Showcasing Innovative Creativity
The India Design ID 2020 opened its gates at the sprawling NSIC Grounds,Okhla, New Delhi, India (13-16 February) with coffee and warm fires blazing in lamps, even if the heat had been turned up by the February sun. As one walked past the exterior and outdoor settings, that essentially popped with strong colours, laidback furniture, swings and beanbags amid firs and nettles, one got a feeling that the ‘Oh wow’ factor of last year’s stalls was tamed down a little. That was until one stepped in to the pavilions to make acquaintance with some well-curated booths, where design and art melded together in perfect harmony, standing out from the 140 participants.
Painting by G.R. Iranna over royal blue four-seater sofa
Take, for instance, the fortuitous coming together of IQRUP RITZ and Gallery Espace where the grand painting by G.R. Iranna rose with power over the royal blue and gold Dorothy four-seater sofa set and lounge table, or for that matter the quieter Karl Antao’s sculpture of an orator loomed up in the corner of the lounge sofa set in all its subtle wooden tones. Mekhala Bahl’s works brought a fun element to their booth.
“I love and grew up around art since my mother, Iqrup Dhamija and Renu Modi, the Director of Gallery Espace have known each other since my childhood, hence this growth of art and interior furnishing is a very natural one,” says Ritika Dhamija at her booth.
In another part of the fair it was the flapping wings of bird form lamps that gently fanned the air and attracted the crowds. In fact, at the Nivasa booth, helmed by the father-daughter duo of Rohit Kapoor and Saba, it was an amalgam of the past and the present.
There were many elements which spoke modernity through their kinetic elements, like the TV set that slides down making space for a navigable desktop/dressing table, or the turning coffee table displaying fetching ceramic works by local artists.
The past is evoked with the six-poster canopied beds and its in-built bench, ornate pilasters and roofs that evoke the designs of the Deccan and the Saracenic, heightened by the use of wood, rope and leather. “The idea is to seamlessly blend the past and the present in one continuous flow,” says Rohit Kapoor. “Of course, while keeping the environment in the purview of the present, working with LED lights, we help to repurpose old furniture. Now, we are considering working with faux leather and hope to inspire the planting of more trees in surrounding areas, every time there is a clearing of forests for a housing project,” says Saba.
‘Donkey Headed’ closet, cast in brass
The grand installation-stall to grab everyone’s attention was 30 objects/30 stories, (What’s your Story?) curated by Sandeep Khosla and Tania Singh Khosla. One is drawn like Alice into Wonderland to the Scarlet Splendor Ciuco Cabinet, a piece from Matteo Cici’s Animagic collection that challenges stereotypes by a royal ‘Donkey Headed’ closet, cast in brass and crafted with white resin.
Dandelion pendant lamps from Oorjaa
The dream-like Dandelion Pendant Lamps that swing in a penta-cluster by Oorjaa, are crafted out of banana paper with a metal frame and finished in antique copper. The Ikkis Tantra Collection brings a certain splendour to the esoteric forms etched and enamelled on brass. It is a playful mix of colour and meaning.
Eco-mix dough from Akoda Collection
The heirloom Naga bed makes you want to kick back and enjoy this all, as crafted cottons and throws entice you with their memory motifs. The soft-furniture day bed forms an interesting foil to the hyper rigid yet playful Channapatna chairs that are named after the town where wooden lacquer toys are crafted.
“What’s your Story? Is largely curated into six clusters — nostalgia and memory, whimsy and joy, conscious consumption, handcrafted luxury, simplicity and accessibility. From limited edition luxe to mass produced. Each piece has been chosen because it resonates with us as a good design,” says Khosla, the Bangalore-based architect with several awards in his possession. One may finish off the tour of this tastefully curated section with the Akoda Collection that works with ‘eco mix dough’ that re-uses sustainable materials, like old newspaper, natural glue, chalk powder and wood.
Wall Tapestries by Sanjay Manubhai Chitara
Various faces of tribal art from Gallery Tribal Art Form
Zubin Ekka managing the Gallery Tribal Art Form brings us back to our roots but with a modern twist. His collection of wall tapestries by Sanjay Manubhai Chitara creates intricate work that celebrates the Mother Goddess, the various forms of Lord Vishnu and other demigods among flora and fauna. Along with his family, Chitara has been upholding the tradition of painting the Mata ni Pachedi (Cloth of Mother Goddess) for more than 10 decades. Derived from the Kalamkari style of paintings, and brought to the urban market through their skill with cotton cloth, date palm and natural dyes. All the wall hangings and wooden and brass masks bear a finished and sophisticated presentation that immediately brings them into the realm of urban design, rather than bazaar craft, without losing its authenticity.
Sihasan’s delightful walls of fabric
One could notice several corners of the fair where fibreglass animals were being celebrated in various colours and forms, while Sihasan’s delightful walls of fabric were bright and colourful bringing the Southern Mundu together with the complicated patterns from the North East.
Sharan Apparao’s booth of prints, sculptures and paper works brought humour and beauty together where we caught Gabbar Singh having a dialogue with Mother India, courtesy the wicked humour of Ghulam Mohammed Sheikh, pitted against the dreamy eroticism of a Laxma Goud’s print.
Overall, one came away from the India Design ID, feeling that though the economy has slowed things down from the brisk business we saw in the previous fairs, there is a dedicated and concerted effort between Indian and international designers, architects and decor-artists to inspire new approaches, pump in the innovations required for climate change and become change-makers.
The ID Symposium featuring stars like Daniel Lismore, Timothy Corrigan, Nika Zupanc and Rahul Mehrotra to name a few was very informative and well attended.
Text & images by Georgina Louella Maddox
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