Imagine the staircase at Bengaluru’s stately Town Hall Library clad in paper, Cubbon Park lit up with lithium battery-powered lights in an eye-popping arrangement, or the pillars of public buildings wrapped in textiles from around India. These are just a few of the things being planned for the inaugural edition of Bengaluru ByDesign (BBD), the design festival that is kicking off on November 23.
“Unlike most design fairs in India, this one will be spread across the entire city, extending into suburbs like Whitefield, the IT hubs and institutes like Srishti School of Art Design and Technology. It is not aimed only at designers and people in the trade; it is to bring design ideas to people in a way that is accessible and educational,” says co-founder Suprita Moorthy. The design enthusiast, curator and historian (and director of programmes at the India Design Forum, of which BBD is a property) is the force behind the festival, along with branding and design professional, Priyanka Shah Bhandary. “The fest will touch upon all aspects of the city, from its autos and public transport to its buildings and parks,” adds Bhandary.
Curation is king
This festival is yet another indication that the dialogue around design is getting louder. In India, we have had more exposure to craft than design, but that is slowly changing through design shows - last weekend, the inaugural AD Design Show in Mumbai joined a small list that also includes India Design ID (by Ogaan Media) and India Art Fair. “Design belongs to all,” says Parmesh Shahani, who heads the Mumbai-based Godrej Indian Culture Lab, an experimental space that encourages cross-pollination of ideas. “We’re so under-served that any conversation is welcome,” he adds, pointing to the AD show where “every talking session was packed; people are dying to have these exchanges”.
However, a design show is only as good as its curation. Architect and interior designer Ashiesh Shah believes that, because India has not yet arrived (design came into its own in the country only in the 2000s), this is reflected in the quality of our shows too. “Most shows lack clear curatorial input,” he says, referencing PAD, London and Salone Mobile, Milan, as international ones that stand out. “Today’s shows can get overly commercial because they need to be economically viable. People show random things without the vision, understanding, or knowledge of where it’s going.” What we are missing is a voice that is indigenous. At his own show, held in association with a national newspaper in Mumbai earlier this year, Shah gave craftspeople spaces free of cost, so they could exhibit and interact with the end user.
Inclusive and diverse
While there are several players around the country taking the narrative forward — from CII’s India Design Summit to IDF, which is bringing down the World Design Organisation’s annual meeting to Hyderabad next year — the need of the hour is accessibility. Shahani feels that the discussions need to be spread out across the country, in as many formats as possible (expos, biennales, chats, both online and offline), so they are inclusive of audiences and cultures, and give opportunities to involve many voices. If there is a show in say, Aurangabad, people will get to see what designers are doing locally and explore their own traditions. Recalling a recent visit to Eindhoven, for the Dutch Design Week, he says, “You go from location to location, discovering things — empty spaces, parks, warehouses, shipping containers. Designers are at work and you have open ateliers.”
Accessibility is also key when it comes to artiste/designer representation at such fairs and festivals. “There are a number of players in the luxury end of the market, and fairs mostly serve them. It is the middle level that is underserved,” says Manju Sara Rajan, founding editor of Architectural Digest and former CEO of the Kochi Biennale Foundation. “What we really need is a Maison et Objet set-up (the Paris trade fair that features products from all design sectors), where Indian craftsmanship becomes the main benchmark. With that you will have homegrown brands — like Bengaluru’s furniture brand Phantom Hands, which has not been part of design shows, or Ranjit Ahuja, with his hand-embroidered linen fabric — and most necessary, an efficient curator for quality checking.” A model like M&O, where smaller studios that are price sensitive come under a single umbrella, will also help solve problems like prohibitive costs of renting booths (anywhere from ₹5 lakh to ₹12 lakh), and additional costs like transport of products that make such fairs inaccessible to smaller ateliers.
Design shows
India is no stranger to global designers, from Tom Dixon to Christian Louboutin, who work with our karigars and take their work abroad. It is, however, time we took charge of this ‘export’. Cultivating design thinking is one of the ways. While Rajshree Pathy, founder of IDF, feels we need more platforms that put design thought leaders and practitioners on one stage — to tell people how design interventions add value to balance sheets — master embroiderer Jean-Francois Lesage believes we must be taught early to appreciate what is high quality. “Design is not about animating parts of the home; it goes beyond ‘very cute’ and ‘very nice’,” he shares, adding, “Five hundred years from now, no one will remember the famous bankers of today, but they will certainly remember good design.”
Meanwhile, at BBD, Moorthy and Bhandary share that they have been working since August 2017 on the festival. Taking cues from international examples like the London Design Festival — of which Moorthy is a frequent visitor — the Dubai Art Festival and the Sydney Biennale of Art and Design, they say, the Kochi Biennale is a huge inspiration. Pointing to how the Biennale once had its work cut out for it, but is now an event the public looks forward to, Moorthy concludes, “We hope people picnic in the parks and enjoy the immersive experience of design.”
— With inputs from Team Weekend
Chart your 10 days in Bengaluru
Design will soon take over the city, with large-scale public installations — from wide arches of lush green on bustling avenues to a gigantic polish paper chandelier by London-based artist Karolina Merska at UB City. With three design districts, eight workshops (including perfume mixology, furniture making and origami), three pop-ups, two exhibitions, the IDF Conference, and over 25 speakers of national and international repute, the 10-day event deserves a slot in your calendar. The festival will highlight three key themes: Design and Public, Design and Education, and Design and Business. Featuring largely international names and global design professionals, it will also shine the spotlight on India’s design talent. Expect a good turnout for the IDF conference — Brian Parkes, CEO of Jam Factory, an Australian contemporary craft and design studio, will be one of the keynote speakers — and sign up for workshops and design talks, co-created by Srishti and BBD. One of the highlights will be a contemporary Japanese poster exhibition in partnership with The Japan Foundation, Delhi. Featuring the work of 15 graphic designers during the Bubble Economy in Japan (when the country saw an increase in awareness of environmental problems and globalisation), the artwork holds augmented relevance today too.
Finally, on December 1-2, drop by the Maker’s Market with over 30 designers, including Abhilekha Shetty of fashion label Six Buttons Down and illustrator Kanika Gupta of Iktaara, all hand-picked for their work in sustainable design.
– Nisha Ravindranathan
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