Floating Peers
Floating Peers – International Social Practice Workshop was a socially engaged project that brang together 37 artists from Bangladesh, Finland, Japan, Nepal and South Korea for a peer learning experience. The artists worked with the Laldiarchor slum residents, engaging in fieldwork as well as with artist talks, seminars, and exhibitions to promote socially engaged art practices within the cultural context of Bangladesh.
The Laldiarchor slum is home to a population of individuals who have occupied land belonging to the Chittagong Port Authority. These residents lost their homes and lands due to the establishment of the Chattogram Airport and Military Air Force base, as well as various natural disasters, causing them to migrate from the southern parts of Bangladesh.
Throughout the workshop, the artists worked on a variety of projects, including a 750-meter-long snake sculpture designed to protect the slum from floods during the rainy season (Chikahiro Hanamura and work group), bicycles tailored to the specific needs of local tea vendors (Kalle Hamm), and an alternative housing fair aimed at improving the quality of housing in the slum (Aranya Sharma and Mong Mong Shay). Additionally, 11 other art projects were developed, each with a focus of making a positive impact on the daily lives of the Laldiarchor residents.
The Laldiarchor slum was demolished in 2020 as part of the expansion of the Chattogram port.
The Laldiarchor slum is home to a population of individuals who have occupied land belonging to the Chittagong Port Authority. These residents lost their homes and lands due to the establishment of the Chattogram Airport and Military Air Force base, as well as various natural disasters, causing them to migrate from the southern parts of Bangladesh.
Throughout the workshop, the artists worked on a variety of projects, including a 750-meter-long snake sculpture designed to protect the slum from floods during the rainy season (Chikahiro Hanamura and work group), bicycles tailored to the specific needs of local tea vendors (Kalle Hamm), and an alternative housing fair aimed at improving the quality of housing in the slum (Aranya Sharma and Mong Mong Shay). Additionally, 11 other art projects were developed, each with a focus of making a positive impact on the daily lives of the Laldiarchor residents.
The Laldiarchor slum was demolished in 2020 as part of the expansion of the Chattogram port.
Work info
Coordinators: JP Kaljonen & Abu Naser Robii (production: Artists´Association Muu & Porapara Space for Artists), artists: Anna Knappe, A.K.M.Ariful Islam, Alaptagin Tushar, Azizul Quadir, Aranya Sharma, Buddho Dev Mondal, Chang Wan Wee, Chikahiro Hanamura, Farah Naz Moon, Farhana Preya, Hossain Mahmood Rocky, Joydev Roaja, Jublee Dewan, Kalle Hamm, Masaki Morishima, Maruf Adnan, Mishuk Ehsan, Meherun Akter, Milton Anwar, Mong Mong shay, NHM Abu Bakar, Partho Protim Saha, Rita Leppiniemi, Sanjeev Maharjan, Sarita Dongol, Shaila Jinnat Runi, So Young, Santanu Mondal, Shipon Ali PK, Suchayan Paul, Sultana Nashrin, Sumit Chakraborty, Sreekanta Acharjee, Syeda Neegar Banu, Yan Hee Choi, Yongsung Behck, Zihan Karim, socially engaged project, Bangladesh 2013.