Counterhistories of the Coast: a Critical Fabulation Project

Concept Note

This project was a part of the Visual Design course during semester three of the MA Media and Cultural Studies program, batch of 2025. The exhibition in which this project was presented was called ‘Disrupting Development: Decolonial Design Beyond the Anthropocene’ which sought to revisit and question the idea of development through counter-lenses of perception and understanding. As most of the projects were focused on the relationship between humans and the idea of nature, so also was ‘Counterhistories of the Coast: a Critical Fabulation Project’ - a part of which was these soundscapes.

Each track takes the listener to a part of Mumbai that has a strong history of the Koli people attached to it, and builds a soundscape of what life looks like for them now as various public and private entities seek to “develop” the land (and waters) they have worked in for generations. Each of these fabulations of Machhimar Nagar (Cuffe Parade), Mahim, Versova and Vikhroli are based on various news articles on the development projects happening in the areas as well as informal conversations with a few Koli fisherfolk. The soundscapes invoke the sounds of nature as well as development that we are all familiar with, sometimes as a part of our daily lives, while also telling us a story that we often fail to consider. A story that the tall skyscrapers on reclaimed land and stretches of coastal roads hide in plain sight.

This segment of the project was produced by Veneet Correa, with voiceover help from Sohini Banerjee and general project support and collaboration with Arnav Sen and Shriya Adhikari. The mentor for the project and the course was Dr. Krupa Desai

Artist Bio

Veneet is a recent graduate of the MA in Media and Cultural Studies program at TISS, Mumbai. They have previously worked as a fellow with Teach For India and have a BA in English, Journalism and Psychology from St. Joseph's University, Bangalore. Veneet's interests lie in community histories, arts and culture, queer issues, compelling fiction/story-telling, and music. They have worked on multiple audio and video projects including a podcast on the art scene in Mumbai and documentaries on the anti-caste movement in Mumbai.
Instagram: veneetcorrea