Each one of us invariably engages with systems or finds ourselves embedded within them. The dense network of relationships it is made up of— between institutions, individuals, infrastructure, access, awareness, independent organisations, and technology— often renders it intransigent and a behemoth to contend with. 3D mapping is a Social Presencing Theatre (SPT) based exercise we do at Agamishaala that recreates these complex relationships using an assortment of unassuming materials— lego pieces, playing dough, glittering pipe cleaners, ice cream sticks, quilling paper and anything that one can find in their immediate environment. It eases the perceived density of a system without diluting the connections within it, airing out the different components and creating room to touch, feel and consequently build. This brings in multiple dimensions and perspectives to see and understand the aspects of a scenario, thereby opening up the system into a landscape fertile with possibilities.
‘Working with brightly coloured blocks and stationary invites levity into the complex work of recreating a system.’ Nitesh Bhardwaj, Founder, Aadiwasi Janjagruti, talks about the exercise’s playfulness and how others’ observations helped him spot some obvious blind spots.
On a different note, A 3D Map does not seem too different from poetry in that much meaning is entrusted to very little. An A1 canvas that attempts to map an entire ecosystem or an even smaller A3 sun board to build the map of one’s current reality. Each element is alive— with its textures, dimensions, colours, contours, shadow, position, and space around it. Ice cream sticks placed head to head are a bridge— a connection; when they are wedged into the dough and stand upright alongside one another, they are a wall— a separation. From model to model, foam butterflies take on a different life— children in one, ideas in another and hope in the next.
In a version of this exercise, attempted as groups, each mapping a sub-ecosystem within the justice space, the perspectives and conversations that emerged from collectively creating the current reality of the members’ work were rich in insights. For some, the ensuing discussions brought a sharper clarity on their role and voice; for others, it offered many immediate insights that have translated to shifts in perspective, movement of ideas and changes in ways of working. The exercise culminated with identifying the question their model posed to them— one group surfaced the question of how accountable systems could be built from active citizenship; another model prompted a more fundamental inquiry on how societies can be encouraged to respect and value truth-telling. Building the field together created an awareness of the people and parties it is composed of; the model provided an aerial view of who is where, what is moving and what is coming in the way. For Erica Arya, the India Head of Project Tech4Dev, this led her to think beyond her individual boundary. “As change-makers, to achieve our collective vision for the sector, sustainable and scalable change must encompass the entire system. This realisation marked a pivotal moment for me, I understood the importance of thinking and acting at a systems level,” she reflected.
As much as a poem is literary, isn’t it visual too? Lines breaking to spill into the next, sometimes just a word by itself sufficient— the arrangement of text, how we see it, is instructive of how to read it, showing us when to pause and punctuate. The spatial relationship between characters, words, stanzas, the body and the white of the paper— all gently guide our reading. Similarly, the 3D model establishes spatial and relational relationships not just on the canvas and among the elements within it, but also between the individual and the model itself— the elevation at which one views the system and the direction from which one observes it. This aspect of orientation was profoundly impactful for Praveen Kumar.
Praveen Kumar, Co-Founder, Law Foundation mentions how changing the direction of viewing the 3D map brought a new perspective.
In a follow-up conversation a few weeks after the offline retreat concluded, Praveen mentions being able to see the stakeholders of his ecosystem— District Legal Service Authority (DLSA), courts, and prisons, among others— from different directions as being exceptionally powerful. An example he shared was how they used to wait for the jail superintendent’s permission to operate within the prison; the work then became contingent on an individual, making it a slow process. Seeing the representative DLSA building in his direct line of sight when he viewed the 3D model from a different position led to a shift in perspective. He realised that the DLSA, which works inside prisons and has the authority to introduce programs, could be a great ally in navigating this space. By speaking to the DLSA official about his work, he was able to align with them on his mission, and they offered to ease the approval process by letting the prison authorities know of his work from their end!
The mapping of a system often surfaces aspects of one’s personal journey and relationship with the field of work.
Prathamesh Kalamkar, Data Scientist at ThoughtWorks, shares how a shift in perspective about certain aspects of his role within the ecosystem came from collectively mapping it. The representation of the system as a vehicle with square wheels reinforced the fact that it is made up of many, many stakeholders and that he is only one fraction of it. All four wheels need to be circular for it to move, and he needs to show up with his bit and trust the often slow process of everyone arriving with the right parts at the right time. Prathamesh moved from the point of view of wanting to change the system to seeing that he belongs within it, and this led to a recalibration of his personal energy. The questions he was asking of himself and the legal tech space still persist but aren’t a cause of frustration anymore.
For some, like Prathamesh, it is in visualising and discovering metaphors that communicate a certain stuckness one has been sensing— like a simile where the analogy is immediately apparent. The metaphor consequently offers a certain degree of resolution to the actual situation.
For others, like many in the 2022 Cohort who built personal maps of their then-current reality, absence was a recurring theme— an absence of what they assumed were priorities, sometimes even an absence of themselves in their own models. The realisation that they were confronted with was a need for balance.
Regardless of the variations in the format of the 3D map, it has the ability to leave a lasting imprint. The image of Himanshu’s model (Himanshu Panday, Co-founder, Dignity in Difference, from the 2022 Cohort) still sits strongly in his consciousness. Over time one gets used to applying a certain faculty— often the intellectual— to navigate our experiences. The disruption that the tactile and visual medium created in his sense-making process led him to see and feel the journey he had mapped more deeply, thereby building an understanding closer to being whole.
We probably can’t vouch for everyone taking back a richer, fuller understanding of themselves and their work, but they sure do leave with a tad more colourful memory of it.