Nek Chand’s Fantasyland in Chandigarh faces threats of demolition, Residents react in support of heritage site.
The rock garden in Chandigarh is a heritage site built solely by home waste and other industrial items.
The sculptures in what locals and foreigners call a fantasyland are scattered across the acres, showing diversity in the use of material. Created with items such as bangles, ceramic pots, tiles, bottles, and electrical waste, the garden is transformed into a sustainable art heritage site.
For 18 years, Nek Chand, the sculptor and planner behind the now world famous Rock Garden in Chandigarh, went around the city and countryside to find and collect rocks and stones, recycled waste from trash heaps, and debris from the 20 or so small villages that had been leveled to create the new city, post-partition. In 1965 he began to construct the garden, curating and caring for the space. Because it was protected public land, tagged as a no-building zone by the government, Chand worked illegally, in secret.
Over time, without anyone’s knowledge, there were more than 2000 sculptures created by Nek Chand in this secret garden.
It wasn’t until the city authorities discovered the secret rock garden that anyone knew what Chand had been doing! In fact, the garden came under threat of destruction for some time when Chandigarh authorities were proposing to build a road through the middle of it. But with local support to save Nek Chand’s recycled art installation, the sculptor and pioneer managed to pull in the authorities on the project and legitimised the secret garden into a full-fledged heritage site known all over the world.
Colorful, Sustainable and Mosaic: Figures in the Rock Garden
Each of Chand’s sculptures—the figures, both animal and human, number in the thousands—was created from concrete poured over some form of metal armature, such as a recycled bicycle frame. The figures were then embellished with shards of pottery and porcelain, glass, bottle caps, or any other type of discarded material that offered texture to create a mosaic across the various figures. They stand in strict postures, stiffened and their faces, masklike. Chand arranged the sculptures across the garden in neatly arranged groups, which makes them look like a community. With time the garden also incorporated architectural features, such as plazas, courtyards, archways, a large series of swings meant to be used by visitors, and a stone amphitheatre into its setting. The landscaping is lush and complex, including man-made waterfalls and flowing streams.
The Public should get a say in ‘Public Parks’
It is recently reported that a wall, a part of this iconic secret garden by Nek Chand, is being demolished to create additional parking space for the nearby Punjab and Haryana High Court. This demolition has sparked outrage among locals, as the Rock Garden—a symbol of creativity and sustainable art—holds a deep emotional and cultural significance for Chandigarhians.
Nek Chand passed away in 2015, but throughout his life he achieved the Padma Shri award (fourth highest civilian award in India) and his work has been featured in museums all over the world.
Residents of Chandigarh have come together to protest against Rock Garden Chandigarh, destruction move by the government, and have devised a Chipko Movement for the Environmental impact of demolishing Rock Garden, to show their concern for the cutting of numerous trees for the proposed project.
Feature Image Courtesy- Image courtesy- Wanderon
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