Expanding Agency at BIC highlights the role of women, racialised communities in architecture
The 'Expanding Agency' exhibition at the Bangalore International Centre explores the historical contributions of women and racialized communities to architecture. Through workshops and archives, the project aims to highlight the 'archival silences' regarding labor and gender in the built environment.
Why it matters
The exhibition challenges traditional architectural history by documenting the often-overlooked roles of women and marginalized groups in shaping urban spaces.
Expanding Agency, a research initiative of architectural historian Kathleen James Chakraborty from the University of Dublin reaches Bangalore International Centre, Domlur, with a five-day travelling exhibition this September.
The exhibition presents the stories and contributions of historically underrepresented and unrepresented women and racialised communities across the globe, and includes the narratives of Indian women from the 20th century. Told through the medium of photographs, drawings, archives and written narratives, they tell the untold stories of modern architecture.
Beyond exhibiting a few key historical narratives from their archives, Expanding Agency and Archival Silences also hosted a series of workshops and panel discussions inviting participants from across Bengaluru to contribute from their own experiences and narratives.
Sarah Melssen, co-curator of the event, recalls how her labour workshop on September 5, saw participants from various backgrounds including architects, architectural historians, researchers, social workers and NGOs engage with women construction workers.
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