Hetvee Panchal

UR3004

A Walk Along Art and Water

This is a project along the eastern waterfront of Mumbai, Maharashtra. The site is the back of the city - a neglected docklands and an industrial scape falling into disuse. The project is a boardwalk that connects water to its land and becomes a space of expression and exploration for different forms of art. Borrowing from the city's culture of public art (such as events like kala ghoda), the boardwalk intends to become a space that brings art into the public forum - removing barriers of accessibility to it, and consequently of exclusion through understanding, learning and creating art.


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The project attempts to connect water and land through art. A long boardwalk creates space to explore and understand art, while simultaneously threading in edge conditions for the same.

The initial idea was to create tall buoys floating in the water. Since its a low-lying area, the buoys were to be visible from far away - creating visual connection of the eastern waterfront to the rest of the city.

The boardwalk primarily connects to the Princess and Victoria docks as well as institutional land of the MbPT and the BPCL. The entire area is presently walled off. The only accessible part is Bhaucha Dhakka, the place that supplies Mumbai with its seafood. The design proposes filling in the now defunct Princess docks.

Different parts of the boardwalk create varied conditions for different kinds of art to be displayed in. Spaces are created for temporary art, for precious art that needs to be protected, for messy art and even to explore and learn art. Pavilions, galleries and steps connect to water in different ways.

The annual floods in Mumbai drown the city, carrying sea water into the inner recesses. Since the project is situated on the waterfront, it would be naive to assume that it would be immune to these floods. Instead, the boardwalk is allowed to flood. Parts of it will be submerged during the monsoons and there will b e restricted or no access to the site. That is, until the water recedes.

This is the MbPT warehouse area that connects to the boardwalk. Currently, there are cars piled all over the space and the area is restricted. However, as it connects to the boardwalk, the warehouses can be re-imagined as galleries, workshops, artist studios, cafes, restaurants and even retail. Different artists can interpret and modify this space accordingly. However, this space also openly accessible by the public, to come and go, to observe, to sit and even loiter amidst the art. This is s

The boardwalk then extends outward into the sea, towards an art installation (like an end goal). Small galleries jut out, connecting the visitor to the sea.

People from all walks of life come to the boardwalk. To earn a livelihood or on a date, after a difficult day or for the sea breeze, the boardwalk is not just limited to the art. However, one will find themselves surrounded by it nevertheless.

These are smaller circles popping out from the main frame of the boardwalk. These are circles of temporary art - art that is messy, art that doesn't need to be protected. This is a space for the artists to explore and experiment with art in a public setting, without consequences.