Rivers to me are living entities which travel over centuries and in India, they hold multiple significances for different people. In Ahmedabad, the Sabarmati river has been an intricate part of its history, culture, development, and people. From a perennial river in the 19th century to a now a stagnant water body in the city, Sabarmati has developed dramatically. In the past decade, the urban development of Riverfront has caused displacement of houses and all livelihood practices conducted on the banks have been banned.
The project constructs a historical context of the Sabarmati, the act of washing clothes around it and develops a time-based narrative of how the setting has evolved to what is now established as a formal, organized system of work. Though aesthetically defined, the water has lost its identity as a river and the relationship of a water dependent community has evolved over time.
Is this a submission to a concrete, industrial development of its kind?
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