The aim of this artwork is to portray the changing nature of the relationship between people and the environment in those areas. Starting from a community-based analysis and incorporating local, political and social perspectives, with a focus on labour, the impact of land grabs, environmental disasters and climate change will be analysed through the lenses of a theoretical political-epistemological framework. Starting from the premise that art itself can be a producer of Commons, this project wanted to to put to the test two different hypotheses: on one hand, art and art practices as producers of common visual representations of social and environmental transformations; on the other hand, art as a potential producer of Common Action. Several PRA (Participatory Rural Appraisal) tools implemented in the two months devoted to field research working in a team as part of the Programme on Nature, Knowledge and Labour in the Coasts and Deltas of the French Institute of Pondicherry will then be described. This first phase of fieldwork aimed to generate a visual dialogue with the inhabitants that could constitute the starting point for constructing a common visual representation of social and environmental transformations: a common knowledge to confront people with their beliefs and present situation. In the second stage, the work of art Thaumantropos, an interactive symbolic installation, was created through a reflective process with the population of the village to mobilise people to protect their environment and to demand their rights. This was done in order to co-produce a symbolic representation of the present situation involving people in the visualization and production of one object that can embody their protest.  Its ultimate goal is to become a tool to mobilize the community and express its dissent. The artwork draws inspiration from the Victorian-era optical illusion known as the "thaumatrope," chosen for its ability to provoke reflection on the possibilities opened by a change in perspective, emphasizing the connection between two seemingly separate objects. Taumanthropos reinterprets the thaumatrope on a monumental and interactive scale, resembling a vertical banner iconographically inspired by protest placards. The optical illusion is brought to life by two people rotating a painted blade on a central pivot.

No longer solely an individual reflection available to those interacting with the object, Taumanthropos becomes a moving symbolic object with the aim of conveying a message to the viewer. On one hand, it is a participatory work for those involved in its creation, giving life to Taumanthropos by making it rotate. On the other hand, it is an interactive piece for spectators who, through the spread of this call to action, may become active participants. Beyond being a potential banner used during protests, this object aspires to become a symbol of a common action movement, promoting the idea that protecting and advocating for the commons can only happen through Common Action. Delving into the ambivalence of the meaning of protection, i.e., what should be protected and by whom, the two images on the faces of Taumanthropos are created. On one side, the sun symbolizes both the territory and the concept of Commons as a common element to the entire territory of Manigappangu and, therefore, to the two communities. On the other side, human figures arranged in a circle dance and move in a dynamic aimed at enclosing something within, but also at protecting the circle itself: an action that unites singularities in a single flow.

The Project: The Taumanthropos installation was created based on a first phase of field research to collect the narratives and voices of the inhabitants. Working on the concept of Commons and using a series of Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) tools, a symbolic language was developed, reflecting on the concept of protection and care. The entire project is based on an anthropological exploration of the land of Manigappangu (Tamil Nadu), with a particular focus on the hamlets of Perumal Pettai and Anaikovil. Working primarily, but not exclusively, with the Dalit community, the project aims to promote a critical perspective and encourage reflection on the possibilities of mobilization. The objective is to initiate a process directly involving people in creating their object of protest and spreading the need for collective protection of the territory.

The physical realization of this artwork was carried out in collaboration with the research group and the French Institute of Pondicherry, aiming to create a prototype that could be replicated by the individuals themselves during a collective mobilization for the rights of the village of Manigappangu. The hope is that the community itself can later become a producer of this symbol, actively creating their own protest tools and truly appropriating the meaning of Common Action symbolized by this banner.