Author: Shruti Jayaraman
Site Location: Imphal, Manipur
Institute: RV College of Architecture
Advisor: Anup Naik, Mehul Patel, Nagaraj Vastarey, U S Maiya
Description
In the everlasting essence of society, there is the oppressor and oppressee. Their ways of negotiating with each other are limited to space. This space then becomes contested and a memory etched into us for generation to come. Having seen both the oppressor and oppressee, space is still excluded from the conversations of powerplay, ethnic and religious multiplicity.
As long as space is treated as a neutral spectator (instead of as an active participant), she will always be subjected to forms of violence, dissent and be vulnerable to the acts of a power hungry man.
Space that is designed to account for the narratives of all, can facilitate and create agency for treating the past as memory(not as active dissent). In this thesis, Space tells the story of the tribals, women and children in the contested capital of Manipur – Imphal.
This explorative thesis claims the need to perceive space as an active participant and a custodian of legacy to make place for the oppressed in society. As architects we must place-make for them. This project is in the contested capital of Imphal and challenges the city’s current spatial quality, materiality, and design as oppressive forces.
Drawings
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