Submissions | VizChitra 2026

The Two Monsoons

Kuhu

Data Visualization Engineer•Illumio

Under Review · Exhibition

Description

What it is: An interactive and immersive decision-based installation built on the 1,300-year streamflow reconstruction (presented in “Recent drying of the Ganga River is unprecedented in the last 1,300 years” (Chuphal, Thirumalai & Mishra, PNAS, 2025).) The work transforms data into a governance system where visitors manage a river.

Visitor experience:Visitors engage with a large-format screen (or optional VR experience) displaying the basin as a dynamic transit-style network. Flow, Drought, Sediment, and Ecology lines pulse according to reconstructed annual streamflow anomalies (700–2020 CE). Participants act as basin planners, adjusting irrigation demand, reservoir buffering, or environmental flow thresholds. As decisions accumulate, lines thicken, fragment, or stall. Uncertainty appears as visual distortion and shifting sound. Each interaction lasts 3–5 minutes and ends with a basin stability outcome revealing consequences.

Why data is central: The system is directly driven by the 1,300-year annual streamflow reconstruction and ensemble uncertainty described in the PNAS (2025) study, including standardised streamflow anomaly, drought recurrence statistics, and a statistically detected 1991 regime shift.

Core question: How do we govern a river after its historical baseline has shifted?

Context: The basin supports over 400 million people and complex ecological systems. The project reframes climate change as hydrological instability rather than gradual decline.

Why it fits Data, Otherwise: It transforms long-term river data into an interactive experience where uncertainty, dams and irrigation systems, and the river’s own ecological needs all influence what happens.

Data Source

The core dataset comes from “Recent drying of the Ganga River is unprecedented in the last 1,300 years” (Chuphal, Thirumalai & Mishra, PNAS, 2025). It includes:

A 1,300-year annual streamflow reconstruction (700–2012 CE) at Farakka
Hydrological model extension to 2020
Standardised Streamflow Anomaly (SSA)
Drought severity-duration statistics
Bayesian changepoint detection (1991)
40-member ensemble uncertainty bounds Supplementary layers include CMIP6 climate projections, ERA5 baseline climate data, ecological indicators (e.g., river dolphin stress), and historical drought chronologies. Hydrological data drives system behavior. Uncertainty itself is treated as a variable that shapes visual and auditory instability.

Technical Requirements

The installation requires either: Screen Version:

One 55–75 inch display or projection screen
Small table or podium (approx. 60 x 60 cm) for interaction interface
Standard power outlet
Stereo speakers
Low to moderate ambient lighting OR VR Version:
One standalone VR headset (we will provide)
Clear floor area of approximately 2m x 2m
One chair or standing space
Power outlet for charging The system runs offline on a single laptop or standalone headset. Installation time is approximately 1hr. No wall mounting or structural modifications needed. The work is designed to function without artist supervision and can be operated by exhibition staff.

Project Status & Timeline

This is a new proposal built on an existing scientific dataset and early design concepts. The hydrological data from “Recent drying of the Ganga River is unprecedented in the last 1,300 years” (PNAS, 2025) has already been processed and structured for simulation use. Initial system logic and interaction design have been outlined. Timeline:

February–March 2025: Finalize interaction model and decision scenarios; develop visual prototype.
April 2025: Build full interactive simulation (screen and optional VR version).
May 2025: Testing, refinement, and stability optimization for unsupervised exhibition use.
June 2025: Final packaging, documentation, and installation preparation. The project is technically feasible within this schedule and designed to run independently without artist supervision. We confirm it can be completed and installed in time for the exhibition.

Previous Work

View Portfolio

Team

Two Monsoons

Kuhu and Ambika are data visualization practitioners working at the intersection of data visualization and systems design.We aim to explore how complex environmental data can be transformed into interactive decision spaces rather than static representations.

Back to All Proposals