This project attempts to inquire about Wayanad, its indigenous communities, and how design can add value to their lives. The context of Wayanad was studied – its history, socioeconomic conditions, and people. The project was initiated by Design Epithet, a Banglore-based design studio. A brief had been decided based on the student's initial research and discussions with the studio. The pandemic posed a big challenge ahead of them as they had to keep changing their methodology according to the situations it presented. The project timeline got extended.
The student started by finding suitable reading materials on relevant topics. It was a challenge finding authentic ones. It helped the student build their understanding of the history of Wayanad and its indigenous population. This was followed by a set of case studies about several institutions and spaces around Wayanad. The student was able to find a few good experiments among them, which inspired them at various stages of the project.
Further, the student worked with different groups and individuals on a few experiments, which added to their experience and guided their way forward. The result of the project is a process and a plan of action they derived from these experiments.
Kuruva, Social Design, Sports, Tribal Communities, Wayanad
