[Reader-list] Hygiene and the City: IFS Post 1

[Chitra Venkataramani]

Hygiene and the City

(The idea of clutter)

Hi,

My name is Chitra Venkataramani and this is my first post. I am looking at
the changing idea of hygiene in the city and how it gets associated with the
idea of clutter. I primarily work with graphic books and am interested in
how the city can be mapped through drawings and stories. Having finished my
masters degree in visual communication from IIT Bombay, I am working as a
freelance designer form a small studio space in Bombay.

The Structure of the book:

The book looks at the idea of clutter at various levels of zoom such as
domestic clutter and at clutter in the city. Each part has smaller
narratives within it. Like the idea of personal clutter is explained through
how some people assiduously clean before they start a new project (like me);
and how some clean their homes yearly and also looks at how ads tell us to
buy things that will keep our homes clean, and cockroaches off our tooth
brushes and so on.

The story moves out into the city, where the idea of de-cluttering has
become related to giving more space. Like widening roads to accommodate more
vehicles, adding carriages to trains and cleaning the natural water drains
of the city. The narrative weaves through each of these parts- of doctors
who travel to Grant Medical School who worry about what all they may catch
in the crowded train; compounded by medical posters that warn you of all
contagious diseases spread by touch.

How I plan to work:

I have started working on my personal narrative while I am collecting data.
The data includes devices designed by people to negotiate crowded trains,
reports on cleaning the drains and projects where people have designed loos
in trains that can be easily cleaned. I am also talking to people who
commute and collecting their stories and downloading advertisements for
cleaning products.  I plan to keep painting and posting images as and when I
finish them

The first image can be found here:

http://flipsearch.blogspot.com/2007/03/sarai-first-post-image.html

This is a painting of the studio space where I and my friends work. From
here, the narrative moves out into the locality (which will be redeveloped
in 3 months time) and to other parts of the book.

I plan to regularly make image posts as and when I finish drawing them.
Regards,
Chitra

-- 
Chitra Venkataramani
7B, Orchard Avenue,
Powai Mumbai 400076
9819 474375
www.flipsearch.blogspot.com
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