Mythical Dwelling

  • Hong Kong - City & Heterotopia. Image Courtesy of Saswati Das.
  • Hong Kong - City & Traditions. Image Courtesy of Saswati Das.
  • Mumbai - City & Culture. Image Courtesy of Saswati Das.
  • Mumbai - City and Memory. Image Courtesy of Saswati Das.

Several fast-growing South Asian cities exemplify development patterns where manmade urban centres are juxtaposed with slum communities and squatter settlements that are strategically removed from the glorified image of the city. As a dialogue between a mythical Kowloon (Hong Kong) and diagonally opposite, a burgeoning Dharavi (Mumbai), this project explores the physical and non-physical values of an organic form of heterotopic urbanism, which is unique to South Asian mega-cities as negotiated middle-grounds and spaces of exception that redefine modernity, desire, happiness and hierarchy.

Several fast-growing South Asian cities exemplify development patterns where manmade urban centres are juxtaposed with slum communities and squatter settlements that are strategically removed from the glorified image of the city. As a dialogue between a mythical Kowloon (Hong Kong) and diagonally opposite, a burgeoning Dharavi (Mumbai), this project explores the physical and non-physical values of an organic form of heterotopic urbanism, which is unique to South Asian mega-cities as negotiated middle-grounds and spaces of exception that redefine modernity, desire, happiness and hierarchy.

Milestone

2018.Q3
Project awarded Design Trust Seed Grant

2020.02
“MYTHICAL DWELLINGS – The Urbanism of Impermanence” photography exhibition is held at the University School of Architecture & Planning, Delhi

2020.Q4
Research result is published in the format of essay and digital drawings

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2018
Grantee: Saswati Das

Saswati is a designer from India based in California, with a background in architecture, liberal arts and urban design. She is currently pursuing independent research exploring ideas of displacement and impermanence of space, as a living non-physical entity, broadly across Asian cities. She presented her project titled New Delhi: the urbanizing ‘dilliwallah’ at the Pecha Kucha Festival, Ann Arbor in 2015. She is also a qualified Indian classical vocalist.

Previously, she has worked in Los Angeles, New York and New Delhi, across a broad range of projects including low-cost housing development in slum settlements, multi-city light rail expansion and speculative experiences in the Pacific Aquarium in the event of climate change. Most recently, her work in collaboration with Design Earth, was exhibited at the Oslo Architecture Triennale (2016), Times Museum, Guangzhou, China; Cooper Union, New York City, USA and the Onassis Cultural Center, Athens, Greece.