London, UK
Mission Title: The Temple - Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Neasden
Mission Date: 23-06-2008
SCRIPT
- Visit the Mandir and the museum. Show dioramas and aesthetic details, colors and motifs.
- Interview some of the local immigrants about the influence the temple has had on the neighborhood and how the area has changed over time.
- Interview some of the non
- Indians. Is the Indian community very closed or is it well
- integrated?
- Explore space around the temple. Highlight the contrast with western buildings and the city skyline.
- Hang around the Mandir. See how spaces enhance sociality. Is there any difference comparing to western churches?
- Don’t forget to construct your documentary as a story!
TRAVEL BAG
How does a religious landmark reflect the changing dynamic of a city?
Neasden went from countryside hamlet to agricultural and railway center before being wrapped up in the tentacles of the rapidly spreading London. But time was not been kind to Neasden and the economy declined along with the loss of factories. The town has largely been kept afloat by the large influx of immigrants into the area. But despite it's strange state of limbo, new things happen in Neasden all the time. The first drive-thru McDonald's opened in Neasden in 1988, followed by the first UK IKEA, and then the first traditional Hindu Mandir in Europe, all helping to pull the neighborhood out if its poverty (if only a little).
An important site for world Hinduism, the Shri Swaminarayan Mandir was built in 1995 as one the biggest Hindu temples outside of India. Constructed mainly from Italian Carrera marble and Bulgarian limestone, the stones were sent to India to be handcarved by over 1,500 craftsmen. The temple hosts a museum for non-Hindus (with a permanent exhibition excitingly titled “Understanding Hinduism” with the aid of equally exciting 3-D dioramas) as well as the first independent Hindu school in Europe. The building and the neighborhood it sits in are an example of the changing identity and dynamics of London.
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