As urban city dwellers, how often do we stop and look at the nature that surrounds us? In our fast paced urban lives, do we still have a connection to nature, a relationship with trees? What is the relationship between people and nature in cities, particularly in Bangalore - the city of gardens. The green city. 

 

Past Future: Natural Sightings in Bangalore City, is a project that documents memories and associations with natural spaces, plants and trees in Bangalore, based on the memories and lived experiences of individuals that live in Bangalore. It is an endeavour to shift the focus back on nature in the navigation of our daily lives in urban settings. The project aims to do so through spectacular fabulation - presenting text and audio that evokes the imagination and questioning of familiarity. The title “past future” incites a sense of nostalgia but also longing. Hence the stories and memories documented here capture elements of the past as well as the future aspirations of Bangalore citizens, in their associations and relationships with the nature that surrounds them. 

 

It is our hope that by sharing these stories and inviting participants to engage in a focused walk across the city that is closely connected to nature, we can help individuals connect or reconnect with nature in the city. To reestablish a relationship with the plants and the trees, or to form new associations and memories along the way. To put nature first again, in the green city of Bangalore. As participants journey through these locations, the blank pages provided in the handout become an opportunity for them to jot down their thoughts and feelings, write about their relationships with nature in the city, draw, sketch and cement new memories. The process of interacting with and using the handout is intended to allow for a personalization of experience for you, the participant, as you begin exploring the city and establishing a closer connection to nature, through the creation of a physical object (handout and your personal notes and ideas) to confirm it.