12 | Designing Water: Morphology, Ecology and Histories of Waterscapes in South Asia
The panel intends to explore innovative narratives of water structures in terms of their eco-historical, socio-political and aesthetic siting, beyond the conventional art historical parameters, and breaking the boundaries of hitherto often tightly fenced disciplines.
Convenor:
Timeslots:
· 07/28 | 17:30-19:00 UTC+2/CEST
Long Abstract
Designing water has been manifesting itself in myriad water structures since the inception of architectural thinking in South Asia, visible in their ingeniously conceived forms and reflecting the interconnection between spatial topographies, aesthetic perceptions, ecological sustainability, hydro-technical knowledge, robust trade and commerce, regional or canonical conventions, and political manipulation. The objective of this panel is to investigate the immense cultural and eco-historical significance of water structures in South Asia, which often reveal ingenious design solutions for collecting and distributing water, water hygiene and community health as well as the spatial habitat. Today, when climate change and water conservation are pressing issues, this discussion about traditional forms of water harvesting and distribution systems may prove to be relevant in evolving alternative thinking in the current water debate. Topics of prospective panellists could include – but are not limited to – the following:
- What is the ‘language of water’ in terms of their artistic and structural characteristics imbedded in the prevailing local norms and practices and geo-political migrations?
- How is their spatial expression curated and negotiated – as a marker of space, of ecological sustainability and of social segregation and integration?
- How is water framed in ritually mediated spaces?
- What has been the hydro-technical knowledge that went into the making of the water structures?
- What is ecological connection to the surrounding rural or urban topography? -How are water histories written and narrated, how is water engineered and managed by the state?
Presentations
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07/28 | 15:30-15:50 UTC+2/CEST
Adivasi Water Harvesting System in the Jungle Mahals, Eastern India: An Alternative Idea for Sustainable Future (Nirmal Mahato) -
07/28 | 15:50-16:10 UTC+2/CEST
Water Strategies of Late Prehistoric Settlements in the Semi-Arid and Tropical Climates of Southern India (Arjun Rao) -
07/28 | 16:10-16:30 UTC+2/CEST
How to See Water in an Age of Unusual Droughts: Ecological Aesthetics in the Little Ice Age, Mathura (Sugata Ray) -
07/28 | 16:30-16:50 UTC+2/CEST
New Evidence for Mughal Agra as Waterfront City. (Ebba Koch) -
07/28 | 17:30-17:50 UTC+2/CEST
Water-S in the Western Indian City (10-16th C). (Sara Keller) -
07/28 | 18:10-18:30 UTC+2/CEST
Sacred Waterscapes as Ecological Habitats for Endangered Animal Species at Sufi Shrines in the Indian Subcontinent (Sara Kuehn) -
07/28 | 18:30-18:50 UTC+2/CEST
Waterscapes in Āyurveda: Mapping Health and Disease Through Hydrology. (Vitus Angermeier)