Representative image showing people shielding themselves against direct heat on a hot day.
Credit: PTI Photo
A two-day exhibition hopes to bring attention to the effects of heat stress caused by rising global temperatures. Purpose, a strategy consultancy and a social movement incubator, is organising this show as part of its People First Cities initiative.
The exhibition is titled ‘Sweat and Concrete 2025’. It will be held from May 29 to 30 at a Kamaraj Road venue. The event aims to highlight the lived realities of those most at risk, bring regional and national attention to the crisis, and provide a platform for tangible solutions.
According to a note shared by the organisers, no two cities are the same and so, the problem of heat stress calls for locally relevant solutions.
At the heart of the event is the ‘Neralu heat shelter’, which will be installed in the outer courtyard of the venue. It is a prototype of a collapsible refuge from extreme heat for informal sector workers.
The shelter, designed by architects Sagar Kandal and Ankritya Diggavi, was the winning entry in a contest held by Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment. It has been brought to life as a working prototype in an attempt to attract public and private sector collaboration for the practical implementation of the exhibit.
The organisers have invited officials from the BBMP, including special commissioner Preeti Gehlot, to attend the event.
Apart from a tour of the ‘Neralu Heat Shelter’, the exhibition will feature a mixed media audio-visual exhibition, a performance art and theatre piece, and a panel discussion between policy makers, scientific researchers, and informal sector workers, all on the theme of spotlighting the impact of heat stress on vulnerable groups.
On May 29 (10 am to 2 pm) and May 30 (10 am to 8 pm), at Sabha Blr, Kamaraj Road. Entry free. Look up sabhablr.in/events for details.