abuse and poverty, are also home to heroes from the community who have made significant contributions for positive change.

A graphic narrative to reintroduce myths and community heroes was identified as the form that the youth can relate to. This year, the lab team completed the origin story of the graphic novel series, titled “Hoerikwaggo Chronicles – Return to the Kalahari.” The comic book was officially launched in Cape Town, at the District Six Museum, with the blessings of the National KhoiSan Council, on September 26th, 2014. The team is now planning publishing and distribution of the book to initiate possible change.


Illustrator, Abhishek at book launch event at The

Entertainment Store, Bangalore


“WE WALKED INTO THE ARMS OF THE FOREST”

At ARRS, biologists, ecologists and other researchers study the behavior of specific species in their microhabitats. However, the forms in which these studies are documented are limited to primarily text-based records from a species-specific perspective. Although these studies enable the researcher to observe and gain knowledge about their subjects, they are unable to communicate their findings to another audience, of the nature of the changing site conditions and scales of operations. This project sought to reimage biological diversity of the Western Ghats beyond the species approach - to see habitats, micro-ecosystems, landscapes, and patterns of behavior in these places across time, scales, practices and relationships.

Biodiversity is a broad area that impacts the political, social, economic and cultural life. This impact and importance is often lost through a myriad of inaccessible studies, policy documents, and technical language that do not necessarily capture the complexity that surrounds biodiversity. These limitations stem from those of our current approaches and conventional forms/languages of documentation and communication. In collaboration with the Agumbe Rainforest Research Station (ARRS), the intent is to drive change and imagine new ways of documentation and creative communication of biodiversity, working with field biologists, in Agumbe, Karnataka, Western Ghats.


A Still from ‘The Living Plains’


quaint bird that visits the grasslands every summer – the Yellow-Wattled Lapwing, and its relationship with the grasslands.

The 2 ideas that were created and developed for this project were: (i) a new kind of ‘map’ or ‘calendar’ that unravels the Shola grasslands in Agumbe hoping to remove the notions that grasslands are wastelands; and (ii) a storybook of the

A still from the illustrated story book ‘ Summer Settlers’


76

5PM

6PM

9PM

10PM

Details of

each frame

Photographs

taken of the same

place at different

times.

Printed out on

OHP sheets.

MATERIAL SPLICE

INTANGIBLE EXPLORATIONS

The immaterial exploration started out with a series of investigations : the idea of home as point to generate interdependencies, the ant colony as a superorganism and the idea of a hybrid as a splice.

The idea of home began with the inquiry into the origin of species in the Ghats. For example, a eucalyptus tree that was never supposed to be a part of the fauna in the Ghats now blends perfectly into the forest. Based Charles Darwin’s theory of the survival of the fittest. Survive if you’re fit and fit if you survive. Home is where you fit.

An investigation began into the animals that make their home in the Ghats. A nest is a designed product of the bird. The bird doesn’t think of networks and relations, it may just want to build a nest. How it builds the nest brings other factors into the world of the bird. Where does the mud or leaves used to build the nest come from? These all can be viewed as chance by-products, but what must be understood is it’s making as a splice. In a sense the bird splices trajectories/origins/materials. There are factors that contribute to the making of that nest. Anchoring everything known about nests, one could construct an ecosystem from the point of that bird. This generates the idea of one thing as an amalgamation of other things brought together through interdependencies.

The idea of interdependencies led the investigation to the ants. Ants have a unique ability to adapt to their surroundings and thrive on interdependencies within the ant. The highly organisational structure and distribution of functions revealed a sense of relationship and order within the colonies. When we see how the colony of the ant operates, no one can help wonder how they all operate as one. Regardless of the reasons that bring them together, the colony has a remarkable ability to act like a collective mind. An ant colony has been referred to as a superorganism where the individual is lost in the larger structure of the colony.

The superorganism is a splice. Each individual comes from two other individuals in what we can effectively call a hybrid. It is the case with human beings as it is with ants. But in the ant community the colony

acts as a super organism leaving no room for the individual. It makes the hybrid of the ant a more effective splice, loosing it’s “joint” to a field because thousands of ants come together to form a collective brain able to make decisions and move like a single organism.

One can look at the Ghats at a microscopic scale to examine the macro landscape. By zooming in and out to see how the individuals have functions in a larger context and how they are connected to other species directly or indirectly, creating webs of complex networks. However, within this there is no hierarchy, each individual has its role to play in the Ghats as does an ant within its colony.

Complex environments of rain clouds, flocks of birds, colonies of ants, swarm of bees, crowds of humans, etc. all have something in common that can be easily called out : movement. The super organism doesn’t draw attention to the individual, but moves collectively and thinks as one. Perhaps these superorganisms can be looked at through movements.

IMMATERIAL SPLICE


SPLICE- THE ICONIC JOINT

To most people the Western Ghats is a range of hills on the west coast of India covered with monsoon forests, a repository of minerals, a UNESCO world heritage site and a biodiversity hotspot. In this studio, however, the Western Ghats will be a splice: a joint of two things that does not call attention to itself so much as to the new ‘singularity’ that it creates. It is common to hear the word splice used to describe the taping of two celluloid strips in making a film, the tying of two ropes in extending a length, the joining of two pieces of wood in crafting an artifact, the juxtaposing of two images in creating a montage, the connecting of two pieces of music to make a performance. To say the Western Ghats is a splice is to

see: a coast that calls attention to a land-sea gradient; an escarpment that unites the ground beneath the Arabian Sea and the Deccan Plateau along a N-S shear that reveals layers of basalt toward the north and a surface of laterite to the south; a threshold that allows the SW monsoon to come through, a moisture-laden wind that drops large amounts of rain between June and September on its way to the Himalayas; a ‘wild’ belt that generates networks of roadways, railways and airways to draw people from the urban centers on the Arabian Sea and the Deccan Plateau – people looking for ‘nature’, vacations, recreation, adventure and research; a ground that reveals veins, strata and ore of coveted


minerals; water and hydropower to cities on the Arabian Sea and the Deccan Plateau; a biodiversity hotspot that calls attention to an endangered planet. The singularity initiated by the Western Ghats in each of these cases has a beginning but no end, direction but no destination, trajectory but no enclosure. Design students engaged in the studio through: (i) Explorations – crafting a splice; (ii) Field work – traversing a splice (along with UPenn students); and, (iii) Intervention –

designing a splice. Each student designed an intervention in the Western Ghats that responds to conditions and initiates a transformation. This design involved programming, strategizing, and if necessary siting. Interventions include textiles, books and installation. The project ran simultaneously at the landscape architecture studio at UPenn, led by Anuradha Mathur and Dilip da Cunha.

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CONCEPT 2 : CONNECTING THE PLOTS

HOW ARE THEY MOVING?

As the first concept didn’t work out, a step back was required and the plots previously constructed were revisited. The first challenge was to connect the three plots that were complex on their own. An attempt was made to try connecting them through frequencies or the categories of following, leading and herding. When both approaches were not holistic, a new process was pursued. The movements across the various plots that were looked at and each line of movement within the plots was called out. Then they were put together on the basis of how they were moving and whether they were visually similar.

As this process evolved, four flipbooks were created so that the movements could be studied more closely. Each page was a frame and, as one flipped through the books, the viewer could see the similarities of how they were moving and the frequencies of their movements became evident. These flipbooks were turned into a motion graphic for the sake of presentation.

As the movements came together, four new qualities of movements emerged from this process. It was discovered some movements acted as signals independent of other movements but had the potential to generate movements around them. The movement types were mostly oscillatory where they were swinging within their frames. Some movements were constantly negotiating around other movements and the pattern of their movements were mostly radial. Other movements were navigating within the space of the frame, while others were simply “wandering” as they moved in and out of the frame possibly responding to a larger signal but were no clear paths and the movement was relatively slower.

This led to the construction of a new structure of a panel that could visually represent a field of movement using movements extracted across various constructed plots, and in turn construct the superorganism.

Flip-books

NEGOTIATINGNAVIGATING WANDERINGSIGNALLING

CONCEPT 2 : Searching for A STRUCTURE

Basic initial structure for larger panel


Sri Lanka, Mangalore, USA, Chennai Kerala, Agumbe, Udupi, Mangalore - all driving through or visiting Agumbe, including many local people from Agumbe. Visitors were excited to see an in-situ exhibit – of the Ghats in the Ghats. Although the exhibits required some amount of initial conversations to orient the visitor, we believe the works of this unique design approach communicated new ways of seeing the region in a more accessible manner than presentations through singular disciplines that require prior basic knowledge, or inclination. The curiosity and enthusiasm with which the design explorations were received reaffirmed the possibility to initiate dialogue and collaborations where public opinion and design thinking can interact.

Western Ghats Exhibition, Sunset Viewpoint, Agumbe, Karnataka

2- 4 May 2014

As a culmination of the first Western Ghats studio, students’ works were exhibited in the Ghats. The intention to have a public exhibition is simple - to offer new ways of seeing and understanding the Western Ghats as we travel through them, including Agumbe. This opens up the possibilities to influence the way in which we engage with the region as well as sensitize us to it. A total of about 150 visitors who engaged with the exhibition, who speak English, Kannada, Tulu, Konkani, Malayalam, from Bangalore, Shimoga, Davengere, Teerthahalli, Kolar, Manipal,

EVENTS


BLINC Workshop

27- 28 June 2014

BLINC, with a vision to bring ‘Balance in the Landscape though Imagination, Negotiation and Collaboration’, brought NGOs, academics, activists, designers and individuals or groups interested in the overarching theme of ‘asserting community rights over the environment’. The two-day workshop-exhibition was organized by Natural Justice and designed and facilitated by the DEL Laboratory. The workshop was held at Cobalt (Church Street) and Rangasthala (MG Road), and the exhibition was at the Rangoli Art Center (MG Road).

EVENTS


Comic Fest, World Design Capital 2014

20 September 2014

The Heroes Project team had the wonderful opportunity of exhibiting

the comic book, the Hoerikwaggo Chronicles – Return to the

Kalahari, at the WDC2014 event at the Homecoming Center. Many

youth from the neighborhoods in Cape Town were deeply interested

in reading the comic, many of whom were of KhoiSan decent. That

afternoon, Kabir Bavikatte, Lesle Jansen, Deepta Sateesh and Abhishek

Choudhury, along with Delme Cupido from OSISA, participated in a

panel discussion, “The KhoiSan Experience” around the issues in the

Cape Flats, and the approach and processes in creating the comic

book. Prior to the talk, the team was interviewed by a local TV crew.

EVENTS

Cumulus Conference Johannesburg

24 September 2014

The DEL Laboratory team was proud to present a paper based

on the Heroes Project at the Cumulus Conference Johannesburg,

themed “Design for the other 90%,” on South Africa’s Heritage

Day. The paper, titled “Reviving Communities through Storytelling

and Creative Action” was co-written by Deepta Sateesh, Dr. Kabir

Bavikatte, Lesle Jansen and Abhishek Choudhury.


EVENTS

Comic Book Launch, District Six Museum -

26 September 2014

The official launch of the comic book was a formal event held at

the District Sis Museum, a historically significant site of Cape Town

as it transformed during and after apartheid. The event began with

the leader of the National KhoiSan Council, Cecil le Fleur, sharing his

acceptance and gratitude to the role that art and design can play

in uplifting communities that have been culturally traumatized. The

event was attended by other members of the NKC, noted South

African poet and author Shabbir Banoobhai, South African lawyer for

indigenous people Roger Chennells, art and design faculty from Cape

Peninsula University of Technology, lawyers and friends of Natural

Justice.

Entertainment Store, Bangalore

7 November 2014

The DEL Laboratory shared the completion of the comic book back in

Bangalore, at the Entertainment Store, attended by many comic book

enthusiasts, students of Srishti and design practitioners.


1. RAINFOREST, AGUMBE

2. TOWN OF UDUPI

3. MALPE, FISHING VILLAGE & PORT

4. ST. MARY’S ISLAND

GHAT CROSSINGS: ESCARPMENT TO SEA

RAINFOREST

ARABIAN SEA


EVENTS

Srishti Collective / Award

December 2014

The Srishti Collective 2014 was a curated exhibition of diploma

student projects at the Srishti School of Art, Design and Technology,

that included “Summer Settlers” and “The Living Plains” projects with

ARRS. The 3-day celebration had visitors from schools and colleges,

Bangalore City and the Yelahanka neighborhood, who attended the

exhibition. Artist/designer Mariya Madraswala received a Certificate

of Commendation in Visual Communication for her extraordinary

work creating the storybook. Both pieces of work are now at ARRS

for public viewing.


EVENTS

TEDx Talk

28 Febuary 2015

Deepta Sateesh delivered a TEDxt Talk under the theme of

Reshaping Thought, titled “Design Imagination – from Innovation

to Invention” that covered the journey of the lab through reflecting

on our projects and continually rethinking the role of design. The

TEDx Talk was organized by NMIMS Bangalore.

Humanities/Design Workshop

27 March 2015

The Bangalore Human Sciences Initiative and the DEL Laboratory held

a workshop called “Designs of the Thinkable/Livable and the Grounds

of the Humanities.” Presenters included Dilip da Cunha (UPenn/

Srishti), Vivek Dhareshwar (Srishti), D. Venkat Rao (FEFLU, Hyderabad)

and Pithamber Polsani (Srishti).


EVENTS

Penn Review, USA

10 May 2015


OUR CURRENT ECOSYSTEM

Team

Deepta SateeshDirector & Co-Founder

Arpitha KodiveriCo-Founder

Malvika TewariDesigner

Abhishek ChoudhuryArtist/Designer

Mariya MadraswalaDesign/Research Assistant

Advisors

John C. KeeneUniversity of Pennsylvania

Geetha NarayananSrishti Institute of Art, Design and Technology

Kabir BavikatteThe Christensen Fund

Students

Mariya MadraswalaRutuja PatilAdwait PawarSanika SahasrabuddheSreemoyee Roy ChoudhuryPriyanka MehtaNamrata SinghHenal Jain

Partners & Collaborators

Agumbe Rainforest Research StationMadras Crocodile Bank Trust

Anuradha Mathur / Dilip da CunhaPennDesign, University of Pennsylvania

Vivek DhareshwarBangalore Human Sciences Initiative, Srishti

Lesle JansenNatural Justice, South Africa

Kabir BavikatteUNU / Natural Justice

Facebook: www.facebook.com/LEDLaboratoryEmail: [email protected] Tel: +91.80.4044.7000Address: P.O. Box No. 6430, Yelahanka New Town, Bangalore - 560 106

del laboratory view book issue 3 (2014-15)

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