Re-conceptualising the slum using informant made films Case study : Jamshedpur, India

Abstract

This study aims to provide a new reading of the architecture of the slum through the perceptions of the residents themselves, and to explore the use of film as a methodology in architectural research. It is premised on the grounds that the process of inhabitation is a more appropriate framework through which to understand built environment of the slum, and film as a medium allows one to integrate the nuances of space use and perception into architectural research. The study revealed that the slum dwellers cognition of space is structured in terms of settings of interaction, space use and associations, i.e. in parameters different from those of architects. The residents prioritised their perceptions based on their own arena of activity and involvement within the community. While film will not supplant diagrammatic representation, it can provide a nuanced layer of meaning to enrich architectural research.