By Marina
Correa
Photography:
Courtesy the architects
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The soon-to-conclude Architectural
exhibition Gurgaon Glossaries at the Mumbai
Art Room, Mumbai, has over the last fortnight stood ground as a serious stratum
for discussions on urban developmental issues via its in-depth illustrative
study of satellite city Gurgaon…
Three fierce urbanites and then architects - Prasad Shetty, Prasad Khanolkar and Rupali Gupte have thrown up startling
revelations via images and lexicon relating to Gurgaon, a full-fledged city
southwest of Delhi, which has been transformed from a sleepy village into a
metropolis in an unprecedented span of time. Their dissection exposes the
vulnerable substructure of Gurgaon, via their art work titled Gurgaon Glossaries.
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Metaphorically, the exhibit is a central setting
of a funky table display with red tables supporting blue, yellow and pink
chairs that invite viewers to sit down and browse through a glossary of over
100 compiled terms. Colourful boxes are placed with stack cards describing
words like ‘avashyakta hai’, ‘abadi and non-abadi areas’, ‘millennium city’, ‘monkey catchers’ that have randomly
sprouted similar to the city’s unchecked development. Plastered on the walls
are photos that capture the essence of the city’s incongruent rise to glory.
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Shocking images juxtapose skyscrapers with large,
uncovered pits that attract cows and pigs; buildings running on generators only;
septic tanks as garbage disposal units, parking lots doubling up as broker
meeting joints or chaiwalla stalls… a
telling tale of a city grown up too quickly sans
checks and balances.
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The method adopted has been at grass root level;
where the triumvirate have interacted with, lived in and breathed in the city, feeling
the vibes, connecting to stories and dissecting basic elements -- water,
electricity, garbage, security, food etc -- to unravel malpractices.
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Incidentally, this art work goes beyond and
spotlights simmering issues that can explode into an ugly fiasco, if not
tackled soon. Yet, the focus is subtle rather than in-the-face and circumvents hard-hitting
contextual references; coming off instead as limpid study material. Shouldn't the
people who matter, be looking?
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Venue: Mumbai Art Gallery
Dates: Feb.15 – Mar.9, 2013
Timings: Tuesday – Saturday; 11am – 7pm
Open to all
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