Shallowlands: The Architecture of the Bengal Delta – 2026 Penelope Lecture
The University of Sydney welcomes Professor Swati Chattopadhyay to the School as Penelope Visiting Professor of Architectural History.
An architect and architectural historian, Professor Chattopadhyay’s research explores modern architecture and urbanism, with a particular focus on the cultural landscapes of the British Empire.
The delta of the Ganga River in Bengal haunted colonial cartographic and administrative imaginaries for centuries. The rivers changed their course frequently, weaving channels through large waterbodies. Between the 1780s and the 1860s this deltascape also became the prime location for producing the finest indigo in the world. Analyzing this riverine infrastructure, Swati Chattopadhyay’s lectue questions our view of architecture that assumes land to be a fixed substrate.
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