oceanic tauromachy

oceanic tauromachy conceives of the new ocean beyond the tropes of catastrophe and disaster, as an evocative ‘zone’ of evolution, transformation, and unforgiving change, beyond the ontology of despair. The ecological turn has transformed the oceans into complex zones. It has become an apophenic abstraction stitching together other abstractions—an abcanny zone of aberrating non-meaningfulness, of clandestine unbeing, of fractal unbecoming. oceanic tauromachy is musica universalis of residual divinity in toxicity, of lingering sanctity in erosion. Here I invoke the froth that has been gurgling out of the spasms of the sea. The new ocean has become a breeding haven for chthonic deception which has been accommodating the holy havoc of bioprospecting exploitation. The sea bed exhibits the paralysis of our unhinged telos. The ocean has lost its topos. oceanic tauromachy is a will to recover; a preamble to invite and engage a diagnostic planetarity in praxis

Exploding all explosions

  In our paper, we seek to explore Cornelia Parker’s art and how it engages with exhibition making that overwrites self-referential narratives by revisioning art and architectural meaning, experience, and space. We intend to theorise how Parker’s non-adaptive and divergent architectural artforms transgress artifactual biases and disarticulate the adaptive preferences and prerogatives in exhibition practice. Instead, she offers a speculative possibility space of non-totality and the devalorisation of meaning yet retaining the ability to respond. Parker’s radical technics of installation assume an arbitrariness. Her installations, we think, disrupt meaning and genre-conforming specificities and reimagine non-essential ways to de-concretise conventional exhibition making that subsumes the totalising agencies of architectural meaning and representation which invariably arrives at dense rigidities. Parker’s large-scale installations like her Cold Dark Matter (1991) not only dislocate the essentialist ways of exhibition practice but also reimagine speculative and innovative technics of spatial and architectural manipulation that fractalises the demarcating ontologies of spatiality and perception, producing immersive and collectively attuned more-than-artifacts that move beyond transcendental dependencies with more-than-art resonances. Parker’s artform entails an architectural practice of speculative reworlding which effectuates an affective unfolding of matter and space, instead of imposing fixities or homeostatic formalisations on them. Through these deviant architectural expressions, we shall attempt to conceptualise how Parker stands out and practises a necessary artistic incompletion to destabilise and confront the architectural rigidities in exhibition making and move towards a radical and non-conformist expressivity that accentuates the untapped virtual potentialities of mind, matter and space to produce events and become something more—a fractalising multiplicity recalibrating the collective dynamics of spatiality, sensibility and perception in relation to curatorial methodologies and experiences by designing alternative exhibitions that involve a radical unbecoming in praxis

A transdisciplinary and collaborative urban water security framework: Developed through an interdisciplinary study in Kolkata, India

Urban water security (UWS) is and will remain a crucial issue over the next decades, especially as it is exacerbated by climate change effects and related hazards. Despite the growing number of studies focusing on more diverse dimensions, including social dimensions, of water security and urban dynamics, there is still an absence of comprehensive, interdisciplinary UWS measurement index that takes into account the complexity and multidimensional aspects of water security. This article discusses a new, transdisciplinary community-focused approach to analyzing and responding to water insecurity. It draws on findings from a large study carried out over 4 years with a focus on creating a new and comprehensive way of measuring water security, incorporating biophysical and social factors. The project collected data in Kolkata, India. Kolkata is an important megacity in a developing country, facing rising pressures on water-environmental provision due to rapid population growth and urbanization combined with governance and infrastructural issues. The project team worked collaboratively with affected communities to create a comprehensive framework for measuring and evaluating water security for cities. A water justice approach to water security we argue is particularly important in emerging countries, and one that can be effectively applied to environments where urban growth and resultant shrinking resources have created complicated and fragile systems. This approach adds to existing knowledge and research that focuses on collaborative interdisciplinary methods that aim to create solutions that can help create a sustainable water secure future “leaving no one behind.

Ecological and socio-political conflicts in the Turga Hydroelectric Project: An examination through the lens of political ecology

The present paper critically examines water-assisted developmental projects and their associated conflicts through the lens of political ecology, with a particular focus on hydroelectric power generation in the Global South. These projects often catalyze localized socio-cultural, political, and ecological tensions, especially in indigenous territories where human–nature relationships have evolved through colonial and postcolonial ecological transformations. Our approach conceptualizes political ecology to explore the multidimensional conflicts tied to such projects, using the Turga Pumped Storage Hydroelectric Project in the Purulia district of West Bengal, India, as a case study. This region exemplifies the socio-ecological conflicts between state-led hydroelectric initiatives and the local indigenous communities, providing critical insights into the broader dynamics of water-based development in the Global South. The five primary areas of inquiry in this paper include (1) the environmental ramifications of the Turga Pumped Storage Hydroelectric Project on Purulia's landscapes, wildlife, and ecosystems; (2) the social consequences that have emerged, including displacement, resource access disparities, and challenges to local livelihoods; (3) the power dynamics that shape the decision-making processes surrounding the project, shedding light on the role of government policies and corporate interests; (4) comparative analyses with similar hydroelectric projects globally, providing valuable insights into the uniqueness of the Purulia case; and (5) the policy implications and recommendations to ameliorate the conflicts and foster a more sustainable and equitable approach to hydroelectric development. This study highlights the critical role of political ecology in understanding human–nature conflicts and resource management. It emphasizes the need for an integrative approach that considers both technological and socio-political aspects. The Turga Pumped Storage Project in Purulia offers broader insights into the global challenges of sustainable energy and climate change, underscoring the importance of inclusive and environmentally responsible energy production and resource management.本文从政治生态学的视角批判分析了水利发展项目及其相关冲突, 特别聚焦于南方国家的水力发电。这些项目往往会在社会文化、政治和生态方面引发地方性紧张状态, 尤其是在土著领土地区, 那里的人与自然的关系经历了殖民和后殖民生态转型。以印度西孟加拉邦普鲁利亚地区的Turga抽水蓄能水电项目为例, 我们的方法将政治生态学概念化, 以探究与此类项目相关的多维冲突。该地区体现了由邦主导的水电计划与当地土著社区之间的社会生态冲突, 为了解南方国家水利发展的更广泛动态提供了重要见解。本文的五个主要研究领域包括(1)Turga抽水蓄能水电项目对普鲁利亚的景观、野生动物和生态系统的环境影响；(2)出现的社会结果, 包括流离失所、资源获取差距、当地生计面临的挑战；(3)影响项目决策过程的权力动态, 揭示政府政策和企业利益的作用；(4)与全球类似水电项目的比较分析, 为普鲁利亚案例的独特性提供宝贵见解；(5)一系列政策启示和建议, 用于缓解冲突和促进更可持续和更公平的水电发展方法。本研究强调了政治生态学在“理解人与自然的冲突和资源管理”一事中的关键作用。本研究强调, 需要一种综合的方法, 既考虑技术方面, 也考虑社会政治方面。普鲁利亚的Turga抽水蓄能项目为可持续能源和气候变化的全球挑战提供了更广泛的见解, 强调了“具备包容性和对环境负责的能源生产和资源管理”的重要性。El presente artículo examina críticamente los proyectos de desarrollo asistidos por agua y sus conflictos asociados a través de la lente de la ecología política, con un enfoque particular en la generación de energía hidroeléctrica en el Sur Global. Estos proyectos a menudo catalizan tensiones socio-culturales, políticas y ecológicas localizadas, especialmente en territorios indígenas donde las relaciones entre los seres humanos y la naturaleza han evolucionado a través de transformaciones ecológicas coloniales y poscoloniales. Nuestro enfoque conceptualiza la ecología política para explorar los conflictos multidimensionales vinculados a tales proyectos, utilizando el Proyecto Hidroeléctrico de Almacenamiento por Bombeo de Turga en el distrito de Purulia de Bengala Occidental, India, como estudio de caso. Esta región ejemplifica los conflictos socioecológicos entre las iniciativas hidroeléctricas lideradas por el estado y las comunidades indígenas locales, proporcionando perspectivas críticas sobre la dinámica más amplia del desarrollo basado en el agua en el Sur Global. Las cinco áreas principales de investigación en este artículo incluyen (1) las ramificaciones ambientales del Proyecto Hidroeléctrico de Almacenamiento por Bombeo de Turga en los paisajes, la vida silvestre y los ecosistemas de Purulia; (2) las consecuencias sociales que han surgido, incluido el desplazamiento, las disparidades en el acceso a los recursos y los desafíos a los medios de vida locales; (3) la dinámica de poder que configura los procesos de toma de decisiones en torno al proyecto, arrojando luz sobre el papel de las políticas gubernamentales y los intereses corporativos; (4) análisis comparativos con proyectos hidroeléctricos similares a nivel mundial, que brindan información valiosa sobre la singularidad del caso de Purulia; y (5) las implicaciones políticas y recomendaciones para mejorar los conflictos y promover un enfoque más sostenible y equitativo para el desarrollo hidroeléctrico. Este estudio destaca el papel fundamental de la ecología política en la comprensión de los conflictos entre humanos y naturaleza y la gestión de los recursos. Enfatiza la necesidad de un enfoque integrador que considere tanto los aspectos tecnológicos como los socio-políticos. El Proyecto de Almacenamiento por Bombeo de Turga en Purulia ofrece perspectivas más amplias sobre los desafíos globales de la energía sostenible y el cambio climático, subrayando la importancia de la producción de energía y la gestión de los recursos inclusivas y ambientalmente responsables

Assessment of water security in socially excluded areas in Kolkata, India: An approach focusing on water, sanitation and hygiene

Water security is essential not only to ensure the availability and accessibility of water for drinking, producing food, washing, but also to maintain both human and environmental health. The 2011 Census of India reveals that 17.4% of urban households in India live in deprived areas in urban landscapes which are designated as slums in the Census dataset. The increasing number of people living in these areas poses serious challenges to the provision of basic urban water, sanitation and hygiene (WaSH) services. Perceived susceptibility of risks from contaminated water and lack of proper sanitation and hygiene will be addressed in the light of social exclusion factors. This study attempts to assess the present situation of water, sanitation and required hygiene provisions within the areas defined as slums by the Census of India 2011 in Kolkata, India. Based on the results obtained from the datasets from the census, and a household survey, we identified a lack of supplies associated with WaSH provisions in these areas of Kolkata. The WaSH provisions in the slum areas of Kolkata city are facing various issues related to regularity, quality and quantity of supplied water. Additionally, there is poor maintenance of existing WaSH services including latrine facilities and per capita allocation of a sustainable water security among the slum dwellers. By adding to our understanding of the importance of factors such as gender, religions, and knowledge of drinking water in deprived areas, the study analyses the links between both physical and social issues determining vulnerability and presence of deprivation associated with basic WaSH provisions as human rights of slum communitie

DNA characterisation from gut content of larvae of Megaselia scalaris (Diptera, Phoridae) for forensic investigations

The role of DNA in crime scene investigation over the last couple of decades has been immense. DNA materials as evidence are routinely collected from conventional sources (body fluids) from a wide range of crime scenes. In the absence of conventional sources, DNA evidence can be obtained from non-conventional sources, like touch DNA and gut contents of Dipteran larvae found on or near the body. While most studies about insects and their larval stages obtained from crime scenes have been done for PMI estimation, the use of gut contents from Megaselia scalaris (Diptera, Phoridae) larvae for human identification has not been yet investigated. The larvae’s ability to crawl through tight spaces make them an important species for both indoor crime scenes and also in the cases of buried corpses. In the present study, a comprehensive framework has been developed to extract non-insect DNA from the gut contents of larvae of M. scalaris (Diptera, Phoridae), fed on Sus scrofa tissue, and use it for STR analysis, making a tool for human identification, aiding forensic investigations. The larvae were fixed using 5 different protocols: (a) suspending the larvae in hot water (>80°C); (b) larvae kept at -20°C; (c) larvae kept in EtOH (98%) and stored at -20°C; (d) larvae kept at -20°C for 4hrs and later kept in EtOH; (e) larvae first suspended in hot water (>80°C) and kept in EtOH (98%) -20°C. Despite the small size of the larvae (2.0 ± 0.5 mm) and low amount of gut content (0.2-0.5 mg), DNA extraction of the gut contents of larvae was undertaken successfully using the Qiagen® Investigator Extraction Kit. The extracted samples were quantified and the maximum quantification was obtained from the larvae fixed by freezing at -20°C, with an average of 3.67 ± 0.05 ng/μl per sample, followed by larvae fixed with EtOH at -20°C with 2.55 ± 0.06 ng/μl per sample. A positive PCR amplification result was obtained from the mitochondrial gene cytochrome b (149bp) and ribosomal gene 16s rRNA (138bp), which was confirmed by analysis through BlastN, showing a positive result of Sus scrofa DNA sequence. STR analysis of the samples was done using Multiplex PCR test kit with 11 autosomal markers and 1 gender specific marker for Sus scrofa. A complete STR profile was obtained from the samples (minimum 1 crop) with a match on all loci when compared to the control sample. The results obtained from this study are significant, since M. scalaris is an important fly of forensic interest with a cosmopolitan distribution, generally encountered by investigators in crime scenes. The results obtained also show that preservation of larvae with EtOH (-20°C) and only freezing (-20°C) help in proper DNA typing, which is helpful for investigators as it is a more practical and easy method for proper collection and preservation of the larvae

Integrated catchment and coastal management for resilient urban flood mitigation under climate change

Urban areas at river mouths are exceptionally vulnerable to flooding due to their dual exposure to coastal and riverine flood risks. These risks are exacerbated by the lack of coordination between coastal zone and river basin management, compounded by climate change impacts, particularly sea-level rise, which increases riverine flooding intensity by raising drainage bases. This review underscores the urgent need for integrated management to address these intertwined challenges. It advocates for an Integrated Catchment Management (ICM) approach, which bridges the management of river basins, coastal zones, and urban areas, to mitigate flood risks. The article examines case studies from Hamburg, Kolkata, and the Haifa Bay area to highlight the necessity and challenges of implementing ICM. Hamburg serves as a model of successful integration, combining robust governance, extensive coastal defenses, and upstream river basin management. Kolkata, by contrast, struggles with frequent flooding and lacks integrated policy frameworks, underlining the critical need for coordinated strategies. The Haifa Bay area, although historically less flood-prone, faces growing risks from climate change, offering a timely opportunity for proactive ICM adoption. Governance systems, institutional structures, and legal frameworks in these contexts are analyzed to extract lessons for global applicability. Despite differences in flood histories and socio-environmental settings, commonalities in successful strategies emphasize the importance of holistic and inclusive management approaches. The study highlights the potential of ICM to mitigate escalating flood risks in coastal urban areas while addressing the limitations posed by governance gaps and resource constraints. By fostering coordination across scales and sectors, ICM offers a pathway to sustainable and resilient flood management in the era of climate change