Mapping Memories: The Lost Spaces of Yelahanka

https://video.wixstatic.com/video/d3eb0e_fe1e44539ea9470fa15b9a6b7fab64c9/1080p/mp4/file.mp4

Public Installation

4' x 13.5' x 7.5'

2024

‘Mapping Memories: The Lost Establishments of Yelahanka’ is a community engagement art project that explores the evolving public spaces of Yelahanka New Town, a suburban neighbourhood in Bangalore. Through interviews and memory mapping activities with 32 residents, the project documents places of rest that have been lost to time. The objective is to urge people to sit with their memories of their public lives and to etch these public spaces into collective memory.

The project engaged residents across caste, class, religion, gender, sexual identity and (dis)ability to understand how people from different communities interact with their neighbourhood. Through memory mapping and drawing sessions, these residents shared their memories and experiences at spaces that bring them joy.

Based on residents' descriptions of spaces that no longer exist, I created a set of 24 paintings depicting these lost spaces and establishments. These artworks were then integrated into a large-scale map of Yelahanka New Town, layering the community's collective memories onto the changing landscape.

The resulting public installation presents this 'collective memory map' - a visual representation of Yelahanka's vibrant history, through the residents’ eyes. Each painting consists of multiple translucent layers, which also encouraged visitors to flip through them and physically interact with the installation.

The project is essentially an exercise in nostalgia for the locality of Yelahanka New Town, but also serves as a critical exploration of collective memory. It examines people’s existence in public spaces and puts forth the daring question of who gets to occupy these places of leisure.