Documentation of a Travelling Exhibition for Bamboo products by Chingkhomba Chingtham

Design Project II Documentation Travelling Exhibition System for the India-Africa Basketry Project

Guides: Mayank Loonkar Sachin Sachar Hitesh Desai Jonak Das

Chingkhomba Chingtham 5th semester, Exhibition Design National Institute of Design

Contents

1. Introduction

2. Background

2. The design brief

3. First D.I.A 3.1 Mind map 3.2 Narrative 3.3 Initial concepts

4. Final D.I.A. 4.1 Mind map 4.2 Narrative 4.3 Concepts

5. Final Concept

Introduction

This project was conducted as a part of the curriculum of 5th semester exhibition design. The basic brief of the project was to design a travelling exhibition system for one of the following four: • Exhibition for the Bollywood Poster collection of V&A Museum, London • Exhibition for a curated collection of photographs, as a part of the CLICK RIGHTS 2013 Photojournalism campaign initiated by CRY • Exhibition for the India-Africa basketry project • Exhibition, for the annual Graduate show of NID The project had a duration of 8 weeks, at the end of which a concept for a travelling exhibition system had to be delivered.

Background information about the India-Africa Basketry Project

The Ministry of External Affairs, New Delhi in collaboration with the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad had undertaken an initiative of Design Intervention program for the Basketry aimed at the empowerment of women artisans of rural Africa for training of 125 craftsmen and artisans from five selected countries i.e. Zimbabwe, Malawi, Ethiopia, Ghana and Zambia in three years under Africa-India Forum Summit (2011). During the last decade the craft of basketry has been facing a steep decline due to land reform, decline of tourism and various other instabilities. Because of this many women artisans have lost their only source of cash on which they relied in times of severe droughts. So the prime purpose of this initiative was to strategically reorient the basketry traditions, practices and challenges in Zimbabwe by integrating the experience and knowledge of Indian basketry segment, with the view to empower the rural craft/artisan women of Zimbabwe through design tools for employment generation and enhanced livelihood opportunities. Since the Project focuses on basketry products using natural fibers such as sisal and bamboo employing weaving and coiling, it offered immense scope to use these techniques in an innovative way and develop a new range of basketry led objects and products which are relevant to the contemporary markets both in Zimbabwe as well as globally. So the project was to develop a range of basketry products in Sisal and Bamboo craft, understanding and keeping in mind the social, economic and cultural aspects, locally grown materials, indigenous techniques, tools and equipments, and cost effectiveness. The project brief also entails to developing a system model for effective mobilization of resources, skills, designs and production methods so as to effectively connect the products to markets. Therefore through the intervention program has tried to use these â&#x20AC;&#x153;baskets of lifeâ&#x20AC;? to sustain the lives of the communities, to generate income, to sustain education of children and creating opportunities for these women artisans to live a dignified life.

The Design Brief

Objective: To design a System based Travel Exhibition, for a set of African basketry based products created /produced as an outcome of a series of design‐led craft workshops, conducted by NID for a livelihood generation program.

Client: National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad, India

Client’s intent: The National Institute of Design intends to create a travel exhibition for a set of basketry based products which were created as a result of a series of workshops conducted by them. Through the exhibition, NID also intends to do the following: • To build market connections between the weavers and retailers • To use the exhibition as a platform for receiving market centric feedback vis‐àvis the marketability of the products • To present the outcome of the workshop to the policy makers , thereby instilling confidence amidst them (as stake holders) vis‐à‐vis the success of such endeavor • To express NID’s ability to undertake initiatives of this nature, as a part of its outreach program. The character of the exhibition should highlight the contemporaneity of the products rather than their craft centric nature, thereby positioning them appropriately for the urban markets. The object collection for the exhibition comprises of about 50 prototypes, field samples and allied photographic records of the design process. The exhibition also forms a backdrop for allied outreach and promotional activities like a buyer‐seller meet, interaction with the designer/craft‐persons etc.

Design Intent Articulation First Draft

Communication • Bringing forth the aspect of goodwill of this project which enriches and improves the lives of the craftsmen while being beneficial to all the other stakeholders at the same time. • Present a glimpse of the opportunities to retailers and policymakers and provide a platform for interaction between craftsmen, retailers and policymakers.

Spatial Experience • Highlighting the contemporary nature of the products to appeal to prospective urban customers and stakeholders in such projects. • Giving a better understanding of the process by playing with the placement of the photographic material along with the products.

Outcome • Policymakers understand the scope of success of such projects and become stakeholders and play an active role to propagate such projects. • Showcase the role of NID in this project and the capabilities of NID in handling projects in the future. • Generate demand for the products among the urban population.

Design Approach • The approach to be taken to achieve the goals of the intent will be to separate the content into categories according to the different processes through which the products were made. Combining the photographs and the products along with their associated explanatory text (and graphics) in the display (rather than separately displaying the products and photographs) will give a better overview of how the products came to be

Visitor Profile • This exhibition is intended to be for members of the bureaucracy, or representatives of businesses interested in becoming stakeholders in this project and/or providing a commercial outlet for the products. • Policymakers, as intended by the client, are also a part of the visitors intended to visit the exhibition. • Craftsmen and designers will also benefit from the exhibition.

Government Businesses Craftsmen/ designers

• System of working • Welfare potential • Marketability • Business opportunities • New techniques developed in the project • Knowledge/Skills exchange

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NID wants to SHOWCASE capabilities + the role it has played in the project

Communication: • System of working • Welfare potential • Marketability • Business opportunities • New techniques developed in the project • Knowledge/Skills exchange

First narrative matrix

Initial concepts After the development of the first DIA and its associated narrative, a few skeleton concepts were made demonstrating the possible layout options and the segregation and organizing of the space. Not much attention was paid to the finer details like the means of collapsibility or the material of the structures. This was an exercise to gain a better overall understanding of what the spatial requirements of the space are, with the current information available.

Interaction area

Entrance

Initial concepts: Concept 1

Workshop area

Panel diaplays

Products diaplay

View from above This was the first concept concieved for the exhibition. It divided the exhibition into zones according to the narrative matrix. The main areas that the exhibition dealt with were divided into the following categories: graphics displays, Product displays and interaction & workshop area.

View when approaching the exhibition 8

Initial concepts: Concept 2 Products diaplay

Workshop area + Meeting area

Panel diaplays This concept is also similar to the other concept in the sense that this one also has the space divided into zones according to the narrative but the difference is that there is more focus on the product and the panel displays than on the meeting and the workshop areas, which are combined.

Entrance

View when entering the first zone of the exhibition

View from the floor just outside the exhibition 9

Initial concepts: Concept 3 NID

Welfare

Unlike the previous concepts, this concept divides according to the points of focus as stated in the narrative: Role of NID, welfare, business and interaction. The space is divided into four distincty different zones. This allows for freedom of navigation when there is no need to follow any specific order and also the need for a single point of entry in order to follow the narrative is eliminated.

Business

View approaching the NID zone

Interaction

View from above

View from inside the Welfare zone 10

Design Intent Articulation Finalized

Communication • Presenting the success of this project to the policymakers to show that the resources that they have put into this project are yielding rewards, giving them the confidence to invest in such projects in the future. • Presenting a glimpse of the commercial possibilities of this project to rope in businesses and retailers ultimately leading to more outlets into the market for the products.

Outcome • Policymakers understand the scope of success of such projects and become stakeholders and play an active role to propagate such projects. • The products find their way into the market through businesses and retailers who have been made aware of the commercial prospects of such a project. • Increased demand for the products among the urban population.

Design approach The approach to be taken is to present these products as up-market fine-crafts products which are relevant to the contemporary markets. This can be achieved by simulating a contemporary retail environment in the exhibition and putting the products forth as a new age lifestyle products.

Visitor profile • This exhibition is intended to be for members of the bureaucracy, or representatives of businesses interested in becoming stakeholders in this project and/or providing commercial outlets for the products. • Policymakers, as intended by the client, are also a part of the visitors intended to visit the exhibition.

Reason for change in the DIA and narrative

Changes made in the DIA • In the previous DIA, the focus was on a lot of subjects and putting almost equal focus on them. • A lot of misconceptions about the client intent were cleared which led to the removal of whole topics altogether, such as the need for interaction spaces in the exhibition, which actually was paid a lot of attention to in the previous DIA.

Why change? • Due to the presence of too many focus areas in the exhibition, the actual intention of the exhibition was lost in the noise. To clarify this, the focus of the exhibition was shifted exclusively to selling the products, which is now declared as the only goal in the DIA. Some vital information from the other topics is retained, in order to give the viewer a more wholesome understanding, while not being a distraction, to achieve the goal of selling the products. • It was made clear that interaction between the stakeholders, be it designers or craftsmen, was not a major requirement in the exhibition ans the purpose was redefined to be only for selling the products. Also, in the previous concepts, it was seen that a major chunk of the space was needed for this purpose which could otherwise be used more effectively to achieve the redefined goal of the exhibition. For these reasons, allotting space for interaction was removed completely from the exhibition.

Changes made in the narrative • Due to the temporary nature of this exhibition and the uncertainty of the locations in which the exhibition might be held, the previous narrative was unsuitable as there needed to be a specific path that the viewer had to follow. Instead, a more modular narrative was devised in which the order of the viewing did not matter as long as the content was viewed in its related group. The narrative was divided into two main sections: the major one focussing on (and selling) the basketry and the other on giving background information on the India-Africa Basketry Project & its functioning and the role of NID in the project.

Developing the narrative / Segregation of data

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Role of NID presenting to POLICYMAKERS

System of working + welfare and income generation New techniques developed Business opportunities and marketability

presenting to BUSINESSES

Int

eg rat ed

For general information : BASKETRY

into

System

MODULES:

Role of NID + Welfare + functioning

Basketry

Business and marketability + New techniques 13

Narrative Background information

System Role of NID + Welfare + functioning

• Gives a more wholesome picture of the project • Helps the audience appreciate the work the went into the project

System of working

• Gives an overview of the functioning of the whole project • A step by step brief of the whole process • Helps the audience appreciate the work the went into the project

Photgraphs

• Photographs of designers working with the workers, etc. • Photographs of the different stages of the project Content

Graphics

• Flowcharts • Infographics • Blown up photographs

Text

Welfare

• Descriptive text but minimal

• A brief look at the goodwill aspect of the project

Spatial treatment

Basketry Business and marketability + New techniques

• Retail feel • Contemporary • Focus on the products and generate desire for the products • Present the products as fine practical crafts products to show the success of the project and also to reorient away from the ususal notion of such products being just souvenirs

Business and marketability

• Achieve greater acceptance into the market • Promote the project to the policymakers for more productive trade laws and incentives. • Gives a picture of the current market scenario and the opportunities that lie ahead

New techniques

• Present the new techniques that have been developed through this project

Content

Photgraphs Graphics Text

Concept 1 The plan is very straightforward. It has display platforms for the products and and an enclosed area for both lamps and baskets. The enclosed area is to shield the lamps from outside sources of light so that the shadows cast may appear more distinctly and clearly. The new DIA and narrative has been implemented so that all the printed information can come on the outer panels along with a few products to supplement the information. Here, the viewing order in not of prime importance as the different areas are not interdependent.

An early sketch of the plan Plan view The view while approaching the exhibition

Perspective view from the top 15

Concept 2 Using the geometric approach to concieve new concepts and following the path of the previous concept, this concept is a very simple one where all the printed information is distinctly separated fromt the product displays. Although a provision for lamps has not yet been devised, this layout gives the viewer the liberty to shift between the printed information and the product at his or her own will.

View from above View from inside the exhibition

Early concept sketch

Plan view View while approaching the exhibition

Concept 3 On continuing explorations of the previous concept, this concept was concieved. This concept separates the display into two zones, on out side and one inside. The outside of the panels accommodate the printed material while the inside of the panels can be used for the lamps. There is also a provision for having alternate layouts for different dimensions of the venue.

The outer product display

Initial concept sketches

View from the floor looking inside View from above

Alternate layout for narrower spaces

Concept 4 This is a very versatile concept in terms of layout possibilities. There is only a single unit that can be combined together in many different ways to make interesting paths. The platforms can be used alone or along with a panel to bring about interesting variations in the layout of the exhibition. The modular nature of this concept allows for making layouts easily when putting up the exhibition in a short period of time.

Early concept sketch

View from above

View from above the exhibition

From a distance

Concept 5 This concept combines parts of concepts 1, 2 and 3. There is an outer display area for a majority of the products and there is provision to put a few products inside the enclosure. Again, the panels, while serving as a display for printed information, also serves to protect the quality of light from the lamps that can be displayed on the inner side of the panels.

Approching the exhibition

Early concept sketch

View from above

Inside the exhibition

The outer displays 19

Concept 6 The hex shelf consists of hexagonal flat pieces supported on hexagonal vertical pieces. With the help of grooves on the flat horizontal pieces, the vertical pieces can fit snugly, getting rid of the need to fasten it. The shelf can also be covered to become graphic panels, or a few shelves can be removed to make way for a lamp.

View from above

Close-up of the shelf

Another way to make it interesting would be to use a frosted translucent material and provide LED lighting from within so the shelf would get attention.

A cluster of shelves 20

Concept 7 This concept is extermely modular, so much that it might become impractical when putting up an exhibition using this system. A set of guidelines could ease the process of setting it up. The use fabric and natural materials gives an impression that supplements the products on diaplay.

Demonstrating the system

Concept 8 : This concept divides the space into two different zones according to the narrative. The entries are on both the sides and this layout is based on a narrower space of the same area.

Final concept

Layout posibilities

Side elevation

Isometric view of the narrower layout

Isometric view of the square

Overall dimensions

Side elevation

Top view Top view of alternate layout. The area is 1600 sq.ft. 25

Joinery detail The joineries consists only of 3 different pieces, two of which are the actual structural pieces and the other one being the joining piece. In each unit there are four vertical members supporting the structure to there are connected four horizontal pieces that act as the support with a thin plywood over it and then covered with cloth.

Dimensions

Top view

Side view

Isometric view of the internal skeleton structure. 27

Dimensions

Top view

Side view

Isometric view of the internal skeleton structure. 28

Renders