Bangalore is an urban metropolis bustling with youthful energy; the citizns of this wonderufl city are craving change. It is unlike any other city that not only perceives, but also has the motivation and intention to act. The public spaces in Bangalore fail to be vibrant centers of activity and exchange.
How then can we create and build our urban space and share it with our fellow residents of the city?
The problem persists with ‘how’ we address the experiential issue rather than the ‘what’. As humans, we bias our acceptance of urban spaces visually even though we perceive everything around us using all five senses. We care about cityscapes and elevations, in the process numbing ourselves to the sounds of the city, the smells of the city – even the tastes of the city. The result is a city that we are partially senseless to! The city thus experienced is devoid of wholeness, and of the richness and variedness that it would otherwise hold. How then can we draw from our perceptions of the city to make a difference to our urban spaces?
This is what MAKE48 aims to address. MAKE48 is an experimental approach by Klatsch. MAKE48 sources and publishes creative ideas. Ideas that people believe are necessary to collaborate, interact and take part in creating a vibrant city. A city that extends beyond the confines of our individual homes and beyond plain sight. It starts with questioning people’s perception of the city using their senses. These perceptions are then imprinted on a canvas in the form of a painting, in the form of an artwork, or a heat-map. The impressions that people make are then taken back onto a drawing board for designers to come up with sustainable solutions.
Essentially, Make 48 is an allegory of human senses that aims to expand and widen the experience by the residents of the city.
MAKE48 received over 20,000 impressions across the city of Bangalore in a single day. It received widespread coverage on social media and mainstream media.
MAKE 48 is an initiative of Klatsch. Klatsch is a collective of artists, designers and innovators. They collaborate to promote creative usage of urban community spaces. Make 48 is soon coming to a city near you! Watch this space!
[EDITED VERSION| Co-written by Asha N M
(First appeared in 'The Times of India' expert column - TOI)