These are some pictures which show the effect of landslides and earthquakes on the existing dwellings of the village. To an outsider these seem to be unseen and unknown moments of devastation, but to the locals these moments have become a way of life. They have accepted these incidents as they are and have become numb to them since they know these events are out of their control.
The existing dwelling is constantly configured and reconfigured as a result to the constant dialogue between the landscape and its inhabitants. As a next step to this project I am thinking of modelling certain impact points in the existing dwelling. These impact points will change over time due to the shifts in landslide size, sites and patterns. It might also be seen as impact on impact points on a crash test dummy when subjected to different types of accidents. Using the materials like mud, calcium carbonate, water or even metals like copper extracted from the channel making system we can cast the destructed portion of the dwelling. these casts will then be used as new layers of skin on the ghost village. Or another way this can be done is by accumulating data using sensors all over the dwelling to rapid prototype zinc, calcium or copper into the new skins growing over the ghost village. This process will lead to a development the ghost village into a palimpsest which visually and spatially voices the conversation between the existing dwelling, users and the landslides. a traveller who visits this village even for the first time would get a fair idea about the volatility of the landscape and the dialogue between the environment and its components.
This will also lead to emergence of new spaces in the ghost village and to occupy these unusual spaces the inhabitants will have to keep evolving their way of living in order to occupy them.
This ghost village will emerge on the channels created by the channel making system which is illustrated in some of my previous drawings. the reason why the channels are the most suitable site for the emergence of the new village is that land is too volatile & crumbly and in the landslide season and it would be ideal to detach oneself from land. I don’t intend to completely relocate the villagers to water but instead the villagers can shift to water from May to September (during the landslide season) and back when the landslide season ends. This is also suitable because their farmlands are between the silk route (along which the existing dwellings are located) and the river/ water channels; thus it would not be a problem for them to go to their farms to work during the day either way.