A Common Ground

Across South Asia, some of the most authentic and quietly radical design is happening at the margins of the profession: in studios working with displaced communities, in student theses that take gender and labour seriously as design questions, and in collectives building in disaster-prone zones. This talk discusses the role of design and architecture in shaping positive social impact across the region. Can architecture and design be practices of collective care rather than individual authorship?

Practitioners are already proving this to be true. Professionals and students are working with fishermen to rebuild flood-prone coastlines, training self-help groups to construct their own schools, and documenting vernacular knowledge before it disappears. Together, these projects suggest that architecture's most urgent role today may be relational rather than aesthetic: a tool for redistributing agency over the built environment.

This event is part of a series of exhibitions, "A Common Ground," held across Mysuru and Bengaluru, from 26 October to 6 November 2026.

In collaboration with:

Venue: Auditorium