Minutes before 6:00 pm on 23rd September, the last models were assembled, the final dabs of paint dried, the floors were swept and the lights angled into place. Years of work, involving more than 100 people, were ready to be seen by the city.

The opening was a moving moment for every contractor and artisan who has worked with the urbz team since the Homegrown Street Project began in 2019. Now completing its first phase, the project has produced 17 multimedia models designed and crafted by builders and artisans from Dharavi and other neighbourhoods of Mumbai.

Over the course of the project, the urbz team met residents and shopkeepers in Sangam Gully, a busy street in Dharavi, and asked how they imagined their homes 5 to 10 years from now. These visions were shared with local contractors, each of whom proposed a design for a particular house. Craftspeople then built the models in the materials they have mastered: leather, glass, steel, wood, brass, plastic, cane, embroidery and clay.

The models show the talent alive in Dharavi, and what could happen if Dharavi and other homegrown neighbourhoods were allowed to design and develop themselves. This collective work recasts urbanists and architects as facilitators in a process driven first and foremost by the people who live there.

Androse Naidu, contractor and pastor, designed his house in 2019. Looking proudly at the scaled model, he pointed out its features and explained that, over decades of building, he has developed templates of popular designs that he returns to often. It is a practice with a long history: the Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio's Four Books of Architecture spread adaptable templates drawn from classical buildings that shaped architecture across the world. Looking at the model, Naidu said that with seven more years of experience behind him, he would design it differently today.

Kishore Rokde, a brass artisan who crafts vintage-inspired brass clocks and other decorative pieces, was elated to see his work displayed with his name credited as the artist, after years of working behind the scenes. He enjoyed seeing how the different materials came together and admired the skill of his fellow artisans.

Mohammad Zubair Ansari, who makes miniature wooden toys and furniture for high-end brands, said he had never before seen his work presented as art.

Shaikh Mohammad Sher Ali, whose family has embroidered garments and textiles for generations, stitched the grills, kota floors, and wall and facade motifs for one of the most photographed models, which also featured in the Times of India's coverage of the exhibition.

Arun Lal, a contractor who has built several structures in Dharavi, was struck by how stone artisan Imran Nadar and steel artisan Akhtar Ali brought his design to life. The marble walls, sandstone floors and stainless steel structure suited it perfectly, he said, and the model turned out even more beautiful than he had imagined.

Akhtar Ali, a master welder, took on the challenge of fabricating an intricate steel staircase for Arun Lal's model, work far from his usual large-scale fabrication that demanded time and care. He also worked on the steel-and-wood model, and was excitedly photographing his pieces, clearly moved by the recognition.

Kundan bhai, a leather craftsman and entrepreneur from Dharavi, said it was the first time he had seen an exhibition in Dharavi that celebrated its housing and the skills of its people.

We hope it will soon be commonplace to say that homegrown neighbourhoods have a strong construction economy from which the rest of the city can learn.

This project is being presented publicly for the first time before travelling to Goa for the Serendipity Arts Festival in December, followed by exhibitions in Paris and London in 2027.

We would be delighted if you dropped by!

Open daily until Sunday, 27th September, 10:00 am to 7:00 pm
Once you get here, posters will guide you to the venue!

We are grateful to the Dharavi Koli Jamat for allowing us to use their premises for the exhibition.