In partnership with the Society for Labour and Development (SLD), HELM Studio created Lockstitch Lives, an interactive, virtual archive that documents experiences of migrant workers in Gurgaon, India. Lockstitch Lives aims to bring the challenges associated with exclusionary urbanisation to life using 360-degree multimedia, virtual reality, photography and videos. The user is invited to explore the neighbourhoods of Dundahera, Kapashera, Sikanderpur Pahadi and Katarpuri as they listen to migrants share their struggles accessing clean water and sanitation facilities, navigating relationships with landlords and keeping themselves safe from violence at home and at work. These experiences are deeply personal, yet reflect many of the living and working conditions faced by migrant workers in megacities across the globe.
Launched to coincide with the UN Habitat III conference in Quito, Ecuador during October 2016, Lockstitch Lives seeks to raise the profile of how exclusionary urbanisation policies impact the citizenship rights of migrant workers in megacities.
SLD | Society for Labour & Development
Launch Interactive: http://www.lockstitchlives.org
2016