Maya Patel

I am an architectural designer based in London. My work often considers the politics of global institutions and systems and their cultural and social effects. My first-year project, ‘Flood, Flow, Overflow' reflected on the social and ecological effects of the salt industry in Western India. It was awarded a RIBA London Award and was exhibited as part of ‘Demonic Strata’ at Index, Biennial of Art and Technology alongside ADS2 alumni work. I have contributed a text to the upcoming issue of EYESORE magazine.

I completed my BSc in Architecture at the Bartlett School of Architecture, following which I spent two years working at architectural practices in London.

A Picture Containing Stone

Every project of restoration is equally a project of loss, erasure, visibility and invisibility.

This research departs from an investigation into the digital algorithmic processes of restoration of heritage endorsed by the Indian state. Heritage conservation is foundational to the preservation of the nation-state and the ideals it wishes to convey for generations to come. Whilst the state chooses to conserve certain histories, others such as India’s Islamic history, are deliberately forgotten. This project subsequently proposes an alternate method of preserving heritage, through the construction of facsimiles, which aims to contest destructive archaeological practices by the Indian state.

Babri Mosque was demolished in an attack in 1992. This attack caused widespread violence across India and the wider region. This came after 40 years of lobbying by Hindu nationalist organisations for a temple to be built in its place. It has been campaigned by these groups to be the birthplace of a Hindu god. There is currently a temple under construction at this site which is thought to be an act of restitution, or restoration, by these groups. The information surrounding this site is extensive but fragmented. It is contradictory and highly disputed, and the facsimiles I produce reflect this fact. Babri Mosque is used as a case that reflects a wider destructive practice that exists across the country. These facsimiles are not conclusive nor are they comprehensive of the site

This is a process that is never complete and in constant aggregation. It is aimed to emphasise and give form to the multiple cultural narratives that are made invisible in the process of nation-building.

A facsimile is defined as an exact copy. However, all facsimiles are in fact a reimagination. They are inseparable from their source material, but they are translations. Evidence for this practice of conservation is gathered from multiple sources: photographs, colonial travelogues, archaeological information and legal documents amongst others.

Thresholds and Intermediary Facsimiles, media item 1

Thresholds and Intermediary Facsimiles, media item 2

Evidence around this site has been gathered to stake legal ownership. However, this evidence also demonstrates how both Islamic and Hindu communities have coexisted on this site, which is at odds with the legal processes which have determined its fate. A significant amount of information is held in the form of written testimony. This descriptive text is full of ambiguity which requires a degree of speculation. This is true for all historical acts as history is never certain. The way it is recorded and reconstructed always necessitates mediation.

There is little information about the internal spaces of Babri Mosque. I have only come across four images. They are small, obstructed and all from a similar time. Despite this, they hold a lot of information. These elements are important as they reflect the everyday rituals of the space which have been omitted from official records.

Traditional methods of conservation rely on rendering the restorer’s hand invisible. The restored should be indistinguishable from the original. However, each of these practices is inherently subjective. Biases are built into every stage of restoration and each stage has its own stakeholders with their own vested interests. The documentation of these processes of restoration is equally important to the facsimiles themselves.

Stakeholders

Comparing Digital and Physical Methods of Restoration

The Process of Digital Restoration

A Collection of Copies of the Ajanta Cave Paintings

The digital restoration of the Ajanta cave paintings is a project supported by the Indian state. Ajanta is an ancient Buddhist site. The paintings have been credited as the oldest form of Indian art and it is protected by its UNESCO World Heritage Status. Restoration is a continually occurring act which reflects the subjectivities of the restorer and tools they use. Therefore, it is a subjective process of mediation by the hand of the restorer.

Maya Patel

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Royal College of Art