A unique art exhibition exploring the responses of those living with environmental uncertainty in the Sundarbans of India is being hosted at IDS this week (5 to 10 July). It features artwork co-created by academics and community groups from the Transformation as Praxis: Exploring Socially Just and Transdisciplinary Pathways to Sustainability in Marginal Environments (TAPESTRY) project, which was convened by CWEH, IDS and Sussex University.
The exhibition aims to showcase the lived experiences of children facing climate change induced uncertainties in the Sundarbans. The project focuses on three ‘patches of transformation’ in India – vulnerable coastal areas of Mumbai, the Sundarbans and Kutch. The Sundarbans being the largest mangrove delta in the world situated at the confluence of the delta and the Bay of Bengal, spread across 10,300 sq km – of which 60 percent is in Bangladesh, 40 percent in India.
Three large tapestries, as well as several other paintings, will be exhibited in the IDS reception gallery space before being displayed in the School of Global Studies at the University of Sussex. The artwork represents the stories of the Sundarbans’ 7.2 million people who are dependent on climate-sensitive sectors agriculture, fishing, and collection of minor forest produce.
Anindita Saha, University of Sussex Research Associate for the TAPESTRY Project, said:
“The evocative artwork and the accompanying narrative of the artists bring to light the impact of climate change, exacerbated by a neo-liberal trajectory of globalisation in a marginal region, and encourages a co-production of knowledge on how we can navigate through an uncertain future.”
The TAPESTRY project explores how transformation may arise ‘from below’ in marginal environments with high levels of uncertainty. It looks at transformative alliances between local communities, NGOs, scientists and state agencies, seeking socially just and ecologically sound alternatives based on local people’s understandings of what transformation entails.
The TAPESTRY research is carried out by CWEH, IDS, Sussex University. IIT-Bombay, NMBU, Kyoto University, GUIDE, Caritas-India, Caritas-Bangladesh, Sahjeevan, Centre for Pastoralism, ICCCAD, Indian Institute of Health Management & Research (IIHMR), Conservation act trust, The All India Disaster Mitigation Institute (AIDMI), Bombay 61, CSDS-Sarai, and the Conservation Action Trust.
