CyberMohallah
Installation from a media lab in the settlements of Delhi
Cybermohalla - Installation at Melkweg (videoroom)
Opening Times:
THU 20.00 - 24.00h Installation open
FRI 10.00 - 03.00h Installation open
SAT 11.00 - 03.00h Installation open
SUN 12.00 - 20.00h Installation open
Mohalla in Hindi and Urdu means neighborhood. Sarai's Cybermohalla project takes on the meaning of the word mohalla, its sense of alleys and corners, its sense of relatedness and concreteness, as a means for talking about one's 'place' in the city, and in cyberspace.
One can approach the Cybermohalla project from many directions. One can begin with a critique of the technological imagination and the expressive universe of the dominant mediascape, and then go on to map a counter strategy which grounds itself on access, sharing and democratic extensibility. One can see it as an experiment to engage with media technologies and software 'tactically', and create multiple local media contexts emerging within the larger media network that the Internet seems to engender. Still further, one can see it as an engagement with local history, experiences, modes of expression and creativity.
In its broadest imagination, one can see Cybermohalla as a desire for a wide and horizontal network (both real and virtual) of voices, texts, sounds and images in dialogue and debate. 'Public'-ation modes are and will be as diverse as wall magazines, books, posters, stickers, web pages, audio streams, animation etc. The present technological juncture provides a possibility, the point is to actualise it.
Cybermohalla is physically located in two media labs, called Compughar, in the LNJP basti and Dakshinpuri Colony, Delhi. LNJP, a working-class settlement constantly threatened by dislocation, lies in the heart of the city though invisible to Delhi's many millions. Dakshinpuri is a resettlement colony in South Delhi. Compughar (LNJP) started in May 2001 and Compughar (Dakshinpuri) in September 2002. They are small media labs running on free software and low-cost media equipment. They are a collaborative effort between Sarai and Ankur, an NGO experimenting for the last two decades with alternatives in education.
A special installation containing works created in the Compughars has specially been created for the next 5 minutes. the installation will be on display in the video room of the melkweg throughout the entire festival. members of Sarai involved in the Cybermohalla project will be present at given times to provide background information on the project. A special cybermohalla book box containing selected works will also be available.
Sarai:
www.sarai.net
About the cybermohalla project:
www.sarai.net/community/saraincomm.htm
'Galiyon Se/by lanes' the first publication with texts from the Compunghar in LNJP (2002)
www.sarai.net/community/cybermohalla/book01/bylanes.htm