Adhavan Sivaraj

I work with photographs, media, maps in various forms. They become vessels, tools and the outcomes themselves as I learn about places, histories, technologies and sarkari realities. They are great tools to be curious with, about people, their practices, our geography, and everybody’s politics. I use these to work with and support the dreams of the people within the network. I work with the Climate Resource Center, the Participatory Geospatial Lab and with Manesiri within the network.

On learning

Tools like media, maps, photographs, writing, become a way to distance ourselves from places as much as they are actually about the place. How do we come back to using them with people very close to place and while doing so maybe even become very close to a place ourselves? Maps, Media, Photographs must be critically made with and while in conversation with the soil, the water and the beings here. They must be artefacts that bring people together in learning.

Situated Practice

While I work primarily in Bidar and Channapatna, I’ve not often had the opportunity to work in a place where I can understand a language fully. What does that mean to learn the practices, languages and cultures of a place while working with the place. In the sense, the network is a great lake of kindness, which grounds you in these places and invites you to participate.

Place-based Engagements

I work with the Climate Resource Center, documenting and understanding water systems across the district. The Participatory GeoSpatial Lab is our vessel and tool as we document and understand spatially the nature of water in various forms across urban spaces, streams and its interaction with the human geography. I work with Manesiri