QUICK TIME, OLD RIVER AND A SKY FULL OF DREAMS

Posted on 31, Jul 2022

QUICK TIME, OLD RIVER AND A SKY FULL OF DREAMS

We are thrilled to announce the opening of QUICK TIME, OLD RIVER, AND A SKY FULL OF DREAMS at Patan House this weekend!

29 July – 30 September 2022
Patan House, Dhaugal

The exhibition is open every day from 11am – 7pm

*Closed on Mondays

Kathmandu valley is experiencing unprecedented change. Is time somehow speeding past quicker than it used to? What do we remember of the old ways of life? How can this memory transform into knowledge which takes us past simple nostalgia? How can this knowledge show us tenable ways to serve the needs and dreams of the millions who share the Kathmandu sky? How can plans and policies look beyond technocratic solutions to embrace a healthier politics of the commons?

This exhibition, with its accompanying public program, attempts to address these and related themes that thread together the outcomes produced by the seven research fellows of the Kathmandu Valley Urban History Project.

The Kathmandu Valley Urban History Project is a research and public knowledge initiative that works towards understanding, documenting and telling stories about the ways that Kathmandu is experiencing change. Through place-based research, archiving, and storytelling, the project seeks to contribute to the public discourse on urbanization, the commons, and imaginations for the future.

Photo:
1970, North-West view of Kathmandu Valley with Bagmati river dividing Lalitpur and Kathmandu. Betty Woodsend Collection/ Nepal Picture Library

The Publicness of public spaces: The case of Tundikhel

What is our relationship with Tundikhel and what are the factors and forces that have shaped this relationship over time? How has access to this space been regulated through moral and physical policing? What were the successes and challenges of the Occupy Tundikhel movement and what is the way forward? In this seminar, we will explore these questions and more anchored by Tales of Tundikhel, a work by Tripty Tamang Pakhrin @tri3pty one of the research fellows of Kathmandu Valley Urban History Project. Through oral histories and multimedia, Tripty shares how people from different walks of life have used, absorbed, appropriated and experienced Tundikhel over time. We will use her work to discuss critical issues around public space, access, policing and the future of Tundikhel.
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The session will be 5 hours long, hopefully allowing for a slower, more in-depth exploration into these ideas.
The session will be moderated by Sabin Ninglekhu. Presentations and discussions will take place in a mix of Nepali and English. Participants are requested to stay for the entire session.
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Participation is free however limited to 25 and by registration on a first come first serve basis. Lunch will be provided.
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Date: Sunday, July 31, 2022
Time: 10am – 3pm
Venue: Patan House, Dhaugal

*The room is located on the first floor and is unfortunately not wheelchair accessible.
To participate, please sign up below: https://forms.gle/YWsFu3bMCrX2BdLP6

Private Lands, Public Aspirations

In a city rapidly turning into a concrete jungle, finding open and green space is a challenge. The few that remain, happen to be plots of lands that feel ignored, oftentimes private and walled. What is the politics of the right to land – access, tenure, ownership – in Kathmandu? Who has access to land and what happens to them over time? This discussion seminar will discuss these issues that Irina Giri explores through her work for the Kathmandu Valley Urban History Project.

The discussion seminar will be a full day session, hopefully allowing for a slower, more in depth exploration into these ideas. It will be moderated by Sabin Ninglekhu. Presentations and discussions will take place in a mix of Nepali and English. Participants are requested to stay for the entire session. Participation is free however limited to 25 and by registration only on a first come first serve basis. Lunch will be provided.

Date: Sunday, 7 Aug, 2022
Time: 9:45am – 4:00pm
Venue: Yalamaya Kendra, Patan Dhoka

*The room is located on the first floor and is not wheelchair accessible.
To participate, please sign up below:https://forms.gle/wHTmNEVkNtNorGu59

Ancient Futures of Kathmandu Ponds

Ponds were an integral part of the traditional water systems of Kathmandu valley, much of which have been replaced by modern infrastructures. What value do ponds have now? What are their functions “beyond aesthetics” and what place do these ancient knowledge systems have in the future of the city? This discussion seminar will discuss these issues that Monalisa Maharjan explores through her research for the Kathmandu Valley Urban History Project.

Date: Sunday, 14 Aug, 2022
Time: 10am – 4pm
Venue: Yalamaya Kendra, Patan Dhoka

*The room is located on the first floor and is not wheelchair accessible.
To participate, please sign up here: https://forms.gle/NXFMnuYkFmuc8YDC7

Heritage Hierarchy in Bhaktapur’s Falcha

The upcoming discussion seminar will be anchored by Monika Deupala’s research of Bhaktapur’s falchas. Unlike falchas within the core city area, the ones on the outskirts are uncared for, abandoned and often unusable. What roles do falchas play as public and community spaces and as the commons? Which heritage “monuments” are prioritized over others, and why? What kinds of cities do we want to live in? How do we define and shape our neighborhoods, and as a result, our identities and our relationships with each other?

Date: Sunday, 28 Aug, 2022
Time: 10am – 4pm
Venue: Yalamaya Kendra, Patan Dhoka
*The room is located on the first floor and is not wheelchair accessible.

To participate please sign up here: https://forms.gle/g2uLcBcrxdP5vh549

Rivers to Roads, Streams to Streets: The Ways of Boudha’s Water

“The landscape of Boudha has changed drastically in the last 20 years. Fields turned into concrete houses; streams turned into streets; and rivers turned into roads. The khahares were converted into sewage drains.” writes Minket Lepcha in The changing nature of Boudha’s relationship with water. Based on her work, the upcoming discussion seminar will explore rivers and waterways, with a focus on Boudha. How have they been encroached upon and what are the consequences of doing so?

The discussion seminar will be a full day session, moderated by Sabin Ninglekhu. Presentations and discussions will take place in a mix of Nepali and English. Participants are requested to stay for the entire session. Participation is free however limited to 25 and by registration only on a first come first serve basis. Lunch will be provided.

Date: Sunday, 4 Sept, 2022
Time: 10am – 4pm
Venue: Yalamaya Kendra, Patan Dhoka
*The room is located on the first floor and is not wheelchair accessible.
To participate, please sign up here: https://forms.gle/PebzsHQwn6GiurVC9

Cycling the City: Contemporary Histories and Possibilities

What led to the rise and fall of cycling culture in Kathmandu? What do the rise and fall reveal about the prevalent gender and class divides in the city? Why did some cities around the world embrace cycling while others, such as Kathmandu, chose not to? What are the conditions – cultural, political, economic – of possibility for adopting cycling as a primary mode of transportation?

The upcoming and final discussion seminar addresses these questions, anchored by Prashanta Khanal’s research for Kathmandu Valley Urban History Project.

The discussion seminar will be a full day session, moderated by Sabin Ninglekhu. Presentations and discussions will take place in a mix of Nepali and English. Participants are requested to stay for the entire session. Participation is free however limited to 30 and by registration only on a first come first serve basis. Lunch will be provided.

Date: Sunday, 25 Sept, 2022
Time: 10am – 4pm
Venue: Yalamaya Kendra, Patan Dhoka
*The room is located on the first floor and is not wheelchair accessible.

To participate, please sign up here: https://forms.gle/LzNyrZ6nakafENj57