Mandvi (India) Travelling Studio

This subject has the following teaching availabilities in 2012:

This subject is a quota subject and places are limited. Students may provisionally enroll via the Student Portal, but places are not guaranteed until selection is completed. You will be notified in writing by the Student Centre if you are selected.

Students may be expected to attend pre-trip and post-trip seminars.

A travel component will take place in Mandvi, India, 8–22 April 2012 (subject to review).

240 hours

Admission to any master's course offered by the Melbourne School of Design or approval from the subject coordinator.

For the purposes of considering requests for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Students Experiencing Academic Disadvantage Policy, academic requirements for this course are articulated in the Course Description, Course Objectives and Generic Skills of this entry.

The University is dedicated to provide support to those with special requirements. Further details on the disability support scheme can be found at the Disability Liaison Unit website: http://www.services.unimelb.edu.au/disability/

Mandvi, a port along the Gulf of Kutch in the western Indian state of Gujarat, was a centre of maritime trade in the Indian Ocean region. A large fleet of wooden ships connected the west coast of India with the Middle East and Africa, and beyond. The town reflects a dynamic confluence of cultural, material, economic, and social exchanges. The craft of building wooden ships is still practised in a number of shipbuilding yards in Mandvi. The surrounding region of Kutch is known for its Great Desert, the traditional bhungas (round, mud buildings as an adaptive response to the local semi-arid to arid climate and earthquake activity), and many traditional crafts such as weaving, dyeing, embroidery, leatherwork, and pottery among others.

This studio will undertake a multi-scalar investigation of the spatial fabric of Mandvi. Based on a series of documentary and analytical exercises, the studio will seek to understand and communicate patterns of spatial and temporal growth of Mandvi. It will be followed by development of design strategies for specific design briefs that help negotiate between Mandvi’s distinctive historic character and emerging forces of change.

• To encourage students to identify and engage critically with issues of environmental sustainability and social/cultural difference in an international setting
• To stimulate creative thinking and problem-solving through the experience of how local issues govern planning, design and construction processes in a particular location

• Preliminary research and documentation, due week 5 (10%)
• On‐site group work, due week 9 (15%)
• Reflective journal of field trip, due week 12 (15%)
• Presentation & exhibition of final projects, due week 14 (60%)

This subject is not available as a breadth subject.

• Interdisciplinary teamwork
• Understanding and navigating social and cultural difference
• Knowledge transfer
• Organisational collaboration
• Managing risk