Figuring Archives - Palimpsestic Architectural History of Lucknow

When presented as a palimpsest Lucknow reveals itself as a Radical City, a city that does not conform to conventions of polity, gender, religion, education, entertainment, and revolt. This studio offers an opportunity to contest the formalist narratives of architectural history, from a historiographical discursive position, all the while engaging in re-writing the architectural history of nineteenth and twentieth century Lucknow. The studio expands the application of historiography to include spatial concerns of materialism, technology, re-appropriation, erasures, identity, intersectionality, and representation. Taking the case of a city which has rich archival material—Lucknow—the studio creates a body of critical knowledge so as to inform subsequent architectural forms for a present-day live project of memorializing. Emphasis is on formal production of architecture, substantiated by a critical perspective on architectural history—both archival and material—of the city. There are two modules. The first module has two parts: Architectural History of Lucknow as reconstructed from Archival Evidence, and Architectural History of Lucknow as reconstructed from Material Evidence. The second module is Content Creation for Curation of Historical Space and Time of the city.