Engaging with Time : Our work in the Deep Past and the Distant Future

Engaging With Time Presentation at Future Tense, Mumbai 2018

On Arriving at an Enabling Definition of our own practice

Work that got us here

Towards a working definition of Time

Assumptions of Linearity : The sense of being on an Upward projection from the Past to the Future

Eastern notions of time as cyclical, in constantly repetitive loops

Engaging with Time : Our response

On Arriving at an Enabling Definition of “Time” for our own practice

The Samudra Manthan : Metaphor

Shiva

Mount Mandar Devas

Asuras Vasuki

Vishnu ( Mohini )

The Ocean of Milk

Generosity

Unbreakable Will Us

Them Endless Time

Seduction

Immense Resilience

The Grammar of Collaboration

Infinite Generosity

The Power of Seduction

Time is never Static

Imposing Unbreakable will on Infinite resilience

The experience of engaging with both the Head and the Tail of Time

Long Horizons and endless Iterations

Time is constantly churning, and our reality is a negotiation

THE BOMBAY BOOMTOWN PROJECT

Stories in Data

Discovering the wave-form notion of cities through a 200 year data set

Stories and Events in Data

The notion of Time as waveform, the constant churn and flow

Towards Meaningful City Futures

On using the waveform notion in our own work & creating speculative fictions for Bombay

The One Religion Time-share Kiosk

The Wave Energy Harvesting Tetrapods

The Tree Surgeons

The Guerrilla Ad-board Vertical Gardens

The Haji Ali Scuba Pilgrimages

The Bombay Boomtown Futures : The Antilla Dwarf

Malabar Hill 2035 : The Antilla and surrounding areas

City Futures we can believe in

A speculation on what “Statues can be”.

ON MONUMENTALITY

Saddam Hussein, toppled 2003

It is our contention that tomorrow’s statues need to transcend Ornamentation, Politics and weak Symbology.

To justify their place in our Future cities, they need to become ‘Performative’.

Scenario #1 India has emerged as the Fifth largest E-waste producer in the world ( 2 million tonnes in 2016).

Mumbai tops the list of cities producing e-waste, while Maharashtra tops the state-list.

95% of the processing of the waste is carried out by the informal sector.

The MKGandhi Memorial E-Waste Urban mine and Sorting Centre Commissioned July 2035

Scenario #2 India is running one of the largest and most ambitious renewable energy capacity expansion programs in the world.

Newer renewable electricity sources are projected to grow massively by 2022, including a more than doubling of India's large wind power capacity and an almost 15 fold increase in solar power from April 2016.

The MKGandhi Memorial Energy Harvesting Offshore ( Tidal and Wind ) Commissioned October 2035

Scenario #3 India faces a dire water shortage especially of drinking water as present sources both surface and groundwater become increasingly stressed.

Per capita annual availability of water in the country is expected to fall from 1860 metre cube a year in 2001 to 1140 metre cube a year by 2050.

The MKGandhi Memorial Desalination Plant and Cooling towers Commissioned November 2035

Scenario #4 Recycling land to create housing stock is one way to solve the housing crisis in Mumbai.

With high prices that show no sign of dipping, recycling is all that Mumbai has, being a city constrained by the sea, creeks and other cities bordering them. This continues a long tradition of the city recycling land to suit current demands.

The MKGandhi Memorial Premium Affordable housing towers, Urban Farm and Offshore Urban Farmer’s Market Commissioned July 2035

Scenario #5 The narrative of Ecological value as opposed to the ‘development’ paradigm is a gross misunderstanding.

While humans must work hard to merit their place in cities of tomorrow, so must nature.

It is our own myopia that stops us from visualising new symbiotic scenarios where we can co-exist and thrive.

The MKGandhi Memorial Aquatic Nature park and Coral Reef Scaffolding Commissioned February 2035

Statues we Need #2 A bunch of new stuff we’re working on.

The Shaheed Bhagat Singh Offshore Grain Silo and Sovereign Seed bank Commissioned February 2035

The Kasturba Gandhi Memorial Server and City Data Centre Commissioned July 2035

The Dr.B.R.Ambedkar Public Transit stack + Pixel Art Mural Commissioned January 2035

FUTURE ARTEFACTS

Creating Future artefacts as relics of a nuanced future lived

Artefacts from the Future

Tomorrow’s News and Future fiction

Exercises at the National Institute of Design, around speculative fictions

THE ORACLE 2035

Our own culture map of 2035

The Oracle 2035 : The Busride Lab

The Power of Interconnectedness

50 BEAUTIFUL PROBLEMS

Chand Baori Location: Abhaneri , Rajasthan Age: Constructed between 800AD - 900AD Present status: Tourist Attraction History: Built by King Chanda between the 8th and 9th century, this Baori was dedicated to Harshat Mata, goddess of joy and happiness Structure: Chand Baori is a deep four-sided structure with an large temple on one face. 3,500 terraced steps march down the other three sides 13 stories to a depth of 100 feet, making it one of the deepest and largest step wells in India.

Problem: The Thar Desert region faces a profound problem of water scarcity and harsh heat. It was built to ensure that people in the arid Abhaneri region of Rajasthan had a dependable water source.

Solution: The porous volcanic stones it is built to let water seep in from the bottom and the sides of the well. This square-shaped architectural marvel is about 5-6 degrees cooler than up above.

Beauty: Volcanic stone used in geometric patterns of this structure are almost hypnotic in nature. There is a mesmerising play of triangles on three of the descending walls which run parallel to the rim along the steep descent of the wall, allowing the water and the steps to shimmer in the sunlight.

Chand Baori became a source of drinking water, cool sanctuaries for bathing, prayer, and meditation.

It was most likely used as a gathering place for the entire community as the fourth wall has pavilions with sculptures and carvings and a stage that may have featured dances, drama and other forms of performing art.

Chand Baori

Rani Ki Vav Location: near Patan, Gujarat Age: constructed during the 11th century in the memory of Bhimdev, son of Mularaja, the founder of the Solanki dynasty of Anahilwada Pattan.

Present status: Tourist Attraction History: The richly sculpted monument is considered a masterpiece dedicated to king Bhimdev by his widowed wife Udayamati. Structure: The structure is divided into seven levels of stairs with sculptural panels of high artistic quality; more than 500 principle sculptures and over a thousand minor ones combine religious, mythological and secular imagery, often referencing literary works. The fourth level is the deepest and leads into a rectangular tank of 9.5 by 9.4 meters, at a depth of 23 meters. The well is located at the westernmost end of the property and consists of a shaft, 10 meters in diameter and 30 meters deep Problem: The climate of Gujarat varies from arid to semi-arid to sub humid tropical monsoon type . With low rainfall , water is a sacred commodity essential to the survival of individuals and the community as a whole.

Solution: Rani ki Vav is designed as an inverted temple highlighting the sanctity of water. It has the same connotations and feeling as one gets when entering a temple, with the god, and in this case water, placed in the inner most sanctum.

Beauty: Rani Ki Vav is considered the most beautiful stepwell, with intricate carvings, also designed keeping in mind travellers looking for shade to rest and water to drink.

Rani ki Vav was not just an efficient water collecting body but had a deeper social and religious connotation attached, as if to elaborate the sanctity of water.

Hence, the structure was perhaps treated as a water temple.

Rani Ki Vav, Gujrat

The Tesla Giga-Factory, Nevada

Modern day dystopias

Burning Man 2017, Sculpture

The Order of the Dark Temple

Our Digital Vegan partnership & becoming Monks of the Order of the Dark Temple

HERITAGE NEXT

Our ongoing experiments with our built Heritage

Photosynths of Ranwar village : Time capsule 2010 Thesis Project : Vivek Sheth. Guide : The Busride

Conjectural maps : Ranwar through the ages Thesis Project : Vivek Sheth. Guide : The Busride

Listing of significant structures : Ranwar 2010 Thesis Project : Vivek Sheth. Guide : The Busride

Pedestrian map of Ranwar : World Environment Day 2010 Thesis Project : Vivek Sheth. Guide : The Busride

Bandra overlays : studying inter-relationships Thesis Project : Neelam Das. Guide : The Busride

Signage system for the Churches of Bandra

Signage system for the Churches of Bandra : Installed sign at Mount Mary Church

Facade documentation + Pedestrian elements and scales

Thesis Project : Neelam Das. Guide : The Busride

Identifying significant pedestrian fragments

Heritage walks and Outreach

NEXT

With our partner Studio : Quicksand

Photogrammetry documentation for VR applications

Photogrammetry from Drone footage for Immersive media applications

Photogrammetry capture of icons and monuments to re-imagine

Photogrammetry documentation for VR applications

Navigating home of Goa in Virtual space + Storytelling narratives

The Heritage Next Lab : Asian Paints + The Busride Lab

THE MOCA DIRECTION

Museum context and site Using Drone photography and immersive storytelling, we can create a powerful reminder of the significance of Old Goa, it’s former glory and current relevance, to set the context for the Museum experience.

Re-Imagining the Artefact Taking data from the places that have been documented using photogrammetry, we can reconstruct certain sites with knowledge from historical texts. Objects and Artefacts can then be placed in context, rich narratives told and experienced using immersive media and certain physical cues.

Virtual Reality Tours Mobile VR experiences that take the viewer on a tour with 3D models of heritage sites will be an attempt to capture their wonder from a dierent perspective. Coupled with narration by experts and visual cues to highlight dierent parts, the tour will take the viewer on a unique journey back in time.

Photogrammetry documentation We would aim to document the Musuem’s catalog at various stages in their restoration, to be able to create incredible content through Photogrammetry, and allow a very intimate engagement with the artefact through immersive storytelling.

Immersive Storytelling We can place the objects in other contexts, to talk about their journeys, origins, source and rich legacies

Immersive Storytelling We can place the objects in other contexts, to talk about their journeys, origins, source and rich legacies

Interactive Environments The interactivity of the mapped environment lend very well to the story and narratives emerging

Museum and Old Goa Dollhouse kits We would aim to document and measure-draw monuments in Old Goa including available parts of the Convent of Santa Monica, and certain objects from the Museum’s collection.

RIGHT ABOUT NOW

TRUISMS

The Future is a Spectrum

The Future is wasted on Futurists.

Future speculations create Optimism

The Future is a Provocation

The Future is a constant churn and an unrelenting process

No action in the present is a small action in the Future

THANK YOU