M.A.L.L.
a diploma project documentation
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To dream that you are at the mall represents your attempts in making a favourable impression on someone. You are trying to establish your identity and sense of self. The choices you make in life will mould who you are as a person. The mall is also symbolic of materialism and the need to keep up with the trends, fads, and/or the latest technology. Consider the types and names of stores that you see in your dreams. http://dreammoods.com
Prerna Bishnoi Diploma Documentation DVP 2012
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Content & design Prerna Bishnoi Srishti School of Art, Design and Technology
Guides Chinmayi Arakali Deepak Srinivasan Kumkum Nadig
Index Concept note
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Concept & context personal note city notes non-place boredom and entertainment facebook and twitter
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Process & exploration introduction scripting from reality conversations experiences games
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Final games
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3 to Exit
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Entry>Exit
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Final Form
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Video
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References
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Learning outcomes
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Acknowledgements
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concept note This project is located in the mall. It is a personal exploration of the space of the mall as a microcosm with emphasis on people’s behaviour and a larger look at the position of the mall in the urban landscape. Right from the beginning I entered the mall to look beyond its shopping, eating and movie-going experiences. Instead I went there to observe very elemental behavioural patterns which are guided by the architecture, objects and amenities and events that occur in the mall eg. leaning against the railing, taking Facebook profile pictures against murals and colourful wallpapers, playing on iphones while sitting on benches, riding up and down the elevator, doing homework in quieter spaces of the mall etc. Simply put, I went there to see what people do in the mall today 10 years since its establishment in India and one of the things that stood out was how the mall has become routine. It has a designated space in the city and in the lives of the city dwellers. So through this project while I am commenting on these various aspects of the mall I find that most of them have the capabilitiy of being extremely amusing. Hence the tone with which I present my impression of the mall is one of absurdity yet plausibility. This was the main influence behind the video as well as the games that were designed. Since most of my observations started in the realm of performance, behaviour, gesture, act, my approach towards this commentary has been through intervention which took the form of role-playing games. These games were fictional set-ups, part performance part designed social experiences played by randomly selected mall goers in Mantri Square in September/October 2012. The project comes together in a box that mimics the “board game box� with two game manuals, game flash cards and a DVD of the film that serves as the context of the games.
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mantri square at night 8
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concept & context personal note As a child I always wanted to go to the mall. The image I had of the mall was inspired by American sitcoms, especially Full House, where they went to the mall at the drop of the hat to buy gifts, take their baby sister for a stroll, wait for their boy friends, bump into enemies etc. The mall is where all the drama happened, it’s where everyone met, it was the heart of all city activity a lot like mal road in the hill stations of India or Main Streets in Europe. I wanted to be there. So when the fancy steel and glass Forum Mall was finally finished and inaugurated in the year 2006, we all knew Calcutta had arrived! My grandparents expressed the same sentiments a couple of years ago when the first mall opened in Meerut, a small town in Uttar Pradesh. My interest in malls came from fashion: actually seeing, touching and maybe even wearing a Ritu Kumar kurta or a Ritu Beri dress! The other attraction in the mall was the multiplex, another international experience with a red carpet, a popcorn tub and much more comfortable chairs. It seemed ike the mall just walked out of Full House and landed up on Elgin Road, Kolkata. As the interest for fashion declined and the number of malls in the country grew, the experience no longer remained novel. It changed from an occasion to a function: a space where you get everything under one roof, to a drudgery. This re-engagement with the space of the mall came at a time when I was most distant from it, bored of it and most definitely did not understand what the fuss was about. This objectivity and distance helped me re-enter the mall and look at it critically.
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concept & context: personal note
my facebook profile pictures taken at mantri mall
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concept & context: city notes
city notes The Shopping Mall as we know it today- it’s steel and glass structure, the enclosed bubbled-in space with some inlets of natural light, balconies on each floor from where you can get a panoramic view of the mall and a view of the floors above and below, was first designed by Victor Gruen in Edina, Minesota, USA in 1956. Victor Gruen’s architecture of the mall may have transformed in the US over the decades but it came to India intact! The malls in the US have undergone major changes in structure. They have become more “all-inclusive” with amusement parks, gardens, museums all integrated within the mall. Now, the malls are transforming into the street, an arcade, semi-enclosed to give the Americans a Eurpoean feel. Over the years malls started dying, they got replaced by bigger better malls and then there was the dead mall phenomenon. www.deadmalls.com is a blog where people from all over the US moan the death of their favourite malls by writing about them and narrating stories of their experiences in the mall. This trajectory of the American malls seems like it has been cut, copied and pasted in India. In the last 10 years Indian malls have undergone very similar changes- including dead malls. In Bangalore Esteem Mall in Hebbal and Sigma Mall on Cunningham road are examples of dying malls. Both are being kept alive by Ronald McDonald!
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concept & context: city notes
The rate at which malls are growing in Indian cities today no wonder all malls come with an expiry date! Malls are also slowly becoming templates for other structures in the city like office complexes, airports, hotels and even hospitals! The mall has a designated space in the urban landscape as well as in the lives of the city dwellers. I feel that the Malls have gone beyond their function of provding shopping, eating and movie-watching experiences alone. Malls have become local. They provide the space for concentrated and purposeful time-pass. From an occasion the mall has become an everyday affairroutine. There’s an ownership that people are encouraged to feel about their local mall, ex. Garuda mall- namma mall, Mantri Square- my world, my square! Apart from this some malls (Inorbit-Mumbai, Select City Walk-Delhi) open the mall very early in the morning for old and young morning walkers, yoga clubs and laughing clubs. In fact the mall inside is also kept open with the escalators switched off to provide that additional cardio work out walking up and down the mall. This is to build patronage for the mall!
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concept & context: non-place
non-place I started my project through theory. I knew I was interested in the mall beyond its most obvious consumerist functions. The first frame through which I looked at the mall was Marc Auge’s idea of the non-place (Non-Places- Introduction to an Anthropology of Supermodernity). Marc Auge lists the mall as a non-place. Nonplaces, as I understand it, are places in transit that lack a fixed identity. A space in which people are “always and never at home”. Non-places are a result of globalisation and urbanization. My current experience of the mall resonated with this theory. I found this idea quite poetic. I feel that malls come under non-places because of their generic, plastic quality. The mall is a mere construction. It exudes artificiality- in the fountains, the benches, the trees. It is a bubbled-in space that gives the illusion of timelessness and placelessness. Once in a mall, it is hard to locate the mall on a particular street or city or even country! The mall can very easily become a global portal transporting you from Bangalore to Paris, New York or Dubai. The idea of a nonplace doesn’t unsettle me but draws me into the world of fiction and make-believe. As a semi-utopic “The passive joys of identity loss… ...active pleasures of role-playing”. -Marc Auge
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concept & context: non-place
computer generated image of falcon city, any idea where it is? 15
concept & context: boredom and entertainment
boredom and entertainment “Boredom is a result of regimented linear time of monotony” Walter Benjamin When I go to a mall I cannot help but notice dozens of blank expressions, distant eyes and listless bodies. Just like me there are lots of other bored people at the mall. The mall has become a space where people go to consciously engage in the act of timepass. Prayas put it really well: “In this world, the only use for time we have is to let it slip away. We like the long pauses, the moments undefined with activity. “ Apart from the entertainment that the mall is constantly providing you there is always scope for self-amusement! The mall is a chaotic space. The environment contains a million things to stimulate all of your senses- the visuals of people, shops, light, clothes, accessories, gadgets; the sound of babies screeching, people talking, drones, hums, Muzac; the clinical smells of disinfectant with a mix of perfumes; the mall truly bombards all your senses. In such a noisy environment created by abundance, boredom is a given and distraction a way of being. The repetition of the same motifs, the generic look and feel of the space was what bothered me and encouraged me to create games to play- to create an alternate sequential reality of some sort for the mall goers. To provide them an option, just like everything else in the mall, to amuse themselves in a slightly different way!
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concept & context: boredom and entertainment
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concept & context: facebook and twitter
facebook and twitter Taking profile picture for Facebook is a popular activity in the mall. The mall is a much favoured backdrop. I once asked somebody why they do this, he said that if he took a picture against the mall and then put it up on Facebook, he could tell everyone that he’s been abroad! Today the mall is more than just a glass facade beautifying (debatable) the urban landscape. It’s more than a place that you just visit, but you can carry it back home with you on your smart phone or laptop. For one, Mantri Square wished me on my birthday! My understanding of this comes from adding and following Mantri Square on Facebook and Twitter over the past 3 months. There is definitely a connection (refer to ....image on the right) between the mall and Facebook. Facebook is not being used in the passive, consume advertisement sort of way but the marketing strategy is following the spirit of the mall- fun, play, entertainment. The intention is to create a fan following, create a sense of ownership towards the mall. One such example is the “top fan of the month” contest which is purely based on your “like-count”. The winner gets a check of 1000 rupees only but excitement it creates is immence. I once met a group of boys who were asked to imagine over an image of an empty table at the food court, what would happen there a month from now, and their response was that the “fan of the month” would be sitting there with a celebrity having won a one-on-one meal with them!
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concept & context: facebook/twitter
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process & exploration The project has been a personal exploration of the mall. It involved two processes observation and intervention. Initially my research and observations cut across all the popular malls in Bangalore but towards the end I concentrated all my activities in Mantri Square, Malleswaram, since it has the least problems with photography and video. It also has a great mix of people (socio-economic class) and generally has a high footfall. My intention was not to remain a passive observer in the space but to induce something into the space, generate a reaction and create something from that. Within the mall this happened to take the form of “games�. My process in this very real space included a lot of fiction. I tried to wrap my ideas, especially of the games, in a story. The act of role-playing itself became crucial to my process and the experience that I wanted the players to have as well while they were in the game world. The process lead towards a construction of another world within the constructed world of the mall. Every aspect of the project including decisions I made were shaped by the social dynamics inherent in the mall.
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process & exploration: introduction
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process & exploration: introduction
the word maynt be “relevance”, but something like “love”, broadly speaking. Or even “like”, or “dislike”, etc. The project could be a ballon that comes out of some core likes, rather than a statue that is whittled out of many branches that have also been stuck with fevicol .
become more specific there is no “all truth” NO FETISHISING
post-its from my lap top over 3 months
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how you would want to deal with the intertwining of “mall people” into a “general economy” of malls and then cities, and then China? What effects what? Who touches which, and what are they touched by, if they cannot be isolated islands. Or are they? Is the mall itself closed off, or open, in your imagination? How are these relations expressed?
read about mall news mall frauds multi-media performance E-333-FTV-394-RPJ-425-GXX506-SGF-TAE-X37b E-323-JSH-026-XQT-305-GEH415-PFL-MEB-X37B
Art is maybe about finding a knife, or launching a star (that is Badiou there is great learning in in 15 theses) or a constellation. vulnerability! - rumi We are too young to fail! it’s about asking the question in the right way (bruno latour)
process & exploration: introduction
“The badaud is curious; he is 4ETCEH astonished by everything he sees; code for film upload he believes everything he hears, http://hostb.org/A1 and he shows his contentment or his surprise by his open, gaping mouth.”- bruno latour
fourier-architecture, composite spaces hal foster (contemporary) baudrillard frank lentricchia jean-francois lyotard
How else could you describe this phenomenon. What are the OTHER explanations that you could give for this particular behavior of people that you are interested in. va@vagroup.com
1. design 2 games with fictional setting- inclusive 2. fix a definite way in which all these “test games” get documented 3. theatre ex. help develop narrative
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process & exploration: scripting from reality
scripting from reality Scripting from reality is one of the processes I used to observe in the mall. I usually walked around the mall with a pen and paper and as and when something interesting caught my eye or if something interesting happened to me, I would pen it down as I saw it, as if it were a script for a film or a play. The things that caught my eye were things that would seem bizarre if isolated in the mall. Scripting these scenes helped me observe many details like gender, physical description, clothes, gestures, behaviour as well as the settingthe light, the sounds, the backdrop that usually just froze when I converted this reality into a script. As an idea I thought if ever someone were to re-enact the mall these scripts would be handy!
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process & exploration: scripting from reality
In the Zone INT. mall. day a policeman and policewoman are standing at the entrance to the mall. looking blankly at each other. the wind blows through their hair. there is sound of traffic from outside and random whistle sounds from the inside. there is a bollywood song playing in the distance. there is a muffled sound of people’s chatter. a line of ladies and gentlemen are walking towards the policeman and woman. the policeman looks in the direction of the people and ignores them. the policeman looks at the woman again. the policewoman is gazing inside as a lady in a green kurta taps her on the shoulder. GREEN KURTA excuse me? the policewoman looks to the side, disinterested. she picks up her frisking machine, frisks the lady, checks her bag, lets her pass. at the same time the policeman is frisking a dark young man carrying a bata packet. he walks off looking back at the policewoman.
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process & exploration: scripting from reality
...contd P.W (TO P.M.) why didn’t you check his packet? policeman looks at her. looks back at the dark man, blankly. DARK MAN (to policewoman) you know i don’t have anything. (smiles) policeman starts frisking the next man. the man behind him is already standing with his hands up in the line. the man behind him is on the phone deep in conversation. policewoman is frisking the ladies fast and efficiently. the green kurta lady is standing inside the mall looking out at the line of women waiting to be frisked. an older woman in a while sari and dark glasses walks into the mall with a short, dark guy in a suit. a man in a maroon shirt and a fancy phone walks past briskly. girl in green kurta looks worried. two young boys, one wearing a black t shirt the other in red walk in. earphones plugged in. they stand in line. get frisked by the policeman and walk into the mall really quickly.
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process & exploration: scripting from reality
...contd 2. INT. MALL. DAY the two boys in the black and red t shirt with earphones are of mongoloid descent. they walk quickly to the short descending escalator to the Lower Ground floor, past slow moving traffic into Reliance stores. in the store they are suddenly joined by another 2 boys, one in white and the other in blue (wearing earphones). they walk fast, passed the women’s section, lingerie section (without a glance), past the men’s section and out through the second reliance entrance to go back to the escalator. they walk passed people, go up to the third floor, food court, taking one escalator after another with the other 2 boys, posing on the escalator, not saying a word. they reach the food court, lose their other 2 friends, buy tickets to the scary house and come out of there with 2 older men, this time their earphones packed away, chatting animatedly with them.
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process & exploration: scripting from reality
McDonalds Main Rone Ki Kya Baat Hai BOY mc donalds kitne upar hai? RED HAIR LADY sirf mcdonalds ki baat hai. isme rone ki kya baat hai. BOY batayiye na, mcdonalds kitne upar hai? RED HAIR LADY arre, isme rone ki kya baat hai? pata nahi. hum bhi is mall mein naye hai na? red hair walks after THE BOY. THE BOY is now with another lady. she sees them walk away. phone in hand she walks towards the top of the escalator. she walks around in circles, looking down at the floor below. her feet are dragging. slumped shoulders. she sees her boy and the other lady approaching. she quickly goes and approaches a couple sitting in the corner restaurant near the information kiosk. RED HAIR LADY where is the mcdonalds?
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process & exploration: scripting from reality
...contd LADY i don’t think there is one. why don’t you check the kiosk? 3. red hair starts fiddling with the kiosk touch screen. THE BOY and the other lady have joined her. THE BOY is rapidly touching the buttons that shows him the map of the floor they are on. the screen is constantly, repeatedly showing: YOU ARE HERE. THE BOY is touching the screen buttons fast making the kiosk screen flicker with the YOU ARE HERE sign. the red hair lady, the other lady and THE BOY are staring at the kiosk screen. a big man in a striped shirt and a baby girl enter, walk towards the kiosk. while the red hair lady is repeatedly pressing the same buttons on the mall map, with the YOU ARE HERE flashing, THE BOY has walked away with the other lady. the little girl leaves the striped man’s hand and starts trotting towards the mall corridor. CUT
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process & exploration: scripting from reality
...contd INT. INFRONT OF ELEVATOR. MALL. DAY (MAYBE) in front of the elevator. THE BOY is howling. he is not with the other lady, but with another lady wearing an olive coloured silk kurta with gajra in her hair. the gajra lady is frowning. she takes him inside a toy store. sound of howling is heard again. the lady is being dragged out by the boy. the lady is smiling sheepishly. a fleet of women follow her as they run towards the escalator. at the top of the escalator there is a traffic jam. the lady (gajra lady) holding the howling boy’s hand surrounded by 3 other fat ladies are standing there attempting to get on to the first descending stair. they stare down at the stair as the stripes flow.
INT. INFRONT OF TOY SHOP. MALL the red hair lady, the little girl, the striped shirt man, the other lady and THE BOY come out of the toy shop. THE BOY is happy.
LADY chalo isko please mcdonals le chalte hain
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process & exploration: scripting from reality
...contd RED HAIR LADY yahan mcdonalds nahi hai STRIPED MAN aage hoga RED HAIR LADY kya didi? LADY please, isko dilwa do THE BOY is skipping, hopping around them.
INT. MALL. ESCALATOR there is no one at the escalator. it is smoothly operating. THE BOY steps on to the top escalator stair with ease. surrounded by the lady, the striped shirt man, the red hair lady and the little girl in her arms.
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process & exploration: scripting from reality
The Scary Written Words Scene 1 a wooden bench in front of a gray granite wall. on the wooden bench is painted “only for disabled and senior citizens�. the wooden bench is located opposite 4 silvered elevators. A girl dressed in a red t shirt and gray pants is sitting on the bench. sound from the elevator is heard Going down! the man dressed in the blue checked shirt, looks at the girl and hurriedly walks towards the elevator. the girl is looking at the elevator doors. she can see her reflection and the reflection of the painted letters on the bench. she reads the letters slowly GIRL only for disabled and senior citizens the girl looks up. rustles through her back-pack and takes out a thick, spiral bound, gold book. she flips through the book, reads a few lines on each page, then turns the book over and starts reading the pages from the other side. she then opens her bag again. stress lines appear on her face as she digs deeper and deeper into her back-pack. she finally takes out a
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process & exploration: scripting from reality
...contd blue sketch pen. opens to a blank page and starts writing. the elevator furthest from the girl rings *ting, 2 men dressed in office wear and one short, stout lady dressed in a green salwarkurta come out, followed by a guard, dressed in uniform, with a cap and a red feather in it. he is smiling and talking to the man inside the elevator (offstage) the girl looks up, recognizes him and then goes back to writing. her facial muscles look tense, she is concentrating hard on what she is writing. the police man watches the 2 men and 1 woman leave and then strolls casually, smile on his face towards the girl. the girl looks up, all serious, looks straight at the elevator and then goes back to writing furiously. {a screen comes down on the wall straight ahead of the audience, there is a live projection of the girl’s writing, the writing reads: 20-7-2012 the vibrating forum (she underlines it) a space for waiting- waiting to decide what to do next...}
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process & exploration: scripting from reality
...contd the policeman is looking at her. his smile vanishes. he shifts his weight, puts his righ hand on his hip, bends lower to read what the girl is writing. POLICEMAN aap kya likh rahi hain? GIRL (looks up) uhh...yeh college ka kaam hai. she looks down. disturbed. {projection of her writinghang out want need to be distracted} the policeman looks at the girl suspiciously. he shifts his hands from his hips to his pocket. looks from her hand-made pages of her book to her face. he clears his throat. POLICEMAN yeh college ki book nahi hai. the girl looks up, eyes wide, then quickly conceals her amazement, her face is serious. GIRL (stern voice) bhaiyya, yeh college ka hi kaam h...
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process & exploration: scripting from reality
...contd POLICEMAN yahan mat kijiye...woh..office ke log GIRL par sirf college ka kaam hai bhaiyya, aur main abhi... POLICEMAN office yahin hai... GIRL par main abhi office waalon se milkar aayi hoon... POLICEMAN aap yahan nahi beth sakti, in bench pe (he points at the writing on the bench) the policeman breathes out, puts his hands down, losens his shoulders and takes a few steps away from the girl {the projection shows the wiritngno privacy in malls the art of conversing where to hold a conversation} GIRL oh! accha... {projection goes off}
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process & exploration: scripting from reality
...contd the girl giveS a grin. she puts her book and sketch pen inside her bag. puts the bag on her shoulders and stands. as she stand a thin tall man in a light blue shirt comes and sits down on the bench. the policeman looks at her standing. and slowly walks off stage. (Exits stage right) the girl is smirking. she looks at the man in the blue shirt. GIRL aap yahan nahi beth sakte... (exits stage right) the man in the blue shirt looks at her and almost gets up. BLUE SHIRT oh, but i am just... elevator bell goes *ting man in blue shirt enters the elevator. (lights off)
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process & exploration: scripting from reality
Fountain of Youth 5 boys , aged 19-22 years walk towards a black granite fountain, with six outlets of water falling into a stepped, granite basin-like structure. the fountain is overlooking a road with slow-moving traffic and a deserted park on the other side. behind the waterfall is a huge facade of a mall with a logo “Mantri Square� written on a silver tiled metallic square. one of the boys is dark, plump, wearing a black t-shirt and is carrying a digital camera, 2 others- one dark, tall, thin, wearing a navy blue collared t-shirt and the other fair, bespectacled, wearing a checked shirt are standing around the black tshirt guy. The other 2 boys are leaning against a railing. K (to B and Ch in kannada) eh, go sit there, its a nice place, go da CH come, come, let’s go B and CH go and sit down on the parapet in front of the fountain. CH, is acting studly, he sits in front of the camera, spreads right leg, leans an elbow on it, cups his face, chin up, looks at the camera with a broad smile. B is giggly, sitting next to him. B take it properly ok?
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process & exploration: scripting from reality
...contd K ya, ya, now sit B sits down next to CH laughing, he looks to the left of K and sees a girl looking at them intently, he laughs a little signaling to K. K is busy looking through the camera, composing his picture as people walk up and down in front of his camera. B adjusts himself while CH is holding his pose. the 2 boys leaning against the railing laugh, rattling the railing. CH lifts his chin a little more, K smiles broadly at the camera. K ready no? B nods. walkie talkie crackling is heard off screen and a police man enters from the left. blows a whistle at the 2 boys leaning against the railing. the 2 boys look at the police man and stand up straight. policeman exits left. K waits for a bunch of men to pass in front of the camera and then clicks.
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process & exploration: scripting from reality
...contd B finally! CH now only me, now only me... CH relaxes his body. then sticks out his left leg again, with a smug face, hands cupping face, index finger stretched out, chin up, poses again. B is looking at him laughing. CH leave re, its my picture B laughs, trying to come into the picture by moving closer to him. K is composing the picture. B runs to his side. man walks past him, taking a picture on his smart phone of the mall facade behind. K clicks. CH relaxes. walks up to him. CH show B now, i want one
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process & exploration: scripting from reality
...contd B runs and sits down in the same place. he looks at the girl who is still standing against the railing looking at them. B sits to his side, legs together makes a coy expression. everybody laughs. B laughs. gives a broad smile. K laughing what u doing man, sit properly B laughs. sits facing the camera, legs slightly spread. K waits for more traffic to pass in front of the camera. He clicks. B show, show... K doesn’t answer and quickly hands the camera to CH and runs to sit in front of the fountain. CH clicks. K gets up. the 2 boys who were leaning against the railing start walking ahead. CH my fb profile... all exit right. black fountain stays. water sound level goes up.
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process & exploration: scripting from reality
Corridor corridor 1 int. corridor. evening A young girl in a blue tshirt and grey pants is standing at the entrance of a long corridor lit with tube lights. there is a metallic air duct along the entire length of its ceiling. there are windows on one side and door-like grey niches on the other. there is a clear but distant sound of the city traffic. on and off there is a crackle and a kannada song plays. there is also a low hiss filling up the corridor. in the far end there is a flood of yellow light hinting an exit or an entry. she is looking right at the camera. BLUE TSHIRT that day when i was standing in front the reliance digital hd tv on display in their window i could hear fireworks. and that’s not what was playing on tv. evasion 1 int. mall. early evening A young girl in a blue tshirt and grey pants is standing in front of a large “are you free?� sticker. she is standing with a black sketchpen and a notebook constantly looking around and then quickly looking down and scribbling in the notebook. She approaches a young girl aged 25 wearing a pink t-shirt and jeans. she is surrounded by a sikh boy and another boy.
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process & exploration: scripting from reality
...contd BLUE TSHIRT have you seen the corridor on the second floor near planet sports? GIRL uhhh...no. no i haven’t. BLUE TSHIRT that’s alright. thank you. girl has a ocnfused expression on her face. she looks back at the sikh boy who is looking at the blue tshirt girl. she looks down. GIRL chalo, chalein? girl starts walking away, the two boys follow her. back story 1 a young girl aged 25, wearing a pink t-shirt and jeans, is walking with a sikh boy and another boy who are about the same age. she is carrying a leather purse. occasionally she looks at the sikh boy who is in conversation with the other boy. she looks at him, smiles at him, looks down at her bag, smiles again, then turns to her right, but before she can look at the dark corridor the sikh boy and the other boy start laughing really hard. she looks at him and immediately joins in.
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process & exploration: scripting from reality
...contd corridor 2 int. corridor. evening A young girl in a blue tshirt and grey pants is standing in the middle of a long corridor lit with tube lights. there is a metallic air duct along the entire length of its ceiling. there are windows on one side and door-like grey niches on the other. there is a clear but distant sound of the city traffic. on and off there is a crackle and a hindi song plays. there is also a low hiss filling up the corridor. in the far end there is a flood of yellow light that is flickering hinting an exit or an entry. she is looking right at the camera. BLUE TSHIRT that day when i was walking towards the hd tv on display at reliance digital on the second floor i got a whiff of wet earth! evasion 2 int. mall. early evening A young girl in a blue tshirt and grey pants is standing in front of a large “are you free?� sticker. she is standing with a black sketchpen and a notebook. she is tapping her foot. pacing up and down. she stops looks around and finds a family of 2 women, one man and one little boy walking towards her. one woman is older, big and wearing a purple salwar kameez. she is walking next to a thin woman carry 4 shopping bags, including one large heavy shoppers stop bag. the woman is talking loudly and rapidly with this thin lady.
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process & exploration: scripting from reality
...contd the man is further back, he is holding the little boy’s hand as they pass through the crowd. the girl stops, she is looking right at the lady in purple, she takes a step forward, then backward, then walks upto the lady. BLUE TSHIRT excuse me. i was wondering if you know how i can get to a long corridor. it’s supposed to be near shopper’s stop on the second floor? LADY IN PURPLE oh. THIN LADY we don’t know madam. the man has caught up with them. MAN what happened? (kannada) LADY IN PURPLE she wants to know about some corridor? (kannada) MAN yes. what... GIRL i wanted to know how i can get to the corridor on the second floor.
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process & exploration: scripting from reality
...contd MAN i don’t know. shopper’s stop is here only. i think first floor. GIRL but...ok...thank you the purple lady, thin lady, the man and the little boy walk away. backstory 2 a lady dressed in a purple synthetic kurta, aged 41, is walking next to a thin lady dressed in a yellow kurta. the lady in purple is big and is saying something loudly and rapidly to the thin lady in yellow. the lady in yellow is carrying a heavy shoppers stop bag. weighed down by the bag on one hand she is being pushed by the lady in purple towards the railing. the lady in purple is looking around and then whispering something right into her ear. the lady in yellow tries to look beyond her towards the dark corridor but a man on the phone walks in front of her. he is followed by a little boy who is looking straight ahead of him. he almost bumps into a fat man walking towards them.
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the corridor at mantri square 46
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process & exploration: conversations
conversations Here are some conversations I had about the mall with people in the mall and otherwise. Some of these conversations helped me later in developing the voice over for my film. ASPIRATIONS 2 boys-waiting for a friend who has come to the mall to repair his laptop they are leaning against the railing “their mall” is total mall. “i come to malls to roam around, shop- branded clothes, and look at people” coming to the mall is exposure, i see different kind of people, i want to be like that, the way they talk and behave, i come to see that. would you prefer a bench in forum mall? i prefer the railing sitting is not thrilling enough
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FORUM PEOPLE 2 boys waiting for the movies forum is “their” mall they come here to chill in landmark, read “come here after college or if you are bunking walk around and talk to a friend” waiting in the mall for something to happen “if i want to talk to a friend i’d invite him home” there’s no privacy in the mall the mall vibrates, the railing as well as the floor below the railing “that’s alright, it’s always been like this, it hasn’t fallen ever.” P-O-S-H mallu boy with parents leaning against a railing. they are looking around (over 15mins) to the mall boy: what kind of people come to the mall? people like me.- jobless his parents have come from kerela he has brought them to the mall because they haven’t seen such things in kerela why to the mall? it is posh “his” mall is not forum mall. he has made the trek all the way to forum because it’s “p-o-sher” than others. what do you do when you are roaming around (your mall)? “how can i say in front of my parents i do that… talk to people…like you are talking to me, no?”
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Stalker So I asked this young man from Bihar (name withheld) what do you do in the mall? He says time-pass. What do you do when you are passing time? Look around at people? And then? Watch girls. And then? (laughs) Maybe take videos of them. And what do you do with those videos? (smiles) Show my friends. And then? Then what, finished. Is there hope for love in the mall. You don’t meet the same girl twice. It’s very rare. Why do people take pictures in the mall? I asked to a man with a very professional looking DSLR See the way the light falls, it is good. there is coloured lighting like blue and red and all that. this light is giving texture to the skin. makes the subject look pretty.
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messages from my mall friends
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experiences Every time I went to the mall I kept one thing in mind that I would come back home with an interesting story to tell. I would say a large part of my project was coming back home and to my panel members and telling them stories of my experiences. So here are some of the people I met and situations I was part of. These helped me finally write my voice overs and fictional bits in my film.
CGI of Sigma Mall 52
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Almaz I was in Sigma Mall on Cunningham Road. if you were to visit Sigma Mall now, you would be greeted by dozens of empty shops, some glass doors shut with chains and locks, others ajar but stuck. Half naked mannequins stare at you from behind the windows. It can be quite eerie. I was standing at the third floor central atrium railing and looking around the deserted mall when a lady in a burqa appeared to my side. She sighed and asked me “what happened to this place? I used to come here so often”. “It’s dead”, I said, not morbidly. She laughed “ You know...we could make a haunted-house show here. I’ll be the host.” Then she pretended to hold a mic and presented the mall to me (voice over as told in the film). She and I talked for a bit about my work and my project. Throughout, her phone kept ringing and she mock-irritatingly gave directions to some one to Cafe Coffee Day, ground floor at Sigma Mall. She also complained occasionally about why “he” had chosen this mall. We stood at the railing looking down expectantly. Suddenly she held my shoulders and ducked behind me. I got scared. She said “Look, I think he’s coming. There. That one with the helmet. I saw a boy in a blue checked shirt walking towards CCD running his fingers through his hair. He was carrying a black helmet. “I’ve never met him before. In his Facebook pictures he looked really nice.” she continued. “He doesn’t look that great now. She turned to me and said rapidly “Will you stay with me? You can be a long lost school friend. We’ve met after many years...ok?”. I was a little taken a back. Before I could even respond she waved out to him from the railing and asked him to come up. I was actually quite excited. “You’re Prerna, right? I’m Almaz, don’t forget”. The boy walked up huffing and puffing taking two steps at a time. He had a twinkle in his eye and a diamond stud in one ear. She introduced me to him. He was a jewellery designer from Bangkok. He’d just come back after his education to take over his father’s business. Then the three of us went down to Cafe Coffee Day. The boy looked visibly upset by the fact that I had crashed his date. At the little round table it was quite awkward. As he tried gimmicks to hold her hand, she tried to involve me in conversation about my life. In the end I gave the most usable excuse “I have a curfew at my hostel. I must get back.” They dropped me to the bus stand and were gone!
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Mithun KP and friends I was at Mantri Square, Malleswaram keeping an eye out for “the interesting” when I found a bunch of 4 boys standing quietly with a small digi-cam taking a video of people going up and down the escalator. This act seemed odd and yet so familiar. I had to know what was going on! I went up to them and asked them. I found out that they were shooting a scene for their film so I decided to help by acting in one scene. The scene was set up as a flashback. The story was that there are 3 boys who are all grown up now but are looking back on their college days when they used to hang out at the mall and play the fool. I had to play the role of the girl that they were trying to tease. The shot took place at the escalator. I was surrounded by one boy in front and two others at the back and as we went down the escalator they suddenly turned towards me and froze. I was supposed to get scared and run down past them and out of the frame. The shot was simple. A couple of takes and we were done! It was later made black and white and edited to some music and sent across. This encounter with Mithun and his friends was the highlight to an otherwise extremely mundane day at the mall. I was extremely glad to meet them. They were the kinds of people who did some very fun interventions at the mall. The four of them were break dancers and would often in the middle of a crowd just freeze, cause a few seconds of disruption and start walking again. They’ve also broken into dance in the middle of a movie at the hall. They’ve stood behind mannequins as mannequins and suddenly let loose on random passers-by scaring them. The mall meant something else to them!
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Mantri Satya I met Satya on my first ever scout for players in the mall. I was playing a scavenger hunt at the mall for the first time with random people. He happened to be one of the people I approached. He was standing alone against the railing watching the Olympics Wie game promotional event. He had also agreed to play while he waited, killing time till 6pm to subsequently leave for his Board Games meeting in Koramangala. He was already in the spirit of gaming! Although, that day the plan to play failed, I got myself invited to the Board Games meeting at Ocean Restaurant in Koramangala. At that time this was very relevant to my project because I was hoping to create a community of people who would be willing to play Live Action Role Playing games in the mall. At the same time I learnt about the site meetup.org that hosts a whole variety of communities in the city. I saw a completely new side to the city! Me and my friends attended one meeting at Ocean Restaurant. It was most definitely worth a visit. The whole of the restaurant was filled with groups of people playing different board games. The community was started by an American couple hence the games were all new and American and never-seen-before. Amidst the regulars there were new-commers like us who were welcomed graciously. It was a strange evening as we came up against a really competitive gamer who was losing against us, but definitely worth it!
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Chef Gousteau a.k.a Kevin On my very first trip to Mantri Square I discovered this small patisserie place- La Vie En Rose where the deserts looked mouth wateringly like the ones you saw on T.V. Our friend Chef Gousteau (from Ratatouille, if you didn’t get the reference) a big Frenchman with droopy eyes that always fell to your chest (not his fault though) was right there manning the space. He took me on a tour of each desert- what it was made of and what it would taste like. It was there, at that moment that I discovered Choux Caramel: baked puff, vanilla creme and caramel on top. Choux Caramel remained my faithful sweet friend throughout my Diploma period. But most of all I found a friend in Chef Gousteau a.k.a Kevin. Kevin loved to gossip. He once told me about a worker at the mall, who, while he was sweeping the lower ground floor got a sudden heart attack and fell to the floor. The neighbouring Gelato guys and Faces girls came to his rescue and immediately informed the Fortis hospital branch within the mall. He complained that the Fortis hospital seemed to have no emergency machines to help revive the patient. The ambulance was called but before he could get any proper medical treatment he passed away. This story was big news amongst the mall workers. Not only did it prove that the Fortis hospital within the mall, which was specifically set up for their wellness, was practically useless, it also rose a lot of voices against the mall administration since no one from the mall authorities came to pay their respects to the man’s family. Apparently the Faces girls, took great offence to this and so did Kevin who initially was of the opinion that the mall authorities at Mantri Square were the better of the lot. He made me aware of the little community that already existed within the mall. Kevin is a friendly guy and like me he has many other young desert lovers who have befriended him. Sometimes when he and his wife want to take the day off they call upon some of their young friends to come across and help!
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(above) painting classes at the mall; (below) taking “facebook pictures� at the mall 58
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underbelly of mantri square 59
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introduction to the games The death of the sweeper at Mantri Square, coupled with Kevin’s story of the neighbourhood’s disaproval, people’s condolences built an image of the mall as one large house with rooms and made me think of the game Cludo. It would be so much fun to design and play Cludo in the mall. The act of playing a game in the mall came to me spontaneously. It seemed new and exciting and made the trip to the mall purposeful. The first game I planned was a Treasure Hunt for a group of my friends. It was on invitation. I did not realise what I was getting into. I didn’t realise that the game itself would become a medium to my expression and the artwork itself. The thought of conducting and playing games with random people at the mall started off as a need to make something “happen” in the mall and consequently it was an experiment to see whether people would respond to this spontaneous invitation at all. As the project became more about the games, the games too became more complex. What started off as mere fun became a tool for expression.
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scouting for players The players for the game can be found in the mall itself. The mall is full of people with time on their hands and a onepoint agenda to pass that time. The act of scouting for players has loose guidelines or rules but there are certain strong underlying dynamics of gender that come into play. The act of scouting can be broken up into three parts 1. The hunt 2. The pitch 3. The initiation The hunt: Before hunting for players, it is better to profile the types of mall-goers first. It would be difficult to approach shoppers or people just sitting down to eat or even the movie-goers, keeping in mind the duration of the game. The profile of mall-goers who would be willing to play then boils down to wanderers/window shoppers or people who have just finished eating. The mall can be spatially dissected to understand where such people would be concentrated: standing around the central atrium railing, hanging out around the arcade or near the food court contemplating grabbing a bite to eat, sitting on the benches, playing games on their cellphones or one would just have to gauge their reaction/gauge what? from their faces and catch them on the move. The hunt for players is determined by gender as well. My experience has shown me that women in malls just do not play games. I guess the mall has much more to offer them!
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So, as a game master, if you are a man, this probability would decrease further. Hence, it is wiser to approach boys, especially groups of boys, to play the game. That way there is a lower chance of them abandoning the game. The mall has a very strong courting undertone. One of the major pastimes for most boys in the mall is to “check out� girls. As a game master, if you are a woman, this works out in your favour while you approach boys to play the game. This is the reason why all the characters in the game are boys. The pitch: Once you have approached the boys, the pitch involves explaining the game to them. Here language can be a barrier. Look for a common language. The most important point in the pitch is to sell the idea that the game is simple but requires imagination and role-playing and then proceed to explain the game like a story. In the mall it is hard to gauge who would agree to play the game and who wouldn’t. However, you can tell whether they are bored and are still agreeing to play the game! Sometimes enthusiasm just unfolds as the game proceeds. The initiation: Once they have agreed to play the game, give each player an instruction sheet containing the rules of the game and details of their characters. Give them time to read it, understand it, ask queries and then, let the games begin! (as mentioned in the game guide books) 63
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treasure hunt When i though of this game I decided to use the mall as a playground for some fun games that would use systems that already exist in the mall like baggage counters, coupons, kiosks. I decided to play treasure hunt. Rules of the game: There is a package at one of the store baggage counters in the mall. The coupon to that package is given to one of the players (chosen by random selection). The person with the coupon is on the run in the mall, but continuously texts the rest of the players his/her location (cannot use the name of the floor and shop name). The task is to find the person with the coupon to get to the package. The time limit is 30 mins. Within this time limit if the coupon bearer evades the rest of the players the package his his/hers to collect. Players Ragini Tanvee Ishita Vasu Aman Prerna I went earlier to the mall, put the gift in Spar Hypermarket’s baggage counter and collected the coupons. I then made chits with the players’ names, picked the chits to choose the coupon-bearer- Ragini. When all the players met, I made them close their eyes, just for suspense, and put out their hand 64
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and placed the coupon in Ragini’s hand. After a round of repeating the rules, the game began. Everybody dispersed and waited for Ragini’s message. The following are the clues that she sentclue 1: i’m near a shop tht sells things tht resonate with my name clue 2: i’m in a shop tht sells small things. Most of us tried to guess the shop name with the clue and then use the kiosks to locate the shop. A common experience we all had was that the crowd around us seemed to be in no hurry, moving around at snail’s pace, while we were dashing past people, trying to out run the escalators (being whistled at by the policewomen in return), running to the nearest kiosks or the shops, dying to get our hands on it and use it for better purposes than to figure out “what does this button do?”. Patience. The first clue had most of us looking around music stores but we all missed the music instruments store on the Lower Ground floor. The second clue was vague: small things? It could mean accessories or baby clothes- now that’s a lot of ground to cover. 12 minutes were up, and while Ragini was leaving Mother Care (small things=baby clothes/accessories) Vasu caught. The game was up.
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scavenger hunt Scavenger hunt was the first game that I decided to play with random people at the mall. It started as an experiment to see whether people would even play the game or not. My expectations were low but I was persistent. The trick lay in finding the right people. The game by itself was fun and just something a bunch of boys chilling at the mall would like to engage in. I figured there was a huge “market” for such games at the mall. I started thinking in terms of a trade- where I was trading their time for an entertaining experience. My intention was just to engage people. This however did not hold. It did not question anything. However, as someone once suggested to me if I paid people to play the game then the game would be doing something in the mall. At that moment, the scavenger hunt had no impact on the people’s experience of the mall, neither did it do anything to transform the mall space or have any sort of impact on the mall. The game needed development. The list: I made sure that the list didn’t only include objects to scavenge for but activities that went along with the spirit of the mall and had some connections to popular culture.
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photos taken by the players of the things they scavenged
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LARP Now that I had fixed on the tool of my intervention and creation I needed to develop it further. There was need for the games to become more sophisticate in a way ro go in just the opposite way toward extremely playful, elemental. However I chose to make the games conceptual and an expression of my stories, thoughts and ideas. I discovered Live Action Role Playing games. These games are serious business in the US and even more serious in Denmark. They function like performance or a stories being revealed with a central plot and characters. The plot development and progress of the games depends a lot on the characters. This is theatre style LARPing. So to try out the idea I did a small test LARP at home with my theatre group- Bored Stiff Productions. I knew, however to replicate this format (extremely long and strenuous) in the mall would be quite difficult for logistical reasons. This LARP was very successful. Especially as a performer it was a great experience to be in character for an hour and a half. It was truly intense.
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You are all invited to Shri Nambiar’s home and studio for an auction of his lesser known work and the house itself by his estranged partner and co-owner of the house, artist Afreen Chaudhury. Shrikanth Nambiar is a popular local artist and sculptor. His work is making it big in the latest galleries and art fests the world over. He is an abstract artist and a minimalist sculptor who has lived and worked in Bangalore for the last 20 years. He was schooled at Shantiniketan but moved back to Bangalore, his home town, soon after his education. Shri is a shy, quiet man but has a great sense of humour. He is very polite with his neighbours and friends and is dearly loved. His missing report has everybody a little disturbed, some more than others. He and Afreen had been together for 7 years before they split on amicable terms. Not many people knew him very well, only his doctor friend Dr. Satish Kulkarni and his partner Afreen. Strangely, Shri (as he is known) abandoned the studio a year ago and hasn’t been located for questioning since. Afreen has decided to open up the house/studio for auctioning to some of his closer friends. Here are the people you will meet at the auction: Afreen Chaudhury- host of the auction, co-owner of the house, Shri’s estranged partner Dr. Satish Kulkarni- Shri’s good friend, family doctor, art collector Sunita Mennon- art history student, doing her PHD on Shrikanth Nambiar’s work Zinnia- art critic with India Art Magazine Ravi Surendran- real estate agent who sold them the house in the first place, good friend of Afreen’s Mallika Akka- house keeper Tasneem Tambuwala- popular architect Atul Malhotra- lives in Mumbai, old school friend, filmmaker/artist We meet outside 15/303 Heritage Estate. Afreen Chaudhury has the keys. She will lead us in. Please be on time. 73
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Characters Afreen Choadhury You are Afreen Chaudhury, the host for tonight’s auction. When you finally let your guests in, chat them up- you are a failing art practitioner- that’s the least you could do. You must introduce the artist since the auction will be a formal affair even though they are all your friends. You are entering the house after a whole year. You hadn’t met Shri since the split. Although the world thinks you split amicably, there definitely is little truth to that. There was a problem. You know something about him that is dark. in the last few months that you were with him he was showing some strange signs. you have wanted to meet his doctor friend Dr. Satish for a while now, but he has been out of the country on work. So while your intention is for the auction to go off smoothly you also want to discuss Shri’s mental health. Just before the auction Mallika akka the maid comes and tells you that Shri’s room has been shut for more than a year.You are worried about this but need to keep the act together. maybe sell it as a quirk of the house? Ravi Surendran is your “good friend” Tasneem Tambuwala is your worst enemy You need to butter up zinnia, you need publicity for your coming art show You are cordial with everyone else.
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Dr. Satish Kulkarni You are Dr. Satish Kulkarni Shri is your very dear friend. On a scale of 1-10 you are 9 when it comes to concern about Shri’s whereabouts. You have tried to contact him but failed.Your friendship with Shri is deep but newish. You want to know more bout him from his childhood friend and artist Atul so that one day maybe you can locate him.You are a hypertensive man. This occasion is very emotional for you. to own the house than once belonged to him would be your dream. You don’t know afreen too well. you’ve met her formally only. Shri kept you close to him. He was protective of you. You have great respect for Afreen though. You think she did good in Shri’s life. Ravi Surendran You are ravi surendran You are the real estate agent who sold Afreen and Shri the house in the first place. You are in love with Afreen and have an inkling that her previous relationship to Shri wasn’t all hunky dory. You don’t respect the man. You love his art work though.You are a ladies man, that’s how you work the real estate industry. Aditi You are an unlisted character Your name is aditi You have been shri’s neighbour for the last 2 years. since Afreen left.You are extremely religious. spiritual even.very quiet. smiley. but crazed.You have happened to let yourself into this event, you were not invited. You know what is happening and are very afraid that this isn’t good. You know something and you know an awful lot about shri, more than anybody else.You feel very strongly for him.
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Sunita You are Sunita, the art history PHD researcher. This is going to be part of your research. You are here to see Shri’s loved ones, his unseen work and find out more about him. Somewhere you are in love with him although you’ve never met him. You have been most excited about his disappearance.You think this will make your paper and analysis of his art work richer. Be sure to document the activities. It’ll be valuable for your paper. Zinnia You are zinnia the art critic.You work at India Art Magazine. You are in your 40’s.You have written a lot about shri’s work and are crazy about it. This is a great opportunity for you to collect his art work and if you get the house it would be a treasure trove.You believe he has more hidden work. you are in search for it. Maybe this is the opportunity? You believe he is the biggest thing to ever hit the Indian art scene.You are here to see his rare, unseen work. You are a socialite, the camera is your best friend (include yourself in the pics) Atul Malhotra You are Shri’s childhood friend.You are an extremely positive man and although your very good friend has been missing you are not in the least bit worried. Have you been in touch with him? You are extremely jolly, laughing, happy. You hit it off very well with Tasneem. All these people are new to you. Afreen you’ve met on and off but the rest are Bangalorians so you don’t know them too well. This is the most important part You are an observer at the auction When you see tasneem getting closer to buying the house you have to send her an anonymous text on 9901262952 “don’t buy the house. there’s a reason why shri left. demand to know it”
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Smell
theatrical LARP with Bored Stiff Productions 77
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LARP testing Although the theatrical LARP succeeded, it was done in a controlled environment with theatre people. The mall was another playground altogether. My interest in this form of gaming was that it would be more engaging for the players, it would be novel and most of all I could insert a situation that could possibly transform their behaviour, their existing mall experience for a short duration and in turn I could use it as a tool to tell a story. I wanted to create a shift in the player’s perspectives about the mall. I wanted the game to have some effect on the mall environment. But before I could design an elaborate LARP I needed to test out to what extent people were willing to play role-playing games. I designed a couple of games that included some elements of LARPS. Test Game 1 “what i was trying to do was use the format of scavenger hunt and put in a fiction, try and make them role play a bit- with the white fork being their defence, take the game into their own hands, make decisions and strategies. what i realised was that there was no reinforcing their characters, so next time i design a game i am going to include myself in it. I will be the one who will uphold the fiction.” Test Game 2 (next page) I was lucky to play with boys who were very enthusiastic about their characters. They played their character to the T. This was great encouragement for me. The experience of walking next to a mall goer acting like a police official asking for details of a missing boy while we passed a real security man, was surreal. This construction within the mall seemed bizarre and gave me exactly what I wanted. The testimonials I took from the characters in the end was very valuable. Blurring the lines between the documentation of the game and the fiction of the story was exciting. I took this forward and used it for the final games that I played. This sparked off the basic idea on which I later edited the film as well. My interest lay in fiction, in the possibility of fiction in this mall set up.
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Test Game 1 The mall is your adda/your home. You are running away from the mall since you know that somebody’s after you. Before you leave you need to finish the following tasks: collect some of your valuables and some temporary essentials in 30 mins or less. Somebody’s out to catch you while you gather these things together. They want something from you that you have no idea about. A White Fork is your way out of this situation. If you possess one you have immunity. However if you have been caught with the “object” that the chaser desires, no fork can save you! Here’s what you need to do, limited to the 2nd and 3rd floor of Mantri Mall: 1. Go to the mall office, ask for the mall manager’s name and number 2. make sure the fire exit door near the cycle shop is shut. 3. collect your golden buddha (picture) 4. collect your canon camera (picture) 5. collect your diamond jewellery 6. 1 cup 7. 1 glass of water 8. 1 black spoon 9. mango pickle 10. sugar packet from cafe pascucci
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Test Game 2 “I am Shruti. I have lost my brother in the mall. He was with my just a while ago, sitting on the bench near Soup Bowl, while I got some fries packed. When I turned around he was missing.” The objective of the game is to find Shruti’s brother. Characters Security Witness Friend Security man Sanjay is the security man. He is new on the job, just a couple of months old. He is very enthusiastic about his job and is extremely afraid of being fired. When Shruti approached him he takes it upon himself to find Shruti’s brother. In fact he is afraid if he fails at this he will lose his job. Out of fear he is extremely alert. Witness You were sitting on the bench near Soup Bowl when you saw a young boy with curly hair and Nike shoes (Shruti’s brother) go up the escalator to the food court. He was with another boy, an older boy. As you saw it, the two boys went up the escslator and only the other boy came down and went towards the chocolate fountain. You have a history with Sanjay the security man. A couple of weeks ago he accused you of shoplifting. He embarassed you in front of all your friends. You are very angry with him and you feel he deserves to be fired. The ball is in your court. If you want you can continue the game by helping them out with the piece of information you have or out of revenge not help the security man and terminate the game.
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Friend You befriended this young boy with curly hair while you were waiting for some other friends at the bench near Soup Bowl. He said he’d lost his sister. You decided to help him out. He thought his sister would be at the foodcourt. You took him there, dropped him, when he could see his suster and came back down to the chocolate fountain. A few minutes ago you received a message from the same boy saying: “Hey, I’m behind the black door. It’s amazing in here. SO much fun. Why don’t you join me. But don’t tell anyone I am here. Not even my sister.” You have the choice to not help the security man and the witness and go join the brother behind the door or help them out but not tell them the source of his information, which might put him under suspicion.
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final Games 3 to Exit In the end I had found the way I wanted to interact with the space of the mall. I was clear that I would create games that would have to be a cross between the conventional fun of scavenger hunts with the conceptual backing and open-ended, character driven formula of a LARP. Conceptually I seemed to design my first game while reading Baudrillard. I started desiging the games backwards from the testimonial that I wanted. I wanted a testimonial that sounded absurd but plausible, that blurred the lines betweem documentary and fiction. At the same time the intention was to create characters in the game who would be motivated as players as well. It was an attempt to bridge the gap between the game world and the real world. What Baudrillard gave me, other than confusion was the ability to re-imagine the space of the mall. To re-construct it and make it whatever I wanted just because I could, it was a possibility and then try and place these characters in it. That is how the first game 3 to Exit came about. I must admit that the intention for the game arose after I had made it and played it even. I realised that I wanted the game to transform experiences and the space.
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Entry>Exit The idea for the second game came from a theatre meeting where we were all imagining stories over images that i had taken of obscure parts of the mall like service elevators, corridors, prayer rooms, broadband room etc. The discussion became sci-fi-ish and someone came up with the idea that what if the number of people entering the mall was more than the number leaving? The question stuck. The possibilities for the answer were endless. By that time I had also decided that the games could use some more actors as directors and a stronger story line. An earlier discussion with my friends over the amenities available at Mantri Square had to lead to the thought that maybe it is possible to live in the mall. A combination of the two ideas lead to this game. I was very sure I wanted the actors to be surprise elements. Strangers who knew too much. I wanted the players to be misquided and lead around an experience. My intention was to surprise people with this idea. The set-up at the end of the game and the actors were very important in this game. I did not know whether people would believe the story, but if they thought about it and laughed it was good enough.
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pictures taken against ‘the mural’ by akbar
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pictures taken by entry>exit player a.k.a ramesh
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3 to exit context Welcome to the mall! Look around you. Do you see the iconic escalators transporting large crowds from the promotional event on the upper ground floor to the array of stores on the floors above? Have you noticed the expressions on the faces of people as they just stand and wait for the landing? Have you ever been too nervous to jump on to that first step or have you just simply glided down with ease? No visit to the mall is complete without a ride up and down, up and down, up and down... Look around you. Do you see the occasional person, young or old, thronging around that information kiosk? Have you ever wondered whether they were actually lost or were just having fun tapping in and out of the mall map, watching the triangle twirl persistently while telling them “YOU ARE HERE”? The interactive mall mapping kiosk is a new and fun attraction! Look around you. Look up, a little above eye level, while you wait for the elevator which hopefully won’t be crowded and won’t go right past your floor. Do you see the wild deer, up close, leaping through the tall grass, being chased by the majestic lioness and then a beautiful overview of the wild, the tall grass swaying in the light breeze as the lioness devours the deer? Have you noticed how the bright yellow and green scrolls at the bottom of the screen never have any advertisements? The television provides great entertainment while one waits for the tardy elevator at the mall!
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Look around you, especially if you are tired. Do you see the crowded wooden bench, in the middle of the corridor, flanked by foliage? Have you ever sat on the bench before, exhausted after a slow and long walk around three winding floors, moving (need some verb here, anything else if not ‘moving’) in and out of shops? While sitting there, have you stared so hard at the shops around you that the text and colours blur under the diffused yellow light of the mall? Have you observed the people sitting next to you: paid attention to their clothes and accessories, their gadgets, their ethnicity, their class? Have a seat! Make yourself comfortable. Look around you, one last time. Before leaving the mall, like the many other mall-people, I’m sure you haven’t forgotten to take a photograph of yourself against the beautiful back lit tree mural! It makes for a great profile picture. Upload it now! The game begins at these stations and engages the players repeatedly in these mall time-pass activities till boredom pushes them into action.
Game Master (as written in the game manual)
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introduction to 3 to Exit Five characters, Kunal, Manjunath, and three brothers, Amar, Akbar and Anthony, have volunteered to do user testing at Mantri Square Mall. The game follows their challenge to EXIT the mall. But the rules are clear: only 3, no more no less can EXIT at a time! This game is played on two levels. In the first level, the game world, the physical space of Mantri Square, is re-imagined as a user research facility. The players are asked to role-play as characters who volunteer for this user testing. The volunteers need to test the different facilities provided by the mall for the entertainment of the mall users, eg., escalators, information kiosks, televisions, benches, murals, etc. The objective of this exercise, as the volunteers are informed, is to improve the engagement value of these facilities and improve Mantri Square. The game play involves the players “locked” in various designated areas, having to repeatedly test the particular mall facility (escalator, kiosk, etc.) that they have been assigned to. For example, Akbar stands in front of the mural, repeatedly taking photographs of it, of himself standing against it, and of other people photographing themselves against it, over and over and over again till he is “unlocked.”
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Unlocking involves figuring out a particular action that frees the player of his obligation to go on repeating his task, or waiting for some one else to perform a particular action that will do the same. While some players have been given the capability of unlocking themselves, others haven’t.
In the second level, outside the game world, the players are physically confined to their designated areas, and are constantly repeating certain mundane activities (like taking photographs against the mural). These activities are the same ones that people usually perform when they visit the mall. Except this time, the player is forced to look at the activity as a sequence of actions and is forced to keep on doing the same thing over and over again.
The intention of the game is to bore the players, and use this boredom to mobilize them to act. In the game, the act is to free themselves and exit the mall. The overarching idea of the game is that of the exit – and the game plays with what prompts a person to exit a mall space that has been designed for their engagement and interest. (as written in the game manual)
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instructions Rules of the game 1. All the characters have their own objectives) 2. Each character has been locked in a particular place, “stations�, in the mall, in order to fulfill their objectives. You can leave your station only if you are unlocked. 3. Each person has a unique unlocking code. 4. The mall has only 1 EXIT. 5. Only 3 people, no more, no less can EXIT the mall at a time. 6. Only 1 person, S. Yadav, knows where the EXIT is. 7. Only 1 person, Kunal, knows how to get to S.Yadav.
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characters 1. Amar: eldest brother 2 .Anthony: middle brother 3 .Akbar: youngest brother 4 .Kunal: kiosk information man 5 .Manjunath: escalator man 6.S. Yadav- s/he is the research facilitator. S/he is in charge of making sure everybody is locked and doing their job.
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characters S. Yadav (role of S.Yadav is played by an actor) Meet 24 year-old software engineer S. Yadav. With a comfortable job, a handsome salary and conservative work timings, going to the mall to unwind is a routine evening affair for him. He’s a resident of Rajajinagar and Mantri Square is the most exciting place in this part of the town. When S. Yadav isn’t wandering about the mall alone, occasionally leaning against the railing, checking out girls, he is at his usual taco bell basement corner table, getting some office work done. At Soup Bowl, a DOTA gaming session with friends is a weekly event which is followed by a drink at Oval bar and snacks at KFC. He carries the mall with him on his smart phone- liking, commenting, sharing, winning prizes and uploading numerous profile pictures. He is the proud five-time winner of the “Top Fan of the Month” award at Mantri Square which he accomplished by incessantly “liking” their Facebook page. As a part of the game, he has been appointed as the user research facilitator, a perk that comes with his fan of the month status. He oversees all the testing activities and makes sure that everyone is fulfilling all their tasks. The game begins with S. Yadav introducing the players to their stations, explaining their tasks to them and then starting his rounds. 96
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Objective: 1 .At the beginning of the game, drop off the players to their stations. Lock them and go over their duties with each one individually. 2. You must keep Kunal at the information kiosk informed about your location/your office. In the end, people will play 20 questions with him to get your location. 3. You must do your rounds every 5 minutes. 4 .If 3 people approach you asking to leave the mall, you must check if they are 3 consenting people. 5. You could possibly offer them a better, more exciting location (the pool table on the upper ground floor, bowling in Amoeba) so that they go back to their duty with greater enthusiasm and enter the facility again. 6. If they insist on leaving, take them to the entrance of the long corridor and tell them that the main exit is at the end of the corridor.
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Amar Amar is a second-year engineering student. Although he is the studious kind, a weekly trip to the mall is his much deserved break. He is the eldest of three brothers. Anthony, Akbar and he are very close and occasionally spend a day at the mall just hanging out and bowling at Amoeba. Being the eldest, he is very aggressive and possessive about his siblings. His loyalty to Mantri Square encouraged him to volunteer as a user tester. He has been appointed to and locked on the bench opposite Mother Earth on the 2nd floor. He is now required to test the bench for its comfort and entertainment value, answer a questionnaire, make certain observations and report to S. Yadav as and when he approaches him for updates. Objective: 1. You are desperate to EXIT the mall. 2. You will not leave the mall without your 2 brothers. 3. You must complete all questions on the questionnaire before unlocking yourself. You will be asked to submit it at the EXIT. 4. You can unlock yourself if you capture 6 gazes, i.e., you have to take photos of 6 people looking at you. Only then can you move from the bench. 5. Clue: The key to unlocking your middle brother Anthony is “switch off the TV�. Collect pictures that represent each of the words above. You can unlock Anthony only by showing these pictures to him.
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Questions: 1. Is the bench you are sitting on comfortable? 2. If yes, how comfortable? Rate it on 5 3. How many people are sitting next to you? How many men, how many women? 4. What are they wearing? 5. Who do you think they are- where are they from, what do they do, are they married/single? 6. How are they sitting? Do they look comfortable, relaxed or do they look stressed and hassled? You can ask them if you like. 7. Are their feet together or stretched out? How are your feet? 8. What can you see from the bench? List all the shops that you can see. What do you see first? 9. How many people do you think sleep on the bench you are sitting on? 10. Sleep on the bench and rate how comfortable it is. 11. What is the most exciting thing you can see from the bench? 12. How would you rate your overall experience of sitting on this bench? 5 excellent 4 good 3 average 2 good 1 excellent 13. Do you have any suggestions to improve your experience of the bench?
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Anthony Anthony is a second-year PUC science student who’s interested in electronics. Although the mall is not his favourite place to unwind (he would much rather watch TV at home), the occasional visit to see the newest/latest gizmos and gadgets gets him excited. He also gets dragged to the mall by his elder and younger brothers to bowl at Amoeba. Out of all the malls in the city, he loves Mantri Square most/ because of the variety of electronics on display. Along with his brothers, he too volunteered to be a user tester for their televisions. He is an independent person who loves being by himself and will put his own interests above other things. He has been locked in front of the television located between the elevators, near Reliance Digital on the 1st floor and has been asked to test out the T.V. for its clarity and entertainment value and to complete a questionnaire regarding the same. Objective: 1. You are desperate to EXIT the mall 2. You and your freedom are your only priorities. 3. You must finish the questionnaire even if you get unlocked. You have to submit it to S. Yadav if you manage to EXIT. If you submit an incomplete questionnaire you will be sent back to your station. 4. Your unlocking code is “switch of the T.V.” You can be unlocked only if someone shows you that code in pictures. 5. Clue: You know where your youngest brother is and you feel the need to free him. The way to free him is to take a picture of the 3 of you (the 3 brothers) in front of the black wall where he is locked. 100
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Queationnaire 1. Are you getting entertained by the T.V.? If yes, how entertained (rate on 5) 2. Do you think there should be more T.V.’s? 3. Do you like the location of the TV? If no, where would you like the TV to be placed? 4. Do you like the show that they are showing on the T.V.? If no what would you prefer? 5. How many lights are there above your head? Is the light too harsh? 6. Do you think you need a bench/chair to complete you experience? 7. How many people are coming and standing around you to watch the T.V.? How long do they stay for? 8. What do you think we should do to increase the number of viewers? 9. What are their facial expressions like when they are watching the TV? 10. Is it better or much better than a home T.V. viewing experience? 11. Are you getting distracted by other things? If yes, what are they?
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Akbar Akbar is a first-year PUC student. Just out of school, he is thoroughly enjoying life in PU. He and his gang of friends land up bunking classes and chilling for hours on end at Mantri Square. They even do their homework there. Their favourite pastimes are taking studly pictures of each other, giving themselves a variety of profile pictures to choose from, and, of course, looking at girls from the third floor central railing. Akbar is the youngest of three brothers and Amar and Anthony are always bossing him around. He was the first to volunteer for the user testing at Mantri Square. He has been given the task of taking pictures of the backlit tree mural near Oval Bar to test the lighting, the colours and everything else that makes the mural the perfect backdrop for a photograph.
Objectives: 1. You love the mall. You love taking the photos. You DO NOT WANT TO LEAVE. 2. You must take a minimum of 10 pictures of the wall and of people taking pictures of the wall, even if you get unlocked. 3. You can get unlocked if you get someone to take a picture of yourself with the person who has come to unlock you, against the black wall. 4. You are more interested in moving to another space in the mall to take more photos instead of leaving.
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Kunal Kunal is an engineering student. He and his friends usually go to their local mall situated in the vicinity of their college hostel but occasionally they make the trek across the city to visit Mantri Square, one of the largest malls in the country. Once, while they were window shopping, Kunal discovered the information Kiosk and found it extremely useful. In fact, every time he has gone back, he has helped many lost mall goers by using the information Kiosk. When he heard that Mantri Square required people to volunteer for user testing, he was the first to apply. However, he was made to test the elevators and the fountains outside before being assigned to the information Kiosk between Soup Bowl and Kwality Walls on the second floor. He is now extremely bored and tired of his task of testing the interface over and over again and is desperate to leave the mall. Objective: 1. You want to leave the mall desperately. 2. You can only speak in Yes and No. 3. You can be unlocked only if someone asks you “Do you want to EXIT?� 4. Your duty is to help people use the information kiosk and observe whether they can use it and how they use it. 5. You have valuable information. You are in direct contact with S.Yadav. He gives you information about his whereabouts in the mall. So, in case 3 people approach you to ask you about S. Yadav to find out the EXIT details, you must challenge them to a game of 20 questions by answering only in Yes and No. 103
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Manjunath Manjunath’s first memory of Bangalore is Mantri Square, located near the central railway station, which he saw when he came from Mangalore 3 years ago to study commerce. It was much bigger than the malls he had seen back home, with many more shops, much more entertainment and so much more crowded. When he got offered a position as a volunteer to user test the mall for a competition, he accepted it readily. He was asked to test the functioning, the experience and the flow of the escalator from the second to the third floor near the Scary House landing and he took it up as a challenge. Objective: 1. You like your challenge but in the event you see any of your fellow volunteers unlocked you would feel like leaving too. 2. You have to complete a minimum of 13 and a half loops up and down the escalator, even if you get unlocked. 3. You can get unlocked if somebody “unlocks” your cell phone. It is a self initiated act. 4. Clue: the way to unlock Kunal, the person at the information kiosk is simply to ask him “Do you want to EXIT?”
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beginning Let the games begin! The game begins when those who can unlock themselves fulfill all the required formalities and start decoding the others’ locking codes. The game progresses in a fragmented manner across the 1st, 2nd and 3rd floor of the mall. The characters’ personalities hold the key to how the game unfolds. The game ends when three and only three consenting people, having completed their required tasks, have been unlocked successfully and they approach S. Yadav for directions to the EXIT. It is here that the game can break into chaos as coming to a consensus with the number 3 may require some negotiation, some sacrifice and some compromise since the consequence of not exiting is that the game will restart with the remaining players going back to their individual tasks, back to the cycle of repetition and boredom!
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icons for the players in 3 to exit
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rush to exit mantri square 107
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play time 3 to Exit was played at Mantri Square in the month of September/October 2012. Over the duration of the 2 months the game was played thrice. The first time, it was played without the idea of actors. Everybody, including my friends were all players. Even S.Yadav was a player. There was something so amazingly chaotic that unfolded in that game, where S.Yadav had no idea about the unlocking system which got him extremely confused. Later I made S.Yadav and another character (usually the middle brother) actors for logistical reasons (it’’s hard to find so many people to play with at a time) as well as to control the fictional environment (feeling of brotherhood amongst Amar, Akbar and Anthony). Initially I was upset that the people did not get the context of the sci-fi world, but the truth is it doesn’t mater. This game managed to bridge the gap betweeen the game world and the real world. It so happened that everytime I played the game it was late and the players in the middle of the game would either get a call, or the game would take too long and there would be this actual tension of going home and repeatedly doing their assigned actions to complete their task in the game. As a part of this game I had regimented usually done self-amusement activities which resulted in boredom. At the end of the game the players would usually have had fun except Kunal the kiosk boy who is usually stuck at the kiosk for the whole leangth of the game. In one game the Kunal character asked me “Have people ever done anything to you to express their frustration?!” The intention of the game was simple- it was to transform the mall goer’s experience of an everyday activtiy. What impact did this have on the mall environment at large? I think spatially it was interesting to see very stilll, repetitive actions, it was definitely a comment on the mall as a designed space and a comment on how the most mundane aspects of the mall were being used for amusement. The game was documented through video. The camera wasn’t integrated in the story.
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entry>exit context Welcome to the mall! Have you ever been to the mall a few days in a row? If you have, have you looked at the crowd intently? If you had, intently enough that is, you would have noticed some faces repeating themselves in the same combinations. Observe carefully and you will find that these groups of people also trace similar paths around the mall! Have you noticed that even when the entrance to the basement of Taco Bell is barricaded due to cleaning you will hear some voices coming up from there? If you happen to go down, you will notice that in the deserted space on some tables, especially the ones tucked into the corners, there are fat algebra text books, history books, note books and pens or a laptop plugged into an extension cord, converting this fast-food joint into a comfy long-term homework zone. From doing homework to playing DOTA to writing scripts to hosting monthly kitty parties to opening itself up at 5am for walkers, yoga groups and laughing clubs, the mall is routine, it is everyday. Mantri Square My world My Square The mall is already a second home now. In fact, with all that comfortable bedding and sofas, incredibly delicious food and clean bathrooms with continuous supply of toilet paper, the mall could be an ideal place to live in!
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So, when malls advertise themselves as being more than just shopping, eating and entertainment, they are talking about amenities like laundry, shoe repair, pharmacy and even a hospital! The mall is becoming a residential complex or vice versa. The game follows the party plans of two such mall residents celebrating their six-month anniversary of living in the mall and a simultaneous investigation of two reporters who are trying to get to the bottom of a statistical anomaly where the number of people entering the mall is much greater than the number of people leaving it. Game Master Prerna Bishnoi
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mantri square promotional advertisements inside the mall 114
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mantri square promotional advertisements inside the mall 115
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introduction to Entry>Exit Duration of the game: 50 mins Two reporters- Ramesh and Raghu are challenged to get to the bottom of a statistical anomaly that claims that the number of people entering the mall is much higher than the number of people leaving it. The challenger gives them a time-bound set of scavenger hunt-like tasks that would help them with their investigation. The game follows the individual paths of Ramesh and Raghu as they try to collect bizarre items from the mall that seem completely unrelated to the investigation. Little do they know that everything is a set-up! The game is two-sided. On one side, the players are asked to role-play as 2 reporters, Ramesh and Raghu. They have to find their camerapersons and have them follow them through their investigation. The tasks involve collecting items physically or through photographs but without expenditure and within 20 minutes. These items include very basic household items like a bottle of drinking water, napkins, spoons, forks, suitable upholstery matching a sample cloth, a suitable photo frame for a photograph etc. On the other side, the entire game including the list of things to collect is planned out by two girls, Mona and Sharleen, who are looking to invite people over for a little get together to celebrate 6 months of living in the mall.
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Mona and Sharleen individually intercept Ramesh and Raghu’s paths and begin helping them with their tasks, as well as pose new challenges that act as clues to help them complete their investigation and consequently lead them to their home space within the mall, to their little party. The things that they are given to collect are for the party and for Mona and Sharleen’s home. The players are not forewarned about Mona and Sharleen who appear as strangers within the game. The reporters are never fed the answer to the statistical question directly but everything is implied by the two girls who are both dressed in night suits and are taking them around the mall, talking about strange incidences that happen in the mall at odd hours of the day. The answer to the statistical question is embodied in Mona and Sharleen and in the fiction that they are residents of the mall. So, the reason why the number of people entering the mall is more than the number leaving it is that small groups of people are settling down in the mall and calling it home. The intention of the game was to plant the seed of thought of the mall being an ideal place to live in and playing it out and in the process, to gather perspectives and reactions on it. The game was also designed to give the players the experience of a bizarre interaction with a stranger in the mall. The overarching idea of the game is that of the exit; it plays with the feeling of what prompts a person to exit, in this case, not to exit the mall space.
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instructions Rules of the game 1. Once the game has begun you must stay in character throughout, and occasionally give a report of your thoughts and findings to your camera person. 2. You must do your best to fulfill the challenge within the given time. At any point if you loose out of the game your team members can continue to play and complete the report. 3. If by any chance people/security come in the way of the game please call me at 9008006976 and continue playing the game.
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Characters 1. Ramesh: investigator 2. Raghu: investigator 3. Mona (unlisted, not known to the players) 4. Sharleen (unlisted, not known to the players) 5. Challenger
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mantri square at 12:30 am 120
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characters Ramesh Ramesh is a 23 year-old fresh reporter, working with a local magazine. He and his partner Raghu have been assigned to investigate a certain bizarre statistic about a popular mall in Bangalore, Mantri Square. The foot-falls and statistics of the mall show that the number of people entering the mall is higher than the number of people leaving it. Although Ramesh knows that the mall authorities have brushed this off as a mistake and have no comment to offer, he has taken up the challenge of finding out more about this bizarre occurrence. Moreover, everybody else who has tried to look into the matter has failed to come up with a conclusive report. For Ramesh, this is his first big break as an enthusiastic, young journalist and might prove to be a great way to earn a reputation, especially since circumstances in the mall have caused Raghu and him to split ways. He is an ambitious reporter and is more than happy to be working on this report individually.
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Objective: Your challenge is to collect the following things in 20 minutes. On completion of this task, you will arrive at the answer to your question. First, find your cameraman who will help you cover your report. (You will receive a call from him/her) 3 posters of celebrities 1 golden Buddha Find a suitable tablecloth that will go with a cushion of this colour (sample given) Find out what soap they use in the mall’s bathroom. Find out the name of the TV show that is playing at Samsung and its timings. Find a suitable photo frame for this photograph Find out the cost of a 4-seater dining table from Reliance L
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Raghu Raghu is a 27 year-old reporter for a local magazine. He is a lazy man by nature and his journalistic career not taking off well has left him even more lethargic. However, for his latest case he has been paired with a young fresh reporter, Ramesh. Apart from the young blood inspiring him, the case itself is extremely interesting and has caught his attention. Although the case seems dicey/tricky and (the result will almost certainly be inconclusive) almost inconclusive, it is a challenge and a great opportunity to prove himself as a reporter.
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Objective: Your challenge is to collect the following things in 20 minutes. On completion of this task you will arrive at the answer to your question. First, find your cameraman who will help you cover your report. (You will receive a call from him/her) 7 cups/glasses 7 spoons 7 forks 10 napkins 4 packets of tomato sauce from Taco Bell. The spicier the better! 2 plates Fill the bottle with drinking water 3 cubes of ice
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Mona (the character of Mona is played by Anchana Kota and Saraswati Menon) Mona is a 21 year-old student studying commerce at a popular college in Bangalore. Her parents live in Bombay and work in the film industry as make-up artists and small screen actors. They sent her here to Bangalore to study so that she doesn’t get tempted by the film industry. Mona, however, has always wanted to be an actress. She is a big movie buff and lands up spending most of her college time at multiplexes, watching one movie after another, especially during the weekday half-price offers. Along with the multiplex, window shopping and trial makeovers are her favourite pastimes. The majority of her day is already spent at the mall, so, she needed little incentive to finally make the decision to move into the mall. However, Mona’s added incentive came from a story that Manjushri told her about one of the mall workers, Shivani, who came from a very poor family but was very beautiful. One day during the promotion of director Yograj Bhat’s film Parmathma at Mantri Square, she happened to be standing at the railing looking down at the event from the first floor when the director spotted her and personally tracked her down to cast her in his next film. Mona considers the mall a great public forum to meet celebrities and film directors up close and she lives with the hope that one day she will get a big break. Mona is a fun-loving girl and has a way with people. She has plenty of friends at the mall, from regular shop attendees to shop managers as well as some people higher up at the administration level. So, moving in was secret but comfortable. She knows the mall like the back of her hand. She roams around bare foot in her matching night suit. A messy girl, she sometimes leaves her photo frames, books, towel, tooth brush and tooth paste around in the different bathrooms making it difficult to then track them down. At the time she moved in, luckily, a friend’s friend, Sharleen, moved in too. Now there is a small community of people who live in the mall. This phenomenon has reached the press as well. Today Mona and Sharleen and a couple of other friends are celebrating six months of living in their ideal home: the mall. They are planning a little get together for which each of them needs to bring along a guest.
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Objective: 1. Wait for Ramesh, a reporter from a local magazine, at the dining table at Reliance Living, 2. Help him fulfill his tasks as well as lead him to the answer to his investigative report. 3. Do not give him the answer directly, imply it. 4. At reliance living, play a game of hang man with him; make his trip to the mall exciting by giving him a clue to your next destination- “sofa at home stop”. Invite him to the living room. 5. Play another round of hang man at home stop. This time the word being “home” and if he guesses that correctly, lead him to the party.
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Sharleen (the character of Sharleen was played by an Sharanya Ramesh and Saraswati Menon) Sharleen is an engineering student. She spent many years of her childhood in Bangalore before her family moved to Dubai. After her 12th, her parents decided to send her back to Bangalore for a better college education in engineering. Sharleen is obsessive about cleanliness and misses the sparkling clean face of Dubai. She misses the extra large malls and how they housed everything from the zoo to the museum to even water world and other amusements parkseverything in one place! She loved spending time just gliding from one shop window to the next, right after school, since she had to cross a mall to reach home from the bus stop. Here in Bangalore, she misses home and the only place that takes her back is the mall. Although she is quite finicky and complains quite a bit about Mantri Square and its cleanliness, it gives her that “international feel�, as if she just walked into a global portal. She moved into the mall out of home sickness along with a distant friend Mona. One thing Sharleen truly enjoys is the choice of food at Mantri. She is quite friendly with the cleaning akkas and the chef annas at the different outlets, so much so that she customizes most of her food. She is also quite particular about her eating habits and always carries her table mat, hand sanitizer and a blue vase for every meal at the food court. Her stay at Mantri Square has been difficult but she has grown to love it. In fact she along with Mona and a bunch of their friends are celebrating their 6-month anniversary of having lived in the mall. They are hosting a small get together for which she needs to bring along a guest from the mall.
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Objective 1. Wait for raghu, a reporter from a local magazine at taco bell. 2. Help him fulfill his tasks and arrive at the answer to his investigative question. 3. Do not directly answer the question; imply it through stories and by narrating incidents. 4. While at the food court, play a quick game of 20 questions as you wait to make up your mind about what you want to eat today. 5. After your meal, take him along with you as your guest for the party!
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beginning Let the games begin! The game begins as soon as the challenger hands over the task sheets to the players role-paying as Ramesh and Raghu. Although the 20 minute countdown starts there, the progression of the game depends on the coordination and deviations that Mona and Sharleen both take them through. The initial countdown holds no value. The game ends with either Ramesh or Raghu figuring out through their tasks as well as through conversations with Mona and Sharleen, the answer to the question “Why is the number of people entering the mall higher than the number of people leaving it?� Celebrations follow at Mona and Sharleen’s small make-shift home in the service corridor on the second floor.
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play time Entry>Exit was played in Mantri Square in September/ October 2012. The game was played 4 times and underwent many structural changes in that time. It started as a three player game and went down to two. The game became more of a scavenger hunt in the end that was intercepted by the two actors. This came as a surprise to the players and the game was then steered by the actors there on. In terms of acting and set-up too there were changes. For the game the final “home space” set up was very important to give the game some sense of believability, even if it was performative. The set-up included a suitcase turned into a table, some photoframes, some books for light reading, book ends, some UNO cards. Out of the 4 times the game was played the home set up was successful only once- the last time. Since the set up was done in fire exits and service corridors we would get caught by mall authorities. In the absence of the “home space” the ending wasn’t hard hitting enough. There was little to support the fiction and what was left was just the idea. However stories told by the actors pushed people into believing and thinking about this idea a bit. The acting was quite a challenge since the two girls had to be dressed in night-suits in the mall and the audience was just one other person. In such a situation it can be very easy to break character. The girls carried with them very homely objects like photoframes, table mats and vases which they placed in places where they stopped to have conversations. My intention was to seed this idea of the mall as a living space. Many players were just excited by the fact that they were getting so much attention from girls! 131
mantri square at midnight 132
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final games: entry>exit
entry>exit documentation with mona and sharleen (centre)
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final games: entry>exit
mantri square food court at midnight 135
final form idea & intention Both games were played at Mantri Square, 3-4 times each. While 3 to Exit did not have documentation written into the script, I took videos of the players while they were “locked” in their “stations”. In Entry>Exit the camera was written-in with the role of the reporter. So the footage I got was very “coverage” sort of footage. However, I had made a decision to not have the camera intrude in the game too much. So the main form of documentation available to me was the last testimonials that the players gave me. Form was a big struggle for me. It, in fact, developed with me as my understanding of the project grew. While I wanted to make a video, because of the camera decisions I made I could not produce an edited version of the game and how it was played or an instructional “how to play” video. That wasn’t my intention either. In the end the decision I made was to make a film which would start at the game but talk about my other experiences as well and a hand book with flash cards that had a detailed explanation of the games and how to play it. This would take the form of an installation. The final form would have two parts 1. print: game manual and flash cards 2. video However, the feedback I received was that there was a disconnect between the film and the games. I did not realise that I wasn’t directing my audience to read these multiple facets of the project coherently. My audience was expecting to either play a game or watch a documentation of the games that were played. In this process, very late in this project though, I decided to package this project in a game box. The “game box” by itself was a critique and fell in line with the comment on consumerism however it was approached as a design solution initially to tie up the different facets and communicate the project as best as possible. Later the thought that the project would then become a commodity, a parody of the board game box and would have an instruction card that would guide the user to navigate the different facets was quite appealing: 1. the books- manuals for the games 2. the flash cards- quick general and specific instructions of the game 3. the film- the context of the games, an impression of the mall in whch these games would be played. The form of the game box gave the project the ability to hypothetically go back into the mall as a comment on it.
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final form: idea & intention
pages from 3 to Exit manual
map marking mantri square, still from the film 137
print game manual, flash cards & game box The game manual is a detailed script of the games. It contains everything that is required to understand the games- context, how to scout for players, the experience design, instructions, rules of the game, character details and maps. The manual is supposed to help you get into the game master’s shoes. There are two game manualsone for each game. Initially I had thought that the game manual would be enough to guide the audience through the film and the project. The problem that arose was that the manual was very text heavy and difficult to go through quickly. Hence I decided to make flash cards which would only have the rules of each game and a symbol for each character which would then appear in the film as well when the characters are introducing themselves. This would peg the game into the film and help the audience see connections. Later there was an addition of a game box and an intruction sheet with guidelines on how to navigate the project through its different facets. The game manuals were designed and executed along with some graphic deisgn students Kavya Singh, Shubhangi Goel and Tanvee Nabar. The look I wanted was formal and distant. The game box was supposed to follow a quirky, parody look. It was designed to set up the mood of the project. The flash cards were designed to give the reader nuggets of the game. The idea was to keep it simple but iconic. The inspiration was the signage in the mall.
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final form: print
flash cards
game manual covers 139
final form: print
M.A.L.L. a game to play at a mall near you!
a game of extremes!
IMPORTED!
cover of the game box
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final form: print
M.A.L.L. Have you ever spent the day just standing by the railing at the central atrium of the mall? Or sat on the crowded bench and listened-in on a couple coo-chi cooing? You must have at least enjoyed the ride on the escalator up and down, up and down, up and down… And I am cent percent sure that one of your Facebook profile pictures was taken here.
Welcome to the mall! If your experience of the mall is still leaving you slightly unfulfilled, asking for more, M.A.L.L. is the answer. Intensify your experience by stepping into the worlds of the games 3 to Exit and Entry>Exit. Unlock yourself and EXIT the mall or be lured to make it your home, forever.
This box contains three distinct items: 1. EXIT the Mall: a film that sets the mood and gives you an impression of the mall. 2. Two game manuals (one for each) 3. Flash cards (one for each) with the general rules and specific character objectives to make the process easier
Note: As game master you will have to scout for players. While doing so, don't forget to use your assets!
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Video exit the mall The video titled Exit the Mall was intended to be a take-off from the games, beyond documentation. I wanted the video to include the games as well as my impression of the mall gathered from the months of observation and engagement. The process I followed with the video was to extract the characters from the games and place them in the mall, just as it would have been viewed by people not playing the game but just over-hearing it. My intention was to blur the documentation of the games and the fictional anecdotes that emerged from conversations and observations I have had over the past few months. Everything forms the mall environment. The video also gave me the opportunity to place the mall in the larger context of the city. The title Exit the Mall came from the common theme between the two games. While in 3 to EXIT, exiting the mall was equated with freedom, in Entry>Exit, there was no “exiting the mall”. In the film, while the narrative of 3 to Exit takes the foreground, Entry>Exit comes in as the fictional narrative. The film can be read in different layers- the first layer is the documentation of the games with a visual legend that guides the audience to the manuals, the second layer is the “fiction” or the “interpretive” space that includes my voice, sometimes over the mall, other times over the map of Bangalore and the third layer, the Facebook pings, works like the fictional layer but has a distinctive visual language. The struggle was in creating an impression of the mall with no strong narrative structure but still one that hooks the audience. I wanted to communicate all these multiple aspects of the mall through an absurd yet plausible impression.
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final form: video
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final form: video
Here are some of the scripts for the voice overs in the film: Sigma Mall, Cunnigham Road, Bangalore if you were to visit Sigma Mall now, you would be greeted by dozens of empty shops their glass doors shut, chained and locked, others ajar but stuck. there are Half naked mannequins staring at you from behind the windows. It can be quite eerie. One day I was standing at the central atrium railing and looking around the deserted mall when a lady in a burqa appeared to my side. She sighed and asked me “What happened to this place? I used to come here so often”. “It’s dead”, i said, not morbidly. She laughed “ You know...we could make a haunted-house show here. I’ll be the host.” Then she pretended to hold a mic and presented the mall to me. Forum Mall, Koramangala, Bangalore In the year 2006 there was a debating competition between the Delhi Public Schools of the South Zone. There were 2 boys from dps north and 2 others from dps south who got into a tiff about superiority. while one fought for north bangalore as the erstwhile capital of Kempe Gowda’s Bangalore the others promoted Forum Mall in Koramangala- Bangalore’s very first mall. Just the other day I visited Forum Mall which by the way is still bustling with people, and was standing at the 2nd floor central railing overlooking the oasis, when the ground beneath my feet started vibrating, Stunned, I looked around to find everybody else blissfully unaware of the situation. So i quickly walked up to these 2 boys who were in an animated discussion about gaming I asked frantically “Did you feel that?”. They turned around, mighty surprised “What?” “The vibrations...” “Oh that...” They said casually. “So, does this happen often?” I asked concerned. “Yeah...all the time...but it’s still standing no!” They said and went back to their conversation.
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final form: video
Orion Mall, Yeshwanthpur, Bangalore If you happen to go to a mall in Bangalore today and listen carefully there’s a buzz in the crowd about the newest and shiniest mall Orion (pronounced o-ri-on). i haven’t been there yet but i can piece together a picture of this integrated enclave through hear-say. at the grand entrance of the mall you are greeted by a spectacular musical fountain show and as you wander through the mall bigger and fancier brands entice you, till you come across a little slice of nature, the highlight of the mall, a serene man made lake! beautiful some people say! Now that the mall looks like the hotel looks like the airport looks like an office complex looks like, i kid u not, a hospital, little did i know they would all be concentrated in one place in bangalore- brigade gateway, yeshwanthpur, greeting visitors from the station to the new face of Bangalore. Garuda Mall, Magrath Road, Bangalore when you stand in the atrium of some malls in bangalore and look up, apart from the numerous people just hanging by the railing you see a fish net spread across the central space. This safety measure was installed in most malls in the year 2007 when a young boy jumped off the fourth floor of Garuda Mall. How did he decide to express his deepest-darkest distresses so visibly in a space like the mall? There’s no room for morbidity in the mall. Mantri Square, Malleswaram, Bangalore Bus number 284 or 402b drops you from yelahanka directly in front of mantri mall, the stop is called “central”. if you say “mantri mall” instead some conductors recognize this and give you the right ticket. some others don’t like the fact that people have started calling this old Bangaloremalleswaram-sampige road stop by the name of this fairly new and modern structure. if you happen to encounter such bus conductors either they will ignore you or make it hard for you to get back your change or they will immediately correct you, make you repeat the stop’s name (sometimes) and then give you the ticket. it costs rupees 15 from NES.
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mapping the malls in bangalore 146
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references Big Urban Games Chantal Akerman- Golden Eighties City X- Radiolab Facebook Harun Farocki- World of Shopping Janet Cardiff and George Bures Miller Jean Badrillard- Simulacra and Simulation LARP scripts (random) downloaded from the WWW Marc Auge- Non Places- An Introduction to the Anthropology of Supermodernity Michael Townsend Michel Foucault- Heterotopia Oliver Husain- a memory of his film “Q” since it isn’t online anymore, and all his films in general as a great inspiration to loosen up and think “quirky”. Richard Schechner- Perofrmance Art Rick Poynor- Obey the Giant Twitter You Are Here- Mall Stories Zack Snyder- Dawn of the Dead www.deadmalls.com www.mallmemories.com
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learning outcomes This diploma project has been a struggle from the word go. Right from the beginning I have had a hard time defining the frame of the project. I could see the negative spaces but couldn’t, for the longest time, see the form that was being culled out. In the project because everything was new to me the whole thing has been one large learning experience- from understanding the idea of designing social experiences, to designing them, to creating a video that goes beyond documentation but still roots back to the actual event, to designing an interaction for the audience between print and video. Throughout I have had to write a lot and that to write for communication and not for personal expression- back- stories of the games, character sketches, game instructions and voice overs. This was definitely great practice and I feel a need for more. The video aspect was a huge challenge. The non-narrative component coupled with the ambient nature along with the risk of being too ambient with a lack of thread was all very difficult to work with. Working with hierarchy, symbolism and readability was the biggest challenge. What I have truly learnt from this experience is the importance of enjoying the process. Nicolas Grandi my faculty once expressed to me how transparent the film medium is. In the future, I wish to make complex knots appear simpler and more accessible to an audience and the only way how is if it appears that way to me. The thing I take away most from this project is the importance of tone and voice. The project maybe talking about all the social nuances of the mall but the tone in which I wanted communicate this was absurdity and bizarre-ness... At the time of writing this documentation book, it was quite difficult for me to know exactly what my learning has been. I don’t think I have taken it all in and processed it as yet. I am still in the throws of it.
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acknowledgements Chinmayi Arakali, Deepak Srinivasan and Kumkum Nadig my review panel. Sandeep C Ashwath for being practically on my review panel. Priya Sen for her unending support and guidance and very concrete feedback, always. Ayisha Abraham for guidance and encouragement. Ashok Sukumaran and Shaina Anand for setting the bar so high. Anchana Kota, Sharanya Ramesh, Saraswati Menon, Harleen Chatha, Malvika Tiwari, Aman Randhawa, Jonathan Wilson, Isha Sinh, Pragya Joshi, Sanika Sahasrabuddhe, Adeeba Muzaffar for acting in and playing the games and more. Raaghav Shankar and Sindhu Thirumalaisamy for camera and documentation. M.Nagraj for the sound equipment. Kavya Singh (manuals), Shubhangi Goel (flash cards), Tanvee Nabar (game box cover), Varshita Khaitan (documentation book), Alagu Chockalingam (poster, type) and Rajasee Ray (cd back and front, flash cards packaging) for the graphic design help. Print Xpress Kapson’s Glass House Dr. Manjiri Joshi for my mental health. Michael Joseph for that first push. Vasundhara Sharma, Natasha Mehra, Ishita Dharap, Ragini Lal, Shubhangi Goel, Varshita Khaitan, Pallakh Goswamy, Rucha Dhayarkar, Neha Bhat, Pooja Gupta, Mahafrin Rutomjee, Rajasee Ray, Alagu Chockalingam for dealing with me. Amma and papa for their unconditional love, support and not to mention funding! Mantri Square for the space, the inspiration and for not busting me. A very special thank you to Tanvee Nabar and Sindhu Thirumalaisamy for....
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