Environmental Conditions, Ground & Built Form 2

This course focused on understanding the relationship between natural factors (terrain characteristics, climatic factors and flora/ fauna characteristics) and practices (built-form and routine). The study also focused on the transformations & shifts in natural factors and connected practices through time.

Text Introducing the Field - Loktak Lake 

The water bowl that feeds the state of Manipur was formed by mountains surrounding the region. Numerous masses of vegetation adorn the pulsating water body. The Loktak lake is an ever-changing landscape with floating organic masses that shift and drift with the winds and rains. These floating forms are called 'Phums' onto which fishermen make homes - their daily rhythm influenced by the their livelihood of catching fish and casting nets.

Drifts

A 7 x 3 house floats amidst the vast lake on a biomass that is just slightly bigger than the dimensions of the house itself. Extending 3 metres on each side, it is difficult to move around the landmass as it is gets less denser as one move towards the water. Smaller masses consisting of water hyacinth and napi grass float by according to the direction of the wind. A longer section cuts through the three biomasses of water hyacinth, taller grasses, lake water and the island on which Mimisa's house is constructed.

The day starts at 3am for the residents of the phumdis- they gather the fish caught in the net which has been earlier casted in the Athafum

For Mimisa, The morning hours are usually consumed by activities such as washing the black nets ,arranging the fish on the nets and then roasting them on the chulha for hours to come. While the fish roasts, she usually does other chores like cleaning the kitchen floor / eating paan, collecting broken wooden chips from the entryway boards etc. The afternoons are for taking rest and sleeping after an exhaustive day of fishing process. Because we started looking at the house through the lens of daily objects by documenting each corner- so you come to realise that there is no idea of luxury here. The landscape does not give any chance of material needs.

Annotation / Narrative Text Explaining the Drawing and two sections Below 

The long sections below show three phums that dot the landscape of the lake. The lake is a shifting ecosystem and depending on the rainfall the islands shift co-ordinates.

Anchors

Glossary of Objects