CASE STUDY - KANNAGI NAGAR

1. CONTEXT
Place
Kannagi Nagar, one of the largest resettlement sites in India, is located in Okkiyum
Thoraipakkam Town Panchayat, Kanchipuram District, in the southern state of Tamil
Nadu. From an initial size of 3,000 houses in the year 2000, the settlement of
Kannagi Nagar has steadily grown, in a phased manner to a population of more than
80,000 people.

People
Largely formed between 2000 and 2010, Kannagi Nagar has served as a resettlement
area for residents of various Chennai slums, including many people displaced by the
deadly tsunami that struck the city in 2004. It has a reputation for being steeped in
alcoholism, drug use and crime.
Seeing as how most of the resettled people were those living near the coast with
their major livelihood being fishing, their relocation also resulted in unemployment.
Women in Kannagi Nagar can no longer travel to their old places of work where they
worked as house maids. Residents have reportedly been refused jobs when
employers discovered their address.
A recent study by Voluntary Health Services (VHS) found high incidents of violence
against women and children. Therefore most Chennaiites know to avoid the place
resulting in alienation of the place itself and increasing crime numbers.

Need for Intervention

Kannagi Nagar was therefore in desperate need of a makeover. To combat the
stigma attached to the place. This has resulted in a collaboration of Chennai
Corporation with Sta+rt a nonprofit organization, in an effort to transform the
neighborhood into an art district. Sta+rt has previously been involved in projects like
the Lodhi Art District in Delhi.
The intent is to change the way the people look at the place and identify it. Kannagi
Nagar is now turning into an urban regeneration project. The corporation has plans
to introduce a variety of cultural festivals to create a true ‘art district’ and
preparations for it are under way.

2. ART IN KANNAGI NAGAR

A Bright Future

A-Kill's monochrome portrait of two children against a sunny yellow backdrop

dominates a facade. “This neighborhood is full of kids,” says Ambrogi, “and kids are
our future. The two kids who are looking straight at you are really about the power of
people and the future generation. It's not literal, but suggestive of our future and the
integration between the environment and the people.”

Nature Love

Osheen Siva is originally from Tamil Nadu and her painting is in her signature style.
“The woman in the painting holds a crystal ball with the sea and a little fisherman
inside.” Ambrogi describes, “The typography in Tamil translates to ‘provider' and
‘protector'. Again, suggesting that the future is still in our hands. The idea is still
hyperconnected to nature as something that we will always have to hold on to.”

Flower Power

Australian artist Bronte Naylor spent four days visiting places in Chennai. Ambrogi
says, “For Bronte, the flower market was striking at all levels but what she pointed
out was how everything happens in the streets, and also how a lot of relationships
are transactional, which usually means commercial, but transactions here are also
very soft and very human. She will depict a man sitting on a crate of flowers to
another man selling flowers. There is a lot of absence and presence in the mural.”
Tribes of Tamil Nadu

Tribal knowledge and belief systems have immense relevance in the contemporary
context, they serve as noteworthy examples of community living and living in
harmony with nature and our environment. In an effort to showcase the strength
and wisdom of indigenous ways of seeing the world, the artist portrays women in
traditional attire from the 1800’s

Flora and Fauna

With a little help from the local flora and fauna, and fantastical creatures, the duo
have produced an artwork that seeks to emphasize the sense of discovery that
traveling entails and offers a meaningful and enriching experience of life at large.
Kindness

Having come to India for the third time as part of her travel journey, Yessi has stayed
for almost a year owing to the pandemic. Her artwork in Kannagi Art District is
inspired from the experiences and memories she has accumulated during her time
here. Incorporating elements such as corals, algae and flowers that resonate with
Kannagi’s demographic (comprising largely fisherfolk), the painting symbolises the
kindness and hospitality of the local inhabitants.

Time Repeats

On 19 June 2019, Chennai city officials declared "Day Zero", indicating that the water
in the city had depleted, as the four main reservoirs supplying water had run dry.
Twenty-one cities in India will run out of groundwater by 2020, affecting around 100
million people, claims a report by NITI Ayog. The report also says that 40 percent of
India's population will have no access to drinking water by 2030. Daku’s mural in
Kannagi Art District appears like a problem, mimicking the crisis itself and appearing
only as the sun goes up to reveal the ramifications of this water shortage. The wait for
the image acts as a metaphor for the wait for the water in the city, but also for time
itself - reappearing year after year.
 3. COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS

Context Reasons For User & Activity Elements/ Inferences

Intervention Interventions

Lodhi Art Government housing Lodhi Colony was Essentially a 50+ murals Unlike Kannagi
District, Delhi built by the British in chosen as an ideal quiet residential in a well Nagar which was
1940 as staff quarters site for an art district colony. defined trail. itself in need of a
in Delhi due to its makeover, Lodhi
Remains Residential existing infrastructure. After Some District was
neighborhood till date intervention streetscaping rather chosen.
Uniform facades there have been
Located in the vicinity made for an ideal art tours and an Lacks spots for
of Lodhi Gardens a canvas for street art. influx of tourists cultural activities.
popular landmark and and visitors.
several other places of Repetitive blocks that
historical value. are easy to navigate
would help bring to life
the ‘open art gallery’
concept.

Pedestrian Friendly
networks.

Shoreditch, Originally an extra Shoreditch had The Street Art Street art Shoreditch did
London mural suburb of historical and cultural scene and low Murals not begin as a
London. significance. rent attracted planned cultural
artists to come Most district but rather
Was once a center for Plenty of space and settle in these significant evolved into one.
entertainment with abandoned neighborhoods development
multiple theaters. Later warehouses was the for Shoreditch is
industries bloomed, perfect setting for This eventually Shoreditch currently
specifically furniture illegal graffiti artists. attracted cafes was the experiencing
warehouses. and other public gentrification that
It was an urban area establishments transport UK residents are
During World War 2 in need of to the area. lines. extremely
the area was heavily regeneration. unhappy about.
bombed and did not Is now a very Now has Art
recover. Warehouses happening spot, galleries, Shoreditch has
were abandoned, the bars, transformed into
crime rates increased. regeneration of restaurants, a center of
Shoreditch has media commercial
often been businesses activity and
termed the and the residents can no
‘hipster building of the longer afford
renaissance’. Hackney rent.
Community
College
Kannagi Government housing High incidents of Consists mostly 16 murals Kannagi Nagar
Nagar, originally built for violence against of the completed so cannot afford to
Chennai victims of 2004 women and children Economically far. turn into a
Tsunami, located in Weaker Section commercial hub
OMR Alcoholism and Drug (EWS) and Low Kannagi like Shoreditch, it
addiction amongst the Income Group Nagar is a must maintain its
Multiple slums were population (LIG). work under residential
resettled in Kannagi progress. character but
Nagar Unemployment and Residential must also be able
alienation of its neighborhood Workshops, to welcome
The Settlement site residents due to the with few competitions visitors and
also consists of stigma attached to it. informal shops and tourists.
repetitive blocks of on the street performance
uniform facade and In need of a better side. s are held in Focus must be
plenty of derelict open identity to associate the school on creating
spaces. with the place. Children are ground at the spaces for
often involved in center of the performance arts
projects with district and fine arts that
artists. are
accommodating
Some art tours to current
happen residents as well
as visitors.