Each metropolis bears its own particular set of cultural markers, from its distinctive culinary practices to the memories embedded in each stone, every street, and every archive. Even the natural elements can evoke nostalgia or longing, the wet cement that lingers after a summer rain, and the sweltering humidity of the summers. Understanding this diversity demands an approach beyond mere observation; works of literature and art, the variety of voices and conversations within public spaces and cafes - all these provide an insight into what makes up the fabric of a city.
Kolkata, too is a city of contrasts - old and new, rich and poor, traditional and modern. And yet somehow, these contradictions blended together in a way that formed a unique and vibrant tapestry.
Kaee Kolkata City Lab navigates through these diverse spaces and voices of the city to explore new ways of caring for the city through sustainable practices, material constructions, and technological applications.
Kaee Kolkata City Lab (KKCL), a multiyear initiative imagined by Premjish Achari to slowly explore the unique characteristics of Kolkata through various means, such as activities related to visual arts, scientific research, affordable nutritious food, ecological interventions, and urban planning that foster inclusion. KKCL will ferment an interdisciplinary collaboration among artists, writers, architects, designers, and scientists to delve deeper into Kolkata's rich cultural heritage and to create works that blur the boundaries between these disciplines.
As an intensely collaborative project, the participants will engage in discussing what strategies could be used to uncover the individual features of a city? How could we make Kolkata's essence tangible for others to experience? How could we assemble its past and present, successes and failures, magnificence and destruction into something cohesive? What interventions can we create to transform the sights, sounds, and aromas into a deeply immersive experience for its residents? We have the immense task of chiseling Kolkata's specific characteristics and unlocking its secrets through research-based excavation. Capturing the essence of Kolkata would require more than temporary events and exhibitions; it would require a deep understanding of the city and its people that extends beyond surface-level observations. Promoting social change in cities requires working on a range of different projects that are focused on social matters. This means engaging with extensive groups of people, creating new audiences, especially from the social peripheries, and designing spaces that embrace everyone rather than catering to economic or personal needs alone.
Photo Credits: Tirtha Prasad Lahiri