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CASE STUDIES
population of 14,000 families, complexity of human experience to draw their “dream home”.
but it will, when finalised, in (Guillemin, 2004), and to capture The researchers’ intention was
total rehouse 100,000 people emotional issues which might also to present their drawings
(Peter, 2017). It is located more be difficult to verbalize (Vince, in the documentary. The
than 30 kilometres away from 1995), the researchers decided experience and the results of
Chennai city centre which is to implement a “housing this participatory exercise are
situated outside the Greater aspirations drawing workshop” presented in this article.
Chennai Corporation limit. with female volunteers from Methodology of art-based
Research in Perumbakkam has Perumbakkam to explore their research and the use of drawings
shown that those resettled there perception of what constitutes as a method for analysis
face a multitude of problems their “dream home”.
such as: (i) Lack of economic In December 2018, a drawing According to Woodhouse (2012),
opportunities in - and in the exercise was conducted in a reliable data can be elicited from
vicinity of Perumbakkam; (ii) workshop titled: “Participatory participants, especially women
Those continuing with their Media for Women in on their built environment
previous jobs have to travel long Resettlement’’ for women from experiences through drawings.
distances; (iii) Lack of regular the Perumbakkam resettlement Van der Vaart et al., (2018a) state
bus services to Chennai city; (iv) site. The workshop was part that “ usage of creative and arts -
Absence of support for capacity of a documentary film project based research methods, produce
building; (v) Absence of support that investigated the impact multifaceted knowledge.” As
to find alternative employment; government-led resettlement art is context dependent, it has
(vi) Lack of education in the practices had on women. The the ability to act as a binding
vicinity; (vii) When children project combined the expertise or dividing influence on the
continue in their old schools of the Department of Media community (van der Vaart et al.,
they have to travel two to three Sciences (DMS) of Anna 2019). It has the potential to help
hours a day; (viii) Many school University in Chennai, India researchers understand people’s
dropouts who are vulnerable and the Institute for Housing interpretations of, and dealing
for illegal activities; (ix) Women and Urban Development Studies with place change (van der Vaart
and girls feel unsafe; and (x) (IHS) of Erasmus University in et al., 2018b).
Some children died because of Rotterdam, the Netherlands. Therefore, the methodology
accidents in the buildings (Peter, chosen for the research was
2017). In the workshop the researchers a drawing workshop aided
wanted to create an opportunity by students who acted as
INTRODUCTION TO for women from Perumbakkam co-drawers of participants’
THE PROJECT to express their views and views on what would be their
needs in housing, and explore
Several visits to the resettlement through their drawings the “dream home”. It is important
site of Perumbakkam from performance qualities of to highlight that in this type of
early 2018 onwards clearly their built environment. The research, participants usually
indicated that the residents had researchers wanted a visual draw themselves. Considering
strong opinions regarding the representation of what the the target group and the context,
design of the resettlement site. women lacked and what they we decided to provide women
Inspired by research that uses wanted in their resettlement site. with help in drawing which is
drawings as a methodology For that purpose we asked them explained below.
to explore and understand the
68 HUDCO-HSMI Publication
