mreethmandir

Intentions

There are various combination of factors that makes life in cities like Dhaka very difficult. Some of them are structural, and some are cultural- the economic conditions also contribute to the mix. Finding the roots of these problems is totally a matter of a different discipline. However, in order to portray the nature of Dhaka, it is important to identify, choose, and pick the bits and pieces that are most relevant to the project.

Based on my personal relationship to my hometown, and my interactions and conversations with people, there are some difficulties that come up quite frequently. Among them, there are cultural and structural constraints that make Dhaka particularly harmful for mental health, and neurodivergent people are more sensitive to the hostile environment. Aligning with the intentions of the project, the goal of this research question is to invoke empathy, by first identifying the difficulties, and then expressing them visually to communicate these particular subjective experiences.

Identifying

In my attempt to identify the elements that make Dhaka hard to live in, I collected images of overwhelming situations in Dhaka. Along with the photographs, I made notes of the catalysts that lead to such environments.

Even though I have lived all my life in Dhaka- experienced all its chaos through my bones, grew dear connections, and formed fond memories despite the sufferings: finally leaving the city at the age of 29 to study in Europe gave me a clearer perspective- perhaps a bird’s eye view, of the nature of the city that is Dhaka.

Being the economic center of an extremely densely populated and poor country- Dhaka is a melting pot of people of many different economic and ideological backgrounds. The desperation for survival and livelihood- and the narrow scope of opportunity brews an unhealthy competitive mentality in its people from very early childhood. It forms and morphs how people behave in every kind of space- it becomes extremely hard to be kind when your own survival is not secured. One can, however, find kindness even in the most desperate situations- but those exceptions cannot really change the bigger picture.

The contrast between the development in Dhaka and the rest of Bangladesh also plays a big role in the demographic. There is a great cultural difference between the rich – upper-class residents of Dhaka and the middle-class and working-class people. The contrast is even more striking for the people who are recently migrating from other parts of the country. This kind of class division creates an atmosphere of distrust and hatred between all the spheres. Ideally, people of different economic classes occupying overlapping spaces would lead to blurred boundaries- but unfortunately, perhaps, other conditions lead the people in a different direction.

Even more than the economic conditions- the structural design or the lack thereof has more impact on creating a hostile environment in Dhaka. The city day by day is morphing into an environment that pits its citizens against each other. From public transport to the regular grocery market- and even in classrooms- you would be considered a fool if you let the other person go before you.

The city never fails to remind you that you don’t really belong here. I find it so hard to find a sense of familiarity in the city. Everything is constantly being replaced. Nobody owns the city- you are just here to grab all you can and survive. This lack of ownership and familiarity even affects how the city is designed. There is a lack of consideration everywhere. It seems like every structure and design is temporary- they look modern and very Western- but not much consideration is put into whether they’ll function for the people here in the long run.

In Dhaka, even the buildings and the roads seem to fighting with each other for space. All the buildings are cramped together with no regard for personal space. I particularly recall a new office building being erected right across the window of my childhood apartment. The view outside was replaced with a view of a meeting room through an aluminum pane window. Eventually, all the other sides of that building were overshadowed by newer buildings. One must be really really privileged to have a glimpse of a clear open sky.

Another key factor to address is Dhaka’s rapidly shrinking space to escape and breathe. There are almost no parks and spaces left where the citizens can take a break and meet people of similar interests. All the public spaces are being replaced with segregated and gated communities. This breeds isolation between the people. Making it very very hard for people with mental health conditions to reach out for social support and help.

In Dhaka, you are never alone, but always lonely.

The noise, the overlap, and the constant change are extremely overwhelming. You must learn how to filter out the noise while being extremely alert to save you from road accidents, mugging, or other dangers. If one has sensory issues, this can easily cause burnout. What kind of effect daily exposure to such an environment might have on someone’s mental health?

Studies

In order to figure out what animation technique and visual expressions can properly represent the chaotic nature of Dhaka I looked into films that deal with similar concepts. I watched them and analyzed them to understand how they achieved their goals and what I could take away from them for my project.

Experiments

With the perspective and knowledge gained from the studies- I would experiment and make animation tests. Perhaps, setting up snippets of scenarios and making demos of them in various techniques would help me come up with expressions that work to fit my narrative.

I would also involve my peers from Dhaka who have expressed similar frustration with sensory issues and struggles with mental health- to get their feedback and perspective to ensure my portrayal communicates the experience properly.

Conclusion