Crossing Creative Encounters at Thresholds as Pulse of Suburban and Urban Spaces

Diaspora Performing Material Practice of Culture

Bibliographic Data

ID21974140
AuthorsVaruni Kanagasundaram (0009-0006-8984-7751, RMIT University, corresponding author)
Year2026
Volume15
Issue5
Pages101
Publication date2026-05-07
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueArts (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2076-0752 • E-ISSN: 2076-0752
PublisherMDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT)
DOI10.3390/arts15050101
OpenAlexW7160511697
LanguageEN
References cited15

Material practices of cultural rituals continue to be performed by the diaspora, initiating relational connections in places they have settled. The ritual of Kolam is a drawing on the ground undertaken by Tamil women in South India and Sri Lanka to mark the threshold. Groups of women from the diaspora in Australia and Singapore carry out the traditional Kolam in public spaces during auspicious days. Observations of performative acts of place making served to develop the methodology for a contemporary practice. As a member of the Tamil diaspora, the author (re)imagines the performance of the traditional ritual to activate connections relevant for the wider communities living in the inner suburbs of Melbourne. The paper describes how tacit knowledge, materials, and processes are adapted to include the broader society. The ethics of the traditional practice and the agencies harnessed upon performing become integrated into contemporary creative methods of participatory activity. Passersby using common paths and residents in a social housing complex created a series of visual drawings on bark using clay and natural materials. Ground installations of the assembled drawings conveyed stories through material dialogue. The less visible spaces and communities were revealed as part of the pulse of the suburban rhythms of movement. The paper demonstrates the potential significance of performing the cultural practices of the diaspora through collective acts of place making that strengthens social bonds not only for the diasporic group but also for society at large

Citizen journalism · Diaspora · Performative utterance · Situated · Social relation · Tamil · Architecture and Cultural Influences · Diaspora, migration, transnational identity · Interdisciplinary Cultural and Social Studies

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