GIMME SHELTER 72 hours in the search for shelter in Bombay, India
Francesca Hernandez with comments by: Josh Perkins & John Rodgers
In Mumbai, the population of approximately 19,530,000 spills over onto sidewalks, railways, culverts--filling every available nook and cranny with makeshift shelters.
The line between public and private spaces is blurred here, and questions of ownership occupy the city's spaces as conspicously as the informal dwellings stacked atop another.
Faced with the challenge of exploring this city from the perspective of one seeking a space to call home, 3 students attempted to carve out a space of their own.
This search for shelter revealed a world unto itself.
1.HOME home |hom| noun
1. the place where one lives permanently, esp. as a member of a family or household * the family or social unit occupying such a place * a house or an apartment considered as a commercial property * a place where something flourishes, is most typically found, or from which it originates
* a place where one lives
permanently,
esp. as the member of a family or
household
* the family or social unit such a place
occupying
* a house or apartment considered as
commercial property
* a place where something
flourishes,
is most typically found, or from which it
originates
In the pursuit of a space of our own, we were forced to find materials with which to create a "home". This need for building materials colored the city for 24 hours--a constant question of whether or not we were infringing upon someone else's property, or simply reclaiming refuse that would otherwise be absorbed by another person's need for shelter.
"When you need to go to the bathroom, everything in the city begins to look like a bathroom" --Nihal Perera
2.SHELTER noun |shel*ter| a place giving temporary protection from bad weather or danger. * a place providing food and accommodations for the homeless. * an animal sanctuary. * a shielded or safe condition; protection
Around every corner, another opportunity awaits...
Someone else's leavings... Or stash?
Suddenly, we find ourselves scavengers,
Hungry for scraps, and scheming.
Seduced by the lure of so much space going unused,
\
we waited for \
nightfall,
and the cover of darkness...
By night, she is another city, populated by hawkers sprawled in slumber across their carts, rickshaw wallas snoring across the silent seats of their immobile autos, and the barkings of dogs, threatening to reveal us in our illicit, uncertain mission
We make our way, down sleeping streets
If this is how shadow cities are built
Wondering if this is how it always is.
Home is a skeleton, rising above the skyline, along the interstate.
We've come to make this space our own.
This takes time, effort.
Stealth and cooperation.
The city showed us how to build a home.
Hiding in plain sight.
And a test drive.
A few finishing touches...
DISCOVERED!!!
How to negotiate?
How to explain?
One Explanation: The construction of our temporary structure in Mumbai’s northern district of Vile Parle took shape, or rather meaning, in its deconstruction- when it was destroyed by the authorities of the city. Built with bamboo poles, found rope and wood in the early hours of the morning, the self-built structure was a kind of intervention into an urban landscape that contains one of the world’s greatest disparities between rich and poor. The Story of our structure is a prime illustration of how space is made (and re-made) through social relations. The poignant deconstruction of the dwelling not only speaks of the contested nature and meaning of space, it stands as a testament to the suggestion that, “the look and feel of cities reflect decisions about what and who should be visible and what should not, on concepts of order and disorder, and uses of aesthetic power” (Sharon Zukin).
John Rodgers:
Revelations: I just visited our site. I must say this up front. I have been drinking whiskey. With that being said, we pissed somebody off. Hell yes. We accomplished something.
Josh Perkins:
Some people may say that our installation was unsuccessful because it was torn down within 24 hours. I see this differently. We were able to upset people extremely with a few pieces of bamboo, some twigs, string, and a tarp. We were able to strike emotions out of someone to the point where they felt threatened. They must have feared something. I don’t know what this was. However, I can imagine it being many things. Maybe they were afraid somebody might use the structure we built. Maybe they were afraid other people would seize this idea and use it to construct their own lives. Personally, I hope people started to use it and they were afraid that this structure would become an informal apartment complex. It doesn’t matter what the reason was, because two classmates and I were able to erect a structure that demanded a response within 24 hours. If you have traveled to India, then you’ll understand what an accomplishment this was. We must have really pissed somebody off and we didn’t get in any trouble. In a way, I was more excited that somebody took the time and effort to tear it down because that means that somebody was observing my work. Whether they appreciated it or not is irrelevant. They made sure it was torn down and that tells me it was important to them. I feel as though I visited another country and brought issues to their front door with the help of my peers. Together we said, “Here it is, you’re welcome!” As a student, I feel that I have accomplished so much more than I had anticipated. We built an installation that affected someone’s life in such a way that it became their number one priority to tear it down sothat no one else could see our work. I pat myself on the back for pissing someone off this much with a few sticks and string. We imagined putting this someplace where somebody else may have had the chance to use it, but, I am confident these self-builders don’t need my help to construct a place for themselves. I do feel confident that I irritated the “Mainstream” and maybe someone will recognize the potential that every wasted space can be transformed into a living space. In a city that obsesses about the importance and value of space, they sure do overlook many possibilities.
AFTERMATH
Our work: demolished. Branches and beams, scattered. Who took the time to make certain that this temporary structure would be just that? We are left to contemplate the nature of this short-lived space, that for mere hours, was our own.
Reincarnation While our structure is gone, the tarp appears to have already found a new home. Perhaps our shelter was simply an introduction in its life story.
Acknowledgments:
Many thanks are due to those who made this adventure possible:
Nihal Perera, Wes Janz,
for sustaining a program that offers unparalleled experiences and creative exploration of the unknown
for his encouragement and spirit, and embracing of informal structures and the people who build them
Olon Dotson,
for his pragmatism and honesty, and enthusiasm for forgotten and neglected outposts
Mumbai, India:
for teaching us so much about ourselves, the human \ condition, and the fact that it really is possible to make a home almost anywhere, if you put your mind to it
Fin