Bhawna Aggarwal

'Stitching Hopes and Dreams' explores the life-style of the late 20th century Indian housewife, with particular attention to her movement within the house and her journey of creating a platform in the society. Innocent and gullible, she is unaware of her authority and freedom in her own house. She has a deep connection with the belongings of her mother— the jewellery box, sarees, Indian spices, vermillion, and sewing machine— who couldn’t be there to witness her wedding. Her husband has been shown as a supportive and progressive man who wants his wife to explore the world. There are also some instances where the elements of patriarchy in Indian society are visible in his personality. Most the sections are fictional, but relatable within the sense to portray a picture of a typical Indian housewife of late 20th century. It is hard to draw an image of her, an assessment of her problems and struggles come later. 'Stitching Hopes and Dreams' is an effort to intertwine different objects and bodies to finally bring a concrete image to the surface, which further is subjected to investigation and questions. It also flashes the ideas which were/are rigidly settled in the minds of Indian girls on marriage, beauty, life, and their roles in the society. At instances, the question comes up: “is there something more in an Indian woman that albeit being in a strong patriarchal setting, she makes her identity within the society, within the Bazaar?” 

"The very idea that the built environment is a reflection of societal attitudes toward race has only recently found a place in architectural discourse."

— Tia Blassingame, The Brooklyn Rail April-March 2002

'Changing Nature of Society and Fixed Nature of McCarren Pool' explores the effects of diversity (in a society) on the role of architecture and regulation of a space. The McCarren Park Pool in Brooklyn— once appreciated by the public— lived in the crumbling state for years because of the rigidity of architecture and diversity in society. The pool was shut down by the authorities in 1983 for renovations, but never opened again until 2012. The protests to restore the pool ignited intriguing debates from architectural aspects and highlighted various social concerns when the authorities gave command to the independent group.

The architects of this century are acutely focusing on the designs that tell stories. The design and accessibility have to evolve with respect to the community needs, to make people feel important, empowered, and excited to be in the places they inhabit in their daily lives. In this course, the question generally emerges that how to make public spaces more accessible for communication among every group of the society in this diversified culture?

These protests in Brooklyn are significant to conceive the idea whether a public space can be more engaging with the involvement of architects and the public. These events surfaced a subtle image in front of architects who finally restored the pool in 2012 and further established the foundations of 23 townhouses in Brooklyn by following the same course.

'Talk to me' is an attempt to explore the degree of 'attention' a writer has to pay in the process of writing. In addition, it is also working as a model to analyse the kind of 'attention' the work demands from the reader. Is the object in introspection worthy of attention? What is, or could be, the extent and degree of proper attention?

NOIT — 5: bodies as in buildings is a collection of essays, short stories, and images exploring what happens when the domestic, the home, and the body are alienated from their most basic associations and given new ones. In these works, the threshold between house and street, the distinction between the public and private, becomes porous and inexhaustibly complex. 

This is the work in progress for an AI-driven company who are launching their product to improve the lifestyle management of Indians. Over the past decades, India has shown an expeditious transition in diseases— shifting from infectious diseases to non-communicable diseases (NCDs)—witnessing 61.8 percent deaths in 2017. The list of NCDs includes cancer, hypertension, chronic lung diseases, diabetes, mental health, cardiovascular diseases, and others. They usually begin at the early stage of life and continue to expand their reach if overlooked, which leads to sickness and ultimately death.