Undoing Gendered Boundaries: Chikankari Cluster in Kakori, Lucknow

Abstract

Undoing Gendered boundaries: Chikankari clusters in Kakori, Lucknow This project stems from the understanding that space is not static- it both affects and is affected by the behavior performed in it. Gender is one such behavior. It has been overlooked often, but in the case of Chikankari artisans in Kakori, it was identified as being a core factor- socially and consecutively, spatially. Working closely with women in Kakori, 80% of who are involved in the informal Chikankari industry, it became clear that gender played a major role, not just in social interactions, but consecutively shaped economic behaviors also. So a design proposal that looked at proposing spaces that reflected their craft (for better economic generation), needed to be viewed through a gendered lens. Thus, the project looks at how gender based boundaries manifest in space and seeks to understand how they could be made permeable for an eventually gender-neutral spatial to allow for better economic and social systems. The tangible outcomes of my proposal include developing houses, house clusters and workplaces, with selling areas associated with them. Associated training and skill development areas will also be suggested. The typologies of workplace, community spaces and selling areas overlap in such an idea.