SHIFTING MAP OF BEHALA: PARTITION, MEMORY AND URBAN TRANSFORMATION
The 'Shifting Map of Behala' is a site-specific installation that imagines the different periods in the history of the Indian locality of Behala. In this work, through the technique of cyanotype on fabric and application of photographs atop, these photographs use – and acknowledge – the processes of history, urbanism, and culture as palimpsests. The piece juxtaposes Behala’s developments and transformations in time, and how remnants of ancient monuments and memories are embedded into the current realities and structures emerging in society.
Artistic Process:
Cyanotype Printing on Fabric:
Technique: Cyanotype is a light-sensitive printing process that results in blue-toned images when exposed to UV light. It will be used to create large-scale prints of historical maps, migration routes, and symbols from pre- and post-Partition Behala on fabric.
Imagery: The cyanotype prints will represent key moments in Behala’s history, such as old colonial buildings, migration routes post-Partition, and early infrastructure. Organic objects, like leaves and other natural elements found in the neighbourhood, can be included in the prints to symbolize the changing relationship between people and the environment.
Photography Printing:
Modern Photography Contemporary photographs of Behala’s urban landscape, architecture, and public spaces will be printed and overlaid on the cyanotype maps. These images will capture the urban transformation of Behala, highlighting the contrast between its historical and present identity.
Archival Photography: Where available, archival photographs of the Partition and its aftermath, including refugee settlements and evolving infrastructure, will be integrated into the installation to bring a deeper historical context to the work.
Installation Design:
The fabric cyanotypes will be hung in layers, creating a walk-through map where viewers can engage with Behala's history from different perspectives. The installation will be semi-translucent, allowing light to pass through and project the overlapping images onto the space itself, symbolizing the convergence of the past and present.
Photographs (both archival and modern) will be suspended or projected onto the cyanotype maps, enhancing the contrast between Partition-era memories and Behala’s current urban reality.
Materials & Techniques:
- Cyanotype Solution: Used to treat large fabric pieces (cotton or linen) that will act as the canvas for historical maps and organic prints.
- Photography Prints: High-quality archival and modern photographs printed on transparency sheets or fabric to layer over the cyanotypes.
- Found Objects: Organic objects from Behala (leaves, flowers, stones) to be incorporated into the cyanotype prints as symbolic elements of the neighbourhood’s natural and cultural shifts.
- UV Light/Sunlight Exposure: For creating the cyanotype prints by exposing the treated fabric to sunlight or UV light.
- Projection & Audio earphone for sound
- Some spot Light to enhance the Image visibilities
Installation Space:z
- Location: Ideally, a gallery or public space or enough room size for a large-scale walk-through installation, where fabric maps can be suspended in layers.
- Lighting: The installation will benefit from natural light to enhance the cyanotype prints but spotlighting or projectors can also be used to illuminate photographs and bring attention to specific elements of the installation.
- Interactive Elements: Viewers will be able to walk through and around the hanging cyanotype maps, immersing themselves in the layers of Behala’s history and transformation.
Audience Engagement:
- Reflection and Dialogue: The installation invites viewers to reflect on the intersection of personal, historical, and urban memory. By walking through the layered maps, they will be prompted to consider how Partition and urbanization have influenced the cultural identity of Behala.
Conclusion:
The "Shifting Map of Behala: Partition, Memory, and Urban Transformation" installation will serve as both a visual and historical exploration of how Behala has evolved over time. By blending cyanotype maps with photographic overlays, the project will not only preserve the memory of Behala’s Partition past but also reflect on its continued urban growth and cultural transformation. Through this immersive installation, viewers will engage with the layers of history that make up the modern identity of this significant Kolkata neighbourhood.
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