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Festivals, Spatial Transformation and Space Making in the City
This essay explores the idea of space making in the city using festivals
as a point of departure. Festivals offer an opportunity to examine space making
processes that are implicitly historical and sociological. Even in their
temporality, the architectural forms and spatial transformations that accompany
festivals and celebrations are emblematic of architecture as contemporary history. Space making is understood in
different ways in urban theories. In simple terms, space making means the ways
in which and the processes thereof associated with making and remaking of
spaces by people in different contexts. This essay links the idea of space of place, as developed by Manual
Castells[i]
and links it to the architectural and spatial processes that unfold during festivals
that are contemporary yet bear the imprint of history. This essay is a
beginning towards a deeper understanding of space making in the city, a study I
propose to take on in future.
Contemporary
History and Space making in the city
The increasing profusion, exuberance and
visibility of festivals intercepting cityscapes in different times of the year
could be seen as counter processes to the anxieties about urban spaces in
literature. Castells, for instance expresses this anxiety when he introduces
the idea of ‘space of place’ being taken over by ‘space of flows’ because of
the onslaught of global socio-political and economic processes. Space of place
is particularized, tied to specific contexts with the characteristic features
of that specificity, historical and sociological. In other words, the space of
place bears the imprint of the particularised historical and cultural identity
of a space. This particularity is increasingly getting diluted and sometimes
lost under the influence of global forces. Resultantly, urban spaces come to
resemble each other more and more architecturally, giving away their
distinguishing and particularised features that essentially make them place. These spaces that resemble each
other are what are known as space of flows.
Festivals, with their attendant spatial
transformations, however temporary, allow for space making in the city in
diverse ways. Historically, festivals have been doing this in the city context.
In general terms, all festivals are rooted in certain historical contexts that
can be traced to myth and folklore, and traditions. The celebration of
festivals implies revisiting the myths, folklore, rituals and symbols of
history in more ways than one. The spatial transformations that accompany
festivals, in their myriad manifestations, revisit cultural and historical
identities in different ways. In the process of this revisit, they actually
facilitate the space making of place,
however temporary. The idea of place
inherently carries the idea of historicity in it because place in space making processes include reaffirming particularised
and shared histories tied to specific geographical and cultural contexts.
Festivals intercept the banal existence of city life. Through the celebrations
and spatial transformations, history is revisited in unique ways. This
revisiting of history simultaneously reaffirms the idea of place in space making in the city. Urbanites, otherwise, overwhelmed by space of
flows (imposed by the compulsions of lookalike informational societies)
actually get opportunities to revisit the space
of place during the time of festivals in cities.
Festivals dotting through the months of
August, September and October temporarily transform city spaces in unique ways,
making and remaking history every time through such transformations. August
heralds the colourful celebrations of Gokulashtami
with groups of young enthusiastic Govindas
trying their best to break the handi (earthern
pot) full of goodies, set atop, by forming human pyramids.[ii]
The rewards for such efforts are plenty ranging from cash prizes to huge rounds
of applause, singing and dancing. The day of the festival is marked by a sudden
halt to all activities, post lunch hour. Schools, colleges and some offices
shut down early, streets are crowded and roads are overcrowded with traffic and
people trying to get home and partake in the festivities. The spatial
transformation of cityscape is visible in every nook and corner. Month
September heralds the homecoming of the deity Ganesha with all attendant grandeur, again bringing with it spatial
transformations all over the city. These spatial transformations vary in
colour, texture and scale, with each passing year creating history every time.
Based on onsite observations of a
recently concluded festival in Mumbai, the rest of the essay examines how spatial transformations as contemporary
processes of space making unfold in the city thereby partaking in history
making.
Durga
Puja in Mumbai
The festival of Durga Puja has evolved
over the years in Mumbai city. Not only has the annual festival of the Bengali
community in Mumbai proliferated over the years; the scale and visibility of
the festivities have also increased simultaneously. Gone are the days when the
five days celebration was a simple affair, marked with the active participation
of a few host families. Today’s festivals are larger, grander and more visible.
This is reflected in the attendant spatial transformation of the festivals that
allows for creative architectural expressions.
In 2000 it was the Durga Puja in few
locations, mostly patronised by celebrities that boasted of the pomp and show
comparable to that of the native home of the Goddess- Bengal. Circa 2013 and
Durga Puja celebrations with its accompanying temporary architectural
expressions and spatial transformations have reached new heights. As one moves
northwards in the city, such transformations intercept many locations.
Most of these celebrations take place
within the confines of well serviced neighbourhoods tucked in one corner or
another. With a bit of digging in, I found out that the celebrations,
specifically the spatial expressions are the outcome of months of preparations
carried out at length by well organised associations. These associations are
professionally managed and boast of myriad philanthropic activities. They
usually comprise members who are well heeled and well networked. It is but
natural that the yearly festival provides an opportunity to its mentors to connect
to their ethnic roots and express their sensibilities and aesthetics during the
course of the celebrations.
The picture above depicts the Durga puja
pandal of a housing society in the
Western suburbs in Mumbai. After months of discussion the theme of the pandal was finalised to replicate a temple
located in Belur, West Bengal.
The entire corner of the neighbourhood,
which would otherwise be deserted during other times of the year, transformed
completely with the spatial expressions that marked it, for over a week.
With a system of awards in place to
appreciate the architectural and creative expressions of Durga puja, organisers
leave no stone unturned to outdo one another. Every effort is made towards
better visibility and appreciation. The celebrations also get ample coverage in
print and electronic media. Celebrity visits add the much needed glamour.
Reaffirming
the place in space making through
festivals
With the advent of theme pujas architectural expressions and spatial transformations
have acquired a different tone altogether. The theme changes every year and so
does its spatial expressions and attendant celebrations. Thus last year the
theme was to recreate the legacy of the zamindar
bari (large palatial structures built during colonial times housing the aristocratic
propertied classes). The theme itself provided ample scope to tinker with one’s
architectural creative imaginations. The spatial transformations that
accompanied the theme transported one back to Bengal’s colonial history. Invariably,
themes are chosen in a bid to connect with one’s cultural identity, rooted in
particularised and shared histories. It is no coincidence therefore that all
the themes chosen over the years for Durga puja celebrations in the city are in
some way or the other connected to Bengal and its history and culture. The
architectural expressions are also another way of reaffirming one’s cultural
identity in a multicultural city. The festival allows for spatial transformations as contemporary processes of space making that unfold in the city thereby partaking in
history making in a significant way.
[i] Castells,
M. (1996) The information age: economy, society and culture. Vol. I
(Oxford: Blackwell)
[ii] Gokulashtami is the
festival celebrating the birth of the Hindu deity Lord Krishna. Lord Krishna
has several names and Govinda is one
of them. During the celebration of Gokulashtami,youth
partaking in the celebrations are also known as Govindas.
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