Description: Ganges Water Machine expands the discussion of one of India's most important natural and cultural resources: the Ganges River. It constructs a robust visual and historic archive of this most elusive watercourse--always articulating how infrastructure forms an aqueous braid between people and the land.
Brief description: Anthony Acciavatti, the principal investigator and author, is a graduate of Harvard University Graduate School of Design, and a principal of Somatic Collaborative, an award winning architecture and urban design practice in New York City. He has taught at Columbia University, Rhode Island School of Design, and Northeastern University. For almost a decade, Acciavatti has traveled by foot, boat, and car documenting the expanse of the river Ganges, from its source in the Himalayas to the historic city of Patna nearly 1,000km down stream. A J. William Fulbright Fellowship as well as grants from the Ford Foundation and Harvard University, amongst others, have supported his work on the Ganges.
Review Quotes:
"Sumptuous, stark, encyclopedic and prescient, here find an atlas historical and visionary, grounded in serendipitous fieldwork and bold design." - John R. Stilgoe, Harvard University
"Acciavatti has produced an impressive work of original research--one that should be of keen interest to the Indian government and the World Bank as they embark on their $1.5 billion cleanup of a murky, mystical river that manages to be both India's heart and its soul." - Architectural Record
"Acciavatti... is part of the tradition of nineteenth century explorers like Alexander von Humboldt who wove together scientific discovery and travel narratives." - Abitare
"Through the many accounts of this fluid geography, Ganges Water Machine follows in the landscape travelogue tradition of Reyner Banham's insightful Scenes in American Deserta (1982) and Eric Newby's madcap Slowly Down the Ganges (1966). Like Banham and Newby, Acciavatti's deep appreciation and critical observations are drawn from both traversing the region and studying its documented history." - ArchDaily