Dharavi-Koliwada, Mumbai
Concept
Dot 01 (Dharavi Organic Tech) is a multimedia, multilingual, multidirectional and participatory communication tool for the residents of Dharavi. It is the first of many such centres and outposts in Dharavi.
The main focus of Dot centres is EXPRESSION and COMMUNICATION in any possible form, whether it is oral, musical, video, artistic, written, web-based, low-tech, high-tech, whether it is aimed at fellow Dharavites or to the rest of the world.
It’s main strength is that it is located in a space which has an old history of technical and economic innovation and adaptation but one which is mired in the urban complexity of what has been termed as political and economic informality.
Its location itself is part of its design, identity and execution.
This centre introduces cutting-edge interactive communication and creativity-focussed media, which are highly responsive to the neighbourhood’s urban complexities, through its residents and for the service of the community at large.
Redevelopment and rehabilitation plans are often criticized, not only in India but the world at large, for not being inclusive of the concerned populations. People's participation in the decision-making process is a sensitive political issue, which all democratic systems are confronted with.
However, promoting people's participation in the production of information about their own communities, expressing their own ideas on the issues they face, and archiving their aspirations is not only universally recognized as good practice for urban planning and design. And it is highly doable. This is what the "Dot" project is set to achieve.
The concept behind the Dot project is that each person and each place is a dot on the map that should be accounted for. Dot 01 and the other Dot 02, 03... (that will follow the setting up of this first Centre) represents the dot (".") in "dharavi.org"; a small point that is usually overlooked, but that really connects it all. These “Dots” at the same time virtual and physical, are thus points of connection between the community and the outside world.
Dot 100 is relayed at the Dharavi-wide level by a local cable channels that will continuously webcast all the videos and sounds recorded during the day. In addition, all the material will be archived, categorized and labelled so it can be used for future research and planning efforts.
Objectives
Dharavi has nearly a 100 nagars or community-based townships. Ideally, each of these communities should have their own Dot, either in the form of a physical space equipped with the necessary technology and staffed with skilled people, or in the form of a simple public video terminal in the street (also called Dot), that anyone can use to voice their opinion about their community, independently of status, age, and language. Such initiative was successfully implemented in Bogotá, Colombia where a TV channel broadcast people’s recordings 24/7.
To kick off and test the Dot project, we propose a pilot Dot in Koliwada, which is the oldest community of Dharavi, with a history stretching over at least 3 centuries. This will be Dot 01. Dot 01 will serve as the headquarter of the Dot and dharavi.org projects, the office of the Koliwada Design Cell (see description at the end of the document), and share space with the PUKAR Youth Fellowship Programme.
Dot 01 will be lead by a team of young residents from the Koliwada and surrounding areas who participated in the Urban Typhoon Workshop, March 16-22, 2008 (see description at the end of the document). Dot 01 will ride on the extraordinary motivation that the local participants expressed during the workshop. It will continue the participatory design effort that was started then and keep alive the international connections that were made during the workshop.
Dot 01 will be a cyber cafe, a space of multimedia production, a hang out for young people with karaoke rooms, a painting and drawing studio, a multilingual library, a publishing and recording house, an architectural design cell, a platform where visitors and residents can interact and learn from each other, a residency for international researchers and artists and generally a space that can be used in creative ways by the residents of Koliwada.
While Dot 01 will provide a structure and an infrastructure for the realization of specific projects, the program itself should be open and flexible enough that unforeseeable activities can emerge. This will help the space realize its potential, at the same time fully integrating and valorizing the physical, social and cultural context of Koliwada, and offering a new type of inspiration and space of expression to its residents.
Dot 01 will archive the living history of Koliwada and its people. Anyone will be welcome to express their ideas, aspirations, visions and plans using cutting edge technology in a manner that bypasses all the traditional restrictions that usually creates obstacles in them taking control of their own lives. It will be the role of the staff and volunteers to assist each one according to their needs. Provided that the author agrees, everything produced in the Dot 01, will be archived with reference to the author, date and location. It will also be published on the Dot 01 blog and dharavi.org. This data will be used by the Koliwada Design Cell, which will be drafting a participatory development plan for Koliwada.
Dot 01 will serve as an interface allowing interaction between people who usually never find themselves together in the same place. International, national and local people, professionals and others will exchange ideas and realize new visions and plans in Dot 01. This project is based on the belief that the strength of virtual technology is its ability of bridging communication and other gaps in real life.
Activities
- A video recording facility that will record each resident’s ideas, visions and expectations and simultaneously upload them in individual folders with a geo – tag. Each folder will become a repository of images and details of the individual that will give voice to him/her and record it.
- A cyber café in which people will have the choice to pay per use by uploading stories and images of the neighbourhood.
- A cafe/juice bar in the evening with a karaoke room and dancing space for end of week parties.
- A residency or set of residencies that will bring people to live here and help the activities of the studios with specialized skills.
- A growing library of objects, ideas, books, music, from the neighbourhood and elsewhere that is used by the residents in creative ways.
- A place where innovative workshops are held through out the year for the residents.
- A space of everyday interaction at artistic, creative and other levels that will be free to interpretation and evolution in the direction that the residents choose it to be.
- An urbanism studio where a participatory development plan for Koliwada is being drafted.
- Office & meeting place of the PUKAR Youth Fellow
Annual Goals
- Archive the lives of at least 500 residents in the first year through this process of self-authored recordings.
- Ensure that cyber-membership and use of the computers is at the optimum with at least 200 users in the first year.
- Support at least 20 local initiatives that link local businesses to the web through the centre.
- Organize 6 training workshops in the first year for first time web and computer users from Dharavi.
- Prepare feasible architectural and design projects for residents and help raise resources locally and globally.
- Organize social events every month that bring people from different social, cultural and economic backgrounds together.
- Organize talks, screenings and discussions with a focus on urban and neighbourhood issues so that there is a space for discussion and debate.
Structure
Dot 01 will be started in a rental property in Koliwada. This project will grow incrementally according to means, needs and opportunities. This incremental growth strategy corresponds to the reality of Dharavi. Dot 01 should integrate the community in its own terms and in an organic way.
A structure of about 500 sq.ft should be enough to start, but ideally the space should be at least 1000 sq.ft so it can comfortably accommodate all the activities listed above.
Dot 01 should be fully equipped with electrical connections, water and gas. It should have a kitchen and a bathroom as well as audio-visual equipment: TV monitor, radio, sound system, computers, hard drives, wireless modem, heavy duty printer, scanner, digital cameras, video camera, karaoke system with microphones and recording system. It is essential that the structure gets excellent internet service since its connection with the rest of the city and the world will depend on it.
Workspace should be available for PUKAR, Dot 01's office, the Koliwada Design Cell, and dharavi.org. That will represent a total of 3 to 5 staff operating on a part-time and full time basis.
