Escalators / Elasticity

Elasticity

Rapidly modernizing with technology, cities like Mumbai constantly present their inhabitants with a range of new objects in urban space to interact with. Several infrastructure transit nodes are now installed with ATVMs (Automatic Ticket Vending Machines), LCD indicators, air-conditioned coaches and other such automated paraphernalia. However, one of the most significant additions is that of escalators at all metro and train stations. Unlike in shopping malls, these escalators are open to be accessed by a completely different class of users. People of all kinds in the city - young, old, infants, men, women, villagers, migrants, rich, poor are subject to this new animated object that takes them from one floor level to another.

While plugged in as a relief to reduce friction of mobility, avoid stampedes during peak hours, making commute accessible and easy for all, the watching this piece of resilient machine in a public space like the railway station of Mumbai is pure entertainment. Every morning I see novel encounters of people with this machinic animal. Women in saris pull them high to avoid their flowing ends to get into the complicated machinery, children wait for their parents to land them on the rising steps, villagers look astonished and puzzled in deciding the right moment to step into the moving platform, they wait for others to hold hands and give them the confidence and assurance that the machine wouldn't overpower them, or many are confused where to keep the hands once on the moving treads - finally holding the shoulders of strangers standing besides them... It is pure joy to look at such first experiences with new technology. In their apprehension and curiosity, people begin to learn and discover a new city. The escalator becomes an elastic medium that gets people together in a unique way, resolving and releasing new tensions of the city. At the same time, does this not become art in public space - if one considers the pure function of art to amuse people in a way that they find their own selves?

This was an article written for a column on 'Urban Delight' to the theme of 'Resilience and Sustainability' for a magazine "My Liveable City". The small write-up didn't make up for the magazine because I could not provide photographic evidence to qualify it as urban delight. Given the unexpected nature of encountering the event, as well as the constraints of framing a natural shot of the techno-cultural human act, it would take a lot of work and thinking to get this done. However, I have also come to realise that a city like Mumbai cannot be proved to be visually delightful. Most Asian cities are about living and being - and it is challenging to capture its life visually.

Few days after I closed off on the writing, I went to a mall where I encountered what I wanted to share. Low light, lack of camera skill, limitation of technology - all the issues came back. Nevertheless I took a video. Perhaps, this would still work to get a sense of the kind of delight, and hesitation I aimed to talk about.

The article is a reworked version of "Escalators" post on this blog.