June POOL 2012

ISSUE 24 JUNE 2012

Lala 42 Photographed by Dr.Matthias Kodric

CATHY 04 / CAGRI 06 / MARIANNA 08 / LANA 10 / KIEU 12 / ANETTE 14 / TET 16 / MIHIR 18 / AMIR 20 / UDAY 22 / CHITRA 26 / DATTARAJ 32 / LIDIA 42 / NIKITA 58 / A.K.A BESPOKE 64 / SACHIN 74 / TADPOLE 86 / DIVYA 92

Editor in Chief | sudhir@indidesign.in

June 2012 | # 24

Sudhir Sharma with Pradeep Arora & Satyajeet Harpude

Change* This is the 24th issue, and we are very proud of it.

Extremely proud of the fact that we have brought out POOL continuously for two years. We worked on POOL while setting up and establishing a new design company - with the same resources and the same people. With every passing month, POOL improved and changed, teaching us so much along the way, and giving us so much more to be proud of.

www.poolmagazine.in www.facebook.com/poolmag twitter.com/poolmagazine info@poolmagazine.in

Designindia was founded in 2002. It was started as a platform for interaction for the design community in India and abroad. Over the years it has grown into a forum spread over many social and professional networking domains, linking design professionals into an active, interactive and thought leading community.

http://in.groups.yahoo.com/group/designindia International Design Media Network Participant

We are so grateful for the encouraging and enthusiastic support of our peers, gurus, elders, and young readers.

Fortunately, feedback in the form of appreciation has been much more than criticism - the perfect way to deal with a two-year-old! :) But we understand the distance that we need to cover on many fronts. Designers are usually pathetic writers; they don’t document their work very well. To top it all, a designer’s ego is a formidable wall to scale. I am sure we have offended many by declining to print their marketing material; we also surprised many by being persistent about showcasing their work!

We look forward to your feedback to this new format. Perhaps I will talk about why and how we changed POOL at some future conference, or I will blog about it. Let the space in POOL be for those who inspire us and light up the spark we need in India to create Change*.

Sudhir Sharma

Endorsed by

Supported by

2 ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL OFFER nd

Next 500 subscribers* now get POOL at

` 99/- per month * valid for subscribers in India only Existing subscribers in India can also avail the offer to extend their subscripton

4 POOL #24

!ॉस-क%चरल *डज़ाइन एक ही समय ( दो बा- हो रही /| एक ओर य1रोप 3 कई 5श (िजन( ि:व<ज़रल?ड, जम नी A आCद शािम ल /) "पो:ट-म ॉडन A Cडज़ाइन" की बात कर रH I तो Jसरी ओर भारत सCहत LCनया 3 कई Cवकासशील 5श म ॉडन A (आधNCनक ) Cडज़ाइन CवकCसत करO ( लP I| QRन यह / Cक Sया Cडज़ाइन को इन दायरT ( बUधना उिचत / या Cफर उY सहज Zप Y समाज की आवRयकताआ[ 3 अनNZप CवकCसत होO 5ना चाCहए? Cडज़ाइन भी कला 3 समान ही एक सU:क]Cतक अिभ^यिSत /, फक_ Cसफ_ इतना / Cक कला 3 Cवपरीत Cडज़ाइन ":वा`तः सNखाय" गCतCवCध नहd बिeक एक "बfजन Cहताय" गCतCवCध / िजY लोगT की जZरतT को gयान ( रख कर Cकया जाता /| hCकनम िN Rकल यह / Cक गiोबलाईjशन (वklीकरण) 3 इस दौर (

‘समाज’ की पCरभाषा काफी ^यापक हो चNकी / और वह 5श और समNदाय Cवqष

की हदT को पार कर चNका /| ऐY ( Sया Cडज़ाइन एक 5श या समNदाय Cवqष की सU:क]Cतक अिभवयिSत 3 Zप ( अपनी पहचान बना सकता /? या Cफर Cडज़ाइन एक "sॉस-कeचरल" अिभ^यिSत 3 Zप ( ही CवकCसत होगा िजस( कई सU:क]Cतक Qभाव सम ाCहत हTP? यह एक ऐसा QRन / िजसका उtर Cडज़ाइनरT और Mihir Bholey is a senior faculty of Liberal Arts at National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad.

He holds his PhD in Social Science from CEPT University, Ahmedabad, and Masters in Humanities (English Literature) from Patna University. An author and regular contributor to several national and international publications, he is also a visiting professor at a European university. bholey.mihir@gmail.com

समाजशािuयT दोनT को ही ढ1wढना पड़yगा| अभी हाल ही ( जब z ि:व<ज़रल?ड की एक य1Cनव{सटी ( क|छ CदनT 3 िलए "sॉसकeचरल इRय1ज इन Cडज़ाइन" Cवषय पढ़ा रहा था तो दो QRन बार-बार उठ रH Å पहला Cक भारत की अपनी Cडज़ाइन अिभ^यिSत (एSसQyशन) Sया / और Jसरा Cक उसपर अ`य 5शT की Cडज़ाइन अिभ^यिSतयT का Sया असर /? QRन का उtर ढ1ढ़ना उतना आसान नहd था| इस3 िलए काफी शोध की जZरत /| पर`तN QRन 3 पीÇ जो वजह थी वो Éयादा मह<वप1णA थी - समझO की बात यह / Cक Sया सचमNच sॉस-कeचरल इRय1ज वतमA ान Cवl-^यव:था ( Cडज़ाइन 3 िलए इतO मह<वप1णA हो चN3 I Cक इ`Ö Cडज़ाइन 3 Üá-àबL ( लाना आवRयक /? शायद इसY इâकार नहd Cकया जा सकता| आज Cवl 3 5श एक Jसä Y बfत करीब Y जNड़ गए I| नतीजतन, Cडज़ाइन भी एक sॉस-कeचरल QोडSट बन चNका /| ऐY ( एक Jसä की आ{थक, सामािजक, सU:क]Cतक और यहाw तक Cक राजनkCतक पCरि:थCतयT का ãान रखना पहh Y Éयादा जZरी हो गया /| Sया हम भारत 3 "पो:ट-म ॉडन A Cडज़ाइन" को "sॉस-कeचरल Cडज़ाइन" 3 Zप ( CवकCसत करO 3 िलए तkयार I? www.poolmagazine.in 5

6 POOL #24

"डज़ाइनर( का *वण-य/ , ग

जब #वाधीन भारत , औपचा0र क 2प 3 0डज़ाइन स8#थान की नीव रखी गई थी तो उस समय A स8थापक चाCसB ईDस E एक सपना Gखा था, एक उHजवल Jग0तशील भारत का सपना|

उस समय Gश , 0डज़ाइन शLद 0बलकNल नया था, #वाभा0वक 2प 3 Jार8भ A कNछ दशक 0डज़ाइन की जाग2कता फQलाE , ही लग गए| मगर एक ठोस नीव A साथ "कमTय B वा0धकार#U, मV फWषY कदाचन" की JZरणा E लगभग ५० वष^ A बाद, 0डज़ाइन को एक ऐ3 #थान पर प`8चा 0दया a जहाb हर उcोग 0कसी न 0कसी 2प 3 0डज़ाइन पर 0नभरB कर रहा a| dसरी ओर आज का भारत 0वg A सब3 Jग0तशील Gशh , 0गना जाE लगा a| 0पछW दशक , ijनोलोजी इतनी Uज़ी 3 बढ़ी a, 0क िजतनी १०० वष^ , भी नहn बढ़ी थी| आज o0नया A 0कसी भी कोE 3 Aवल स8पकp ही नहn, बिCक औcो0गक आदान Jदान भी स8भव हो चqA r| ऐ3 , s कहना कदा0प गलत नहn होगा की आज का यqग 0डज़ाइनरh A िल ए #वण-यq B ग बन चqका a| इtटरEट vारा Gश 0वGश A 0डज़ाइनर स8ग0ठत होU जा रw r| ऐ3 ही स8गठनh E अपE कायB 3 अEक सफल 0डज़ाइन A उदाहरण G कर 0डज़ाइन को उcोग और समाज का अ0त महyवपYणB अ8श बना 0दया a| अब तो उcोग और सरकार E भी 0डज़ाइन को मzZ नज़र रखU `ए अपनी नी0तयh , प0रवतन B लाE शq2 कर 0दए r| 0डज़ाइन सम#या का समाधान GE वाली J0{या का नाम a, इसका दायरा 0कसी व#तq A भौ0तक 2प , ही सीिमत नहn a, बिCक उस व#तq A कई पहलqआ} ज~3 समाजशा , इ8जी0नयÄर ग, दशन, B वा#तqकला, अथशा , B स8चार, भौ0तक 0वÅान, मनो0वÅान, इ0तहास, िचÇकला, नÉ0वÅान इyया0द को Ñयान , रखU `ए 0दए गए समय A अ8तगत B सफल 0डजाईन 0क उyपिÖ होती a. िजसÜ सद~व स8शोधन की गq8जाईश भी होती a| jयY08 क s एक 0नर 8तर

Amir Rizvi runs Designbar, a design studio in Mumbai specializing in communication design.

He makes promos for television and has won many national and international (ProMax) awards for on air promos. He is also a scriptwriter.

0नखार करE की J0{या a| ऐसा Gखा गया a की मqनाफá की लालसा , 0कया गया जCदीबाज़ी वाला औcोगीकरण 0डज़ाइन को नज़र8दाज़ कर Gता a| परtतq इसका खािमयाज़ा 0कसी न 0कसी पर ज़2र 0नकल जाता a| कभी पयàवरण पर, कभी समाज पर, कभी 0कसी की जान पर| य0द Jग0त और उcोग की योजनाआ} , 0डज़ाइनरh को भी शािमल 0कया जाs तो बड़ी बड़ी सम#याआ} का 0नवारण या 0नय8Ç ण 0कया जा सकता a| भारत एक इतना 0व0वधतापYणB Gश a की यहाb A हर JGश , अलग Jकार की सम#या a और उसका अलग 0डज़ाइन समाधान a, इसिल ए हर मYल A 0डज़ाइनरh को एक 0वäष कायB करE का अवसर भी उपलLध a| आत80र क उपभोjताआ} की स8ãया इतनी अ0धक a की 0वg की अथåयव#था B का भी कोई ख़ास असर नहn होता| यहाb 0डज़ाइन A हर éZÇ , 0डज़ाइनरh को कायB करE का असीम अवसर a| हम उनA आभारी a िजtहhE अपना पYरा जीवनकाल 0डज़ाइन की जाग2कता फQलाE , लगा 0दया| उनA लगाs `ए

designbar@gmail.com

वÉéh का फल हÜ िमल रहा a हम वा#तव , काफ़ी भाêयशाली r| www.poolmagazine.in 7

8 POOL #24

Cathy Huang is the founder and president of CBi, a design research and innovation strategy consultancy in China. A published writer, she has judged numerous renowned design awards, and is frequently invited to speak on innovation and design at international conferences. www.shcbi.com www.poolmagazine.inâ&#x20AC;&#x192; 9

10 POOL #24

Cagri Cankaya worked as an art director in some of the biggest advertising agencies in Turkey before setting off on a unique working trip around the world.

Through his ‘Designer on the Road’ project he has so far worked in advertising agencies, design companies and game development studios in Mumbai, Pune, Goa, Chiang Mai, Ho Chi Minh, Seoul, Kiev, Beijing, Bali and Kuala Lumpur.

www.designerontheroad.com www.poolmagazine.in 11

12 POOL #24

A management graduate from Ukraine, Marianna Kornienko worked for mobile marketing technologies and designed applications before her love for design and India brought her to Pune, where she now works.

She is fascinated

by Indian cuisine, textiles and traditions. maryannakornienko. wordpress.com www.poolmagazine.inâ&#x20AC;&#x192; 13

14 POOL #24

‫ﺍاﻟﻬﮭﻨﺪ) ﺑﻠﺪ ﺍاﻻﻟﻮﺍاﻥن(‬ ‫ﺯزﺭرﺕت ﺍاﻟﻌﺪﻳﯾﺪ ﻣﻦ ﺍاﻟﺒﻠﺪﻥن ﺇإﻻ ﺃأﻥن ﺍاﻟﻬﮭﻨﺪ ﻗﺪ ﺷﺪﺗﻨﻲ ﺑﻌﻤﻖ ﺣﻴﯿﻦ ﻗﻤﺖ ﺑﺰﻳﯾﺎﺭرﺗﻬﮭﺎ ‪ ,‬ﻓﻘﺪ ﺃأﺣﺴﺴﺖ‬ ‫ﻭو ﺃأﻧﺎ ﺃأﺗﻨﻘﻞ ﺑﻴﯿﻦ ﺣﻀﺎﺭرﺓة ﻣﻌﻤﺎﺭرﻳﯾﺔ ﻗﺪﻳﯾﻤﺔ ﻭوﻭوﺟﻪﮫ ﺟﺪﻳﯾﺪ ﻟﻌﻤﺎﺭرﺓة ﻟﻢ ﺗﺘﻨﻜﺮ ﻟﻘﺪﻳﯾﻤﻬﮭﺎ ﺑﺎﻟﺴﺤﺮ‪,‬‬ ‫ﻓﻬﮭﻨﺎﻙك ﺗﺴﺤﺮﻙك ﺍاﻻﻟﻮﺍاﻥن ﻗﺒﻞ ﺍاﻻﺷﻜﺎﻝل ﻭوﻛﺄﻧﻚ ﺗﺘﻨﻘﻞ ﺑﻴﯿﻦ ﻟﻮﺣﺔ ﻭو ﻟﻮﺣﺔ‪,‬ﻟﻮﺣﺎﺕت ﻋﺪﻳﯾﺪﺓة‬ ‫ﺯزﺍاﻫﮬﮪھﻴﯿﺔ ﺗﺘﻠﻤﺴﻬﮭﺎ ﺣﺘﻰ ﻓﻲ ﻟﺒﺎﺱس ﺍاﻟﻨﺎﺱس ﻭوﻣﺎ ﻳﯾﺮﺳﻤﻮﻧﻪﮫ ﻋﻠﻰ ﺳﻴﯿﺎﺭرﺍاﺗﻬﮭﻢ ﻭو ﻗﺎﻓﻼﺗﻬﮭﻢ ﺣﺘﻰ‬ ‫ﻁطﻌﺎﻣﻬﮭﻢ ﻟﻢ ﻳﯾﺴﻠﻢ ﻣﻦ ﺫذﻭوﻕق ﺍاﻻﻟﻮﺍاﻥن ﻗﺒﻞ ﺍاﻟﻤﺬﺍاﻕق‪ ,‬ﺩدﻑفء ﺗﺸﻌﺮﻩه ﻓﻲ ﻛﻞ ﺭرﻛﻦ ﻭوﺣﺮﻛﺔ ﺩدﺍاﺋﺒﺔ‬ ‫ﻟﺒﻠﺪ ﻛﺒﻴﯿﺮ ﻓﻲ ﺣﺠﻤﻪﮫ ﻭو ﺳﻜﺎﻧﻪﮫ‪ ,‬ﻭوﺣﻀﺎﺭرﺓة ﺗﺮﺗﺴﻢ ﻋﻠﻰ ﻗﺼﻮﺭر ﻭوﻣﻌﺎﺑﺪ ﻭو ﺟﻮﺍاﻣﻊ ﺗﺤﺪﺛﻚ‬ ‫ﻋﻦ ﺗﺎﺭرﻳﯾﺦ ﻋﺮﻳﯾﻖ‪,‬ﻭوﻓﻲ ﻫﮬﮪھﺬﻩه ﺍاﻟﻘﺎﺭرﺓة ﺍاﻟﺸﺎﺳﻌﺔ ﺗﻨﻘﻠﻚ ﺍاﻟﻄﺒﻴﯿﻌﺔ ﺑﻴﯿﻦ ﺍاﻟﺸﻤﺎﻝل ﺍاﻟﺒﺎﺭرﺩد ﺍاﻟﻰ ﺳﻮﺍاﺣﻞ‬ ‫ﺍاﻟﻰ ﻏﺎﺑﺎﺕت ﻓﻲ ﺍاﻟﺠﻨﻮﺏب ‪.‬‬ ‫ﻭوﺍاﻛﺜﺮ ﻣﺎ ﻳﯾﻤﻴﯿﺰ ﻫﮬﮪھﺬﺍا ﺍاﻟﺒﻠﺪ ﻋﻦ ﻏﻴﯿﺮﻩه ﻣﻦ ﺑﻠﺪﺍاﻥن ﺍاﻟﻌﺎﻟﻢ ﻫﮬﮪھﻮ ﺗﻤﺴﻜﻪﮫ ﺑﺰﻳﯾﻪﮫ ﺍاﻟﺘﻘﻠﻴﯿﺪﻱي ﻣﻊ ﺗﻄﻮﻳﯾﺮﻩه‬ ‫ﻟﻴﯿﺘﻨﺎﺳﺐ ﻣﻊ ﻣﺘﻄﻠﺒﺎﺕت ﺍاﻟﺤﻴﯿﺎﺓة ﻓﻠﻢ ﻳﯾﺴﺘﻄﻊ ﺍاﻟﻐﺰﻭو ﺍاﻟﺜﻘﺎﻓﻲ ﺍاﻟﻌﺎﻟﻤﻲ ﺍاﻟﻘﻀﺎء ﻋﻠﻰ ﺍاﻟﺴﺎﺭرﻱي‬ ‫ﺍاﻟﻬﮭﻨﺪﻱي ﺍاﻟﺬﻱي ﺗﻤﻴﯿﺰ ﺑﻐﻨﻰ ﺧﺎﻣﺎﺗﻪﮫ ﻭو ﺍاﻗﻤﺸﺘﻪﮫ ﺑﺎﻻﺿﺎﻓﺔ ﻻﻟﻮﺍاﻧﻪﮫ ﺍاﻟﺠﺬﺍاﺑﺔ‪.‬‬ ‫ﺗﺄﺧﺬﻙك ﺍاﻟﺰﺧﺎﺭرﻑف ﺑﺘﻨﻮﻋﻬﮭﺎ ﻋﻠﻰ ﻭوﺍاﺟﻬﮭﺎﺕت ﺍاﻟﻤﺒﺎﻧﻲ ﻭوﺗﺤﺪﺛﻚ ﻋﻦ ﺍاﻻﻧﺴﺎﻥن ﺍاﻟﻰ ﺣﺪ ﺃأﻧﻚ‬ ‫ﺗﺴﺘﻄﻴﯿﻊ ﺍاﻟﺘﻌﺮﻑف ﻋﻠﻰ ﻣﺎ ﻫﮬﮪھﻮ ﻫﮬﮪھﻨﺪﻱي ﻣﻦ ﺧﻼﻝل ﺭرﺅؤﻳﯾﺎﻙك ﻟﻤﻨﺤﻮﺗﺔ ﺃأﻭو ﺗﻤﺜﺎﻝل ﺃأﻭو ﺣﺘﻰ ﻓﻲ‬ ‫ﻣﻼﻣﺢ ﺍاﻟﻨﺎﺱس ‪.‬‬ ‫ﻭوﺍاﻧﺖ ﺗﺘﺤﺪﺙث ﻋﻦ ﺑﻠﺪ ﻛﺎﻟﻬﮭﻨﺪ ﺗﺤﺘﺎﺝج ﺍاﻟﻰ ﻣﺠﻠﺪﺍاﺕت ﻟﺘﺼﻒ ﻛﻞ ﺷﺊ ‪,‬ﻓﻤﻦ ﺍاﻟﻤﺪﻥن ﺍاﻟﻜﺒﻴﯿﺮﺓة‬ ‫ﺍاﻟﺘﻲ ﺗﻌﺞ ﺑﺎﻟﻨﺎﺱس ﺍاﻟﻰ ﺍاﻟﻘﺮﻯى ﻳﯾﺴﺤﺮﻙك ﺍاﻟﺘﻨﻮﻉع ﻭوﺗﻨﺘﻘﻞ ﻣﻦ ﺍاﻻﺯزﻗﺔ ﻭو ﺍاﻟﺒﻴﯿﻮﺕت ﺍاﻟﻤﺘﻼﺻﻘﺔ‬ ‫ﺍاﻟﻰ ﺍاﻟﻤﺪﻳﯾﻨﺔ ﺑﺸﻮﺍاﺭرﻋﻬﮭﺎ ﺍاﻟﻮﺍاﺳﻌﺔ ﻭو ﻋﻤﺎﺭرﺍاﺗﻬﮭﺎ ﺍاﻟﺸﺎﻫﮬﮪھﻘﺔ‪,‬ﻭوﻳﯾﺘﺼﻞ ﺍاﻟﺘﺎﺭرﻳﯾﺦ ﺑﺎﻟﺤﺎﺿﺮ‪,‬ﻭوﻛﻤﺎ‬ ‫ﺗﺘﻨﻮﻉع ﺍاﻟﻄﺒﻴﯿﻌﺔ ﻣﻦ ﺟﺒﺎﻝل ﺷﺎﻫﮬﮪھﻘﺔ ﺗﻀﻢ ﺃأﻋﻠﻰ ﻗﻤﺔ ﻓﻲ ﺍاﻟﻌﺎﻟﻢ ﺗﻨﻘﻠﻚ ﺍاﻟﻰ ﻣﺰﺍاﺭرﻉع ﻭو‬ ‫ﺻﺤﺎﺭرﻱي ﻭوﻏﺎﺑﺎﺕت‪,‬ﻭوﺑﻴﯿﻦ ﻋﺒﻖ ﺍاﻟﺒﻬﮭﺎﺭرﺍاﺕت ﺍاﻟﻰ ﻋﺒﻴﯿﺮ ﺍاﻟﻌﻮﺩد ﺍاﻟﻰ ﻁطﻌﻢ ﺟﻮﺯز ﺍاﻟﻬﮭﻨﺪ‪,‬ﻭوﻣﻦ‬ ‫ﺍاﻟﻮﺳﺎﺋﻞ ﺍاﻟﻘﺪﻳﯾﻤﺔ ﻭوﺍاﺑﺮﺯزﻫﮬﮪھﺎ ﺍاﺳﺘﺨﺪﺍاﻡم ﺍاﻟﻔﻴﯿﻠﺔ ﺍاﻟﻰ ﺍاﻟﻮﺳﺎﺋﻞ ﺍاﻟﺤﺪﻳﯾﺜﺔ ﻛﺎﻟﻨﺎﻗﻼﺕت ﻭو ﺍاﻟﺮﺍاﻓﻌﺎﺕت‬ ‫ﻋﺠﺎﺋﺐ ﺗﺒﻬﮭﺮ ﺍاﻟﻌﻘﻮﻝل‪ .‬ﻭوﻣﻦ ﻻ ﻳﯾﻌﺮﻑف ﺗﺎﺝج ﻣﺤﻞ ﻭوﻗﺼﺔ ﺑﻨﺎﺋﻪﮫ؟ ﻓﺮﻭوﻋﺘﻪﮫ ﺍاﻟﻤﻌﻤﺎﺭرﻳﯾﺔ ﻻ‬ ‫ﺗﻘﻞ ﻋﻦ ﻗﺼﺔ ﺣﺐ ﺭرﺍاﺋﻌﺔ ‪.‬‬ ‫ﻭوﺗﺮﺗﺒﻂ ﻓﻨﻮﻥن ﺍاﻟﻨﺤﺖ ﻭوﺍاﻟﻌﻤﺎﺭرﺓة ﺍاﻟﻬﮭﻨﺪﻳﯾﺔ ﺑﺎﻟﻤﻌﺘﻘﺪﺍاﺕت ﺍاﻟﺪﻳﯾﻨﻴﯿﺔ ﻋﻠﻰ ﺍاﻟﺮﻏﻢ ﻣﻦ ﺍاﺧﺘﻼﻑف‬ ‫ﺍاﻟﺪﻳﯾﺎﻧﺎﺕت ﻓﻲ ﺍاﻟﻬﮭﻨﺪ ﺍاﻻ ﺍاﻧﻚ ﺗﺴﺘﻄﻴﯿﻊ ﻣﻼﺣﻈﺔ ﺍاﻻﺧﺘﻼﻑف ﺑﻄﺮﻳﯾﻘﺔ ﺍاﻟﺒﻨﺎء‪,‬ﺗﺴﺘﻄﻴﯿﻊ ﺗﻤﻴﯿﻴﯿﺰ‬ ‫ﺍاﻟﻌﻤﺎﺭرﺓة ﺍاﻻﺳﻼﻣﻴﯿﺔ ﺑﻮﺿﻮﺡح ﻣﻦ ﻧﺎﺣﻴﯿﺔ ﺍاﻟﻤﺸﺮﺑﻴﯿﺎﺕت ﻭوﺍاﻻﺑﻮﺍاﺏب‪,‬ﺍاﻟﺰﺧﺎﺭرﻑف‪,‬ﺍاﻟﻘﺒﺎﺏب ﻭو ﺍاﻟﻤﺄﺫذﻥن‬ ‫ﺑﻴﯿﻨﻤﺎ ﺗﺴﺘﻄﻴﯿﻊ ﺍاﻥن ﺗﺮﻯى ﺭرﻭوﻋﺔ ﺍاﻟﻤﺪﺍاﺧﻞ ﺍاﻟﻤﻜﺸﻮﻓﺔ ﻟﻠﻤﻌﺎﺑﺪﻭوﺍاﻟﺘﻤﺎﺛﻴﯿﻞ ﺍاﻟﻤﻨﺤﻮﺗﺔ ﺍاﻟﺘﻲ ﺗﻀﻢ‬ ‫ﺍاﻟﺨﻴﯿﻮﻝل ﻭو ﺍاﻻﻓﻴﯿﺎﻝل ﺑﻜﺜﺮﺓة ﻭو ﺍاﻛﺜﺮ ﻣﺎ ﻳﯾﻠﻔﺖ ﻧﻈﺮﻙك ﻓﻦ ﺍاﻟﺘﺼﻮﻳﯾﺮ ﻭوﺍاﻟﺮﺳﻢ ﺍاﻟﻤﻮﺟﻮﺩد ﻋﻠﻰ‬ ‫ﺟﺪﺭرﺍاﻥن ﺍاﻟﻤﻌﺎﺑﺪ ﻭو ﺍاﻻﺭرﺿﻴﯿﺎﺕت ‪.‬‬ ‫ﻫﮬﮪھﻨﺎﻙك ﺍاﻟﻌﺪﻳﯾﺪ ﻣﻦ ﺍاﻟﻤﻮﺍاﺩد ﺍاﻟﻤﺴﺘﺨﺪﻣﺔ ﻓﻲ ﺍاﻟﺒﻨﺎء ﺳﻮﺍاء ﺍاﻟﻘﺪﻳﯾﻢ ﺍاﻭو ﺍاﻟﺤﺪﻳﯾﺚ ﺑﺤﻴﯿﺚ ﺗﺘﻼﺋﻢ ﻣﻊ‬ ‫ﺍاﻟﻈﺮﻭوﻑف ﺍاﻟﻤﻨﺎﺧﻴﯿﺔ ﻭو ﺍاﻟﺒﻴﯿﺌﻴﯿﺔ ﻛﺎﻟﺤﺠﺮ ﻭو ﺍاﻟﺮﺧﺎﻡم ﻭوﺍاﻋﺠﺒﺘﻨﻲ ﻛﺜﻴﯿﺮ"ﺍا ﺍاﻟﻨﻮﺍاﻓﻴﯿﺮ ﺍاﻟﺘﻲ ﺑﺎﻻﺿﺎﻓﺔ‬ ‫ﻟﻤﻈﻬﮭﺮﻫﮬﮪھﺎ ﺍاﻟﺠﻤﺎﻟﻲ ﺗﺮﻁطﺐ ﺍاﻟﺠﻮ ﻭو ﺗﻠﻄﻒ ﺩدﺭرﺟﺎﺕت ﺍاﻟﺤﺮﺍاﺭرﺓة ‪.‬‬ ‫ﻭوﺭرﺅؤﻳﯾﺘﻲ ﻛﻤﺘﺨﺼﺼﺔ ﻓﻲ ﺍاﻟﻌﻤﺎﺭرﺓة ﻟﻔﺖ ﺍاﻧﺘﺒﺎﻫﮬﮪھﻲ ﺍاﻥن ﺍاﻟﻌﻤﺎﺭرﺓة ﺍاﻟﻬﮭﻨﺪﻳﯾﺔ ﻏﻨﻴﯿﺔ ﺑﺎﻟﺘﻔﺎﺻﻴﯿﻞ‬ ‫ﺍاﻟﻜﺜﻴﯿﺮﺓة ﻭوﺍاﻟﺪﻗﻴﯿﻘﺔ ﻭو ﻣﺎ ﻳﯾﻤﻴﯿﺰ ﺍاﻟﻬﮭﻨﺪ ﺗﻤﻴﯿﺰﻫﮬﮪھﺎ ﺍاﻟﻤﻌﻤﺎﺭرﻱي ﺣﻴﯿﺚ ﻟﺪﻯى ﻛﻞ ﺃأﺛﺮ ﻣﻦ ﺍاﻷﺛﺎﺭر ﻭوﺟﻪﮫ‬ ‫ﻣﻦ ﺃأﻭوﺟﻪﮫ ﺍاﻟﺠﻤﺎﻝل ﺍاﻟﻤﻌﻤﺎﺭرﻱي ﺍاﻟﺬﻱي ﻳﯾﺠﻌﻞ ﺍاﻟﻤﺮء ﻣﻔﺘﻮﻧﺎ ﺑﻪﮫ‪,‬ﻻ ﻳﯾﻤﻜﻦ ﻭوﺻﻒ ﺭرﻭوﻋﺔ ﺍاﻟﻤﻜﺎﻥن‬ ‫ﻳﯾﺠﺐ ﻋﻠﻰ ﺍاﻟﻤﺮء ﺯزﻳﯾﺎﺭرﺗﻪﮫ ﺑﻨﻔﺴﻪﮫ ﻟﻴﯿﺘﻤﻜﻦ ﻣﻦ ﺗﻘﺪﻳﯾﺮﻩه ﺑﺤﻖ‪.‬‬ ‫‪www.poolmagazine.in 15‬‬

‫‪Lana Al-Nasser‬‬ ‫‪graduated from Jordan‬‬ ‫‪University as an‬‬ ‫‪architectural engineer‬‬ ‫‪in 1998. She designs‬‬ ‫‪health care facilities,‬‬ ‫‪and engages in‬‬ ‫‪interior design.‬‬ ‫‪lana.lanloon@gmail.com‬‬

16 POOL #24

Co-founder of the Vietnam-based Haki Group, Pham Huyen Kieu is a Senior Design Consultant at Haki Branding, Creative Director at Haki Advertising, and Creative Director at Immortal Haki. He is also the Cofounder of the Vietnam Anti-Counterfeiting and Trademark Protection Association and the Vietnam UNESSCO Multimedia Club and was instrumental in establishing the Vietnam Graphic Design Exchange. www.haki.vn www.poolmagazine.inâ&#x20AC;&#x192; 17

18 POOL #24

Anette Hiltunen is a Product/UX Designer at Siemens Healthcare Innovation Think Tank in Sonderburg, Denmark.

She has a M.Sc. in IT Product Design from the University of Southern Denmark, and a BA in Product Design from Kuopio Design Academy. naate@hotmail.com www.poolmagazine.inâ&#x20AC;&#x192; 19

“Bright Future of Design” “Waarom is design goed voor India?”

“Wat kan design doen voor Anna Hazare?”

Tet Reuver is the Owner, Director & Cofounder of LABminds Ltd (temporary teams of multidisciplinary designers and scientists).

She also owns Studio Tet Reuver Design Management, and is Head of Jury, Dutch Design Awards. tet.reuver@hotmail.com 20 POOL #24

www.poolmagazine.inâ&#x20AC;&#x192; 21

Designing for a Convivial Future

Uday Dandavate Co-Founder & CEO SonicRim Ltd. San Francisco, USA www.sonicrim.com 22 POOL #24

Design in the Past The origin of contemporary practice of design is often traced to the Bauhaus (1919 to 1933) in Germany. Bauhaus founders were driven to restore the esthetic sensibilities that guided the imagination of craftsmen and artists prior to the industrial revolution. The Bauhaus movement was led primarily by artists and architects who set the tone and boundaries of contemporary design discourse around the idea of reconciling mass-production with the individual artistic spirit. However, while creating a platform for artistic expression, Bauhaus championed rational, objective, and minimalistic design over emotional expressionism, which is more commonly associated with the field of arts.

As the field of design developed, an average person had begun to associate design with a connoisseur class of brands and products, designed for consumers with discerning taste. Media has also contributed to propagating a celebrity status to a few designers and their designs.

Impetus for design

Mass Production

Fragmentation of Creative Potential

Fall of Consumerism

Past

Present

Future

Personal Expression

Integration

Cultivation

Purpose for design Changing relevance of design practice

Design Today The field of design is in the process of being redefined. Progressive organizations from both private and public sectors are developing a keen interest in design thinking, design research, and co-creation. Designers are beginning to discover the potential of their skills in inspiring the imagination of a team, organization, or community. Today, clients from both for-profit and nonprofit sectors are hiring designers to apply design thinking to translate social, cultural and psychological values into public policies and macro-level innovation strategies.

Design schools have always trained students to become generalists (as opposed to specialists) in order to help them become integrators and cross-pollinators of ideas. However, two important emotional skills necessary in an effective integrator are missing in design education: humility and empathy. While acquiring skills for observation, creative ideation, and integration, most design graduates enter the work force with a large ego and low empathy. This egocentric mindset can get in the way www.poolmagazine.inâ&#x20AC;&#x192; 23

designing for a convivial future

of designers gaining acceptance in a team as effective integrators of ideas and facilitators of a co-creation process. To manage complex issues of contemporary life, organizations need subject matter experts and integrators. Increasing dependence on experts has resulted in an unmet need for integrators who can make expert knowledge accessible and actionable across silos. Designers have the necessary conceptual skills to serve this largely unmet need, and thus many are recognizing the opportunity make a greater impact on organizations as integrators rather than as celebrity designers. They have begun to take a lead in helping their clients tap into the creative potential and wisdom dormant within their value chains. However, by and large most design schools are still stoking the egos of their students and nurturing in them the dream of becoming a celebrity designer.

Future of Design The future of design will be radically different from the present. The vision of the future of design will not be articulated in the classrooms of design schools, nor in state-of-the-art studios of design consulting firms. The new model for design will evolve as a response to the changing behaviors of everyday people who are actively looking for and using new tools, business models, and services that allow them to participate in conceptualization and production of paradigm shifting products, services and ventures.

In the future, participatory models will challenge the top-down model 24â&#x20AC;&#x192; POOLâ&#x20AC;&#x201A;#24

of management. For instance, we are already witnessing increased preference for participator tools such as YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter over traditional broadcast media. Participatory modes of creating and sharing content and increasing dependence on social networks will lead to new models of planning, management and production.

It is becoming clear that designerly ways of observing, sensing, learning, discovering, and inspiring imagination will become foundational skills for every team. Visionary leaders will need to cultivate in their teams the capacity to innovate and build resilience to change.

Designers have the opportunity to guide the imagination and the values of a new society and economy by conceptualizing new models of engaging users of design in creation of design. The future will bring to designers opportunities for leading transformative change in an organization, a community or society.

Designersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; responsibility in the future will be to take design back to the people by training and encouraging creative thinking in schools, colleges, and work places. Instead of building products and services, designers will build tools and institutions for training everyday people to engage their imagination, express their ideas, and collaborate with each other to find solutions that meet their needs.

The future of design in India is tied to the dream of an average Indian. It is tied to how the youth in India dream about shaping their future. As the generation of Indians that fought against the British rule step down from leadership roles,

and the youth seeks new ways to find meaning in life, they will challenge old systems and beliefs, and innovate new approaches to every sphere of life.

Twenty years ago, India turned away from its socialist ideals and opened its doors to multinational corporations.

Now India is searching past its fascination with the Wall Street model of liberalization and globalization, which brought global brands into the Indian marketplace and injected enthusiasm for entrepreneurship and pursuit of wealth, especially amidst its middle class.

Craving for intellectual fulfillment while going through everyday struggles of life has traditionally drawn the middle class to participate in social transformation processes and to champion the cause of the weaker sections of society. However with liberalization of the economy the middle class has abandoned its role as the ideologues of the nation. Some have got caught up in pursuing opportunities to become rich and the rest are being pushed to the wall, unable to keep up with the pace of 21th century capitalism in India. The greed for wealth has resulted in increase in corruption, and a feeling has crept into the minds of the weaker sections of society of being abandoned by the middle class – who in the past championed their cause.

a common cause, and building tools to engage the imagination of people.

In every organization and community people felt alienated from the value creation process because their innate creativity was neither acknowledged nor engaged. I would like to cite Ivan Illich’s thoughts on tools for conviviality: “Tools are intrinsic to social relationships. An individual relates himself in action to his society through the use of tools that he actively masters, or by which he is passively acted upon. To the degree that he masters his tools, he can invest the world with his meaning; to the degree that he is mastered by his tools, the shape of the tool determines his own self-image.

Convivial tools are those which give each person who uses them the greatest opportunity to enrich the environment with the fruits of his or her vision.”

Bauhaus championed design for reconciling mass-production with the individual artistic spirit. In future, design can help reconcile society’s current craving for wealth creation and consumption, with a new participatory spirit of collaborative construction of tools for innovation, tools for responsible living and tools for everyday people to live the life of their imagination.

Poets, artists and writers have always inspired the imagination of a society and united it around a common cause.

Albert Einstein once said, “Imagination is more important than knowledge.” Today, there is an opportunity for designers to take responsibility for shaping a vision, www.poolmagazine.in 25

DESIGN AT THE HELM OF A PROMISING FUTURE? Chitra Chandrashekhar Mographies, Founder/Creative Director Chennai, Tamil Nadu M.Des (Visual Communication), IDC Mumbai, IIT Bombay architrac.blogspot.in 26 POOL #24

A kaleidoscope of cultures, languages, landscapes, economies, beliefs and much more, India is an unravelled puzzle, a continuously changing frenzied metacanvas of past, present and future. Lurking behind this wonderful India is India that is also a kaleidoscope of inequalities, inefficiencies, injustice, indifference, insecurities and more. Will the future weed out the latter and bring out the former? Where is this nation headed in tomorrowâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s global knowledge society?

Many questions arise as rapid currents of time churn and turn the contemporary way of life around the world. We, in India continue to cope with our past as we ride the new tide of the future. At the helm of it all, lies design, and how!

Design, a syntactic addition to the Indian lexicon, is yet to be unwrapped and understood in its entirety. Only recently has this word manifested itself as a formidable tool in paving the vision of a bright future for the world at large.

However, in this part of the world, design

refers to a skin deep instant solution. Can this perception change? Can it become an outlook that nurtures a secular, just, efficient and beautiful future? Can design inspire and empower generations of youth, to believe in themselves and create a promising future? Can design ensure a population to work in cooperation and peaceful coexistence? The answer echoes in an optimistic YES, but how?

A small step lies in demystifying this species called Design. Understanding the multi-disciplinary gene of design and revealing its relevance to everyday humans in their everyday lives.

Obliterating conventional boundaries of design communities and making design an accessible and democratic life skill. Designers uphold a critical role in initiating this new course of integration, cooperation and collaboration in every aspect of nation building, thus ushering a change. A promising future lies therein.

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cartoonist

What inspired you to become a visual development artist?

DK: I always had a very imaginative mind. As a child I in Goa I would imagine various fantasy worlds and creatures.

Exploring small bushes or ant hills, observing insects was a favorite pass time! My tryst with drawing started very early in my childhood, watching my dad, who is a self taught painter and sculptor.

I majored in Illustration at the Goa College of Art and then did a post graduate diploma course in Animation Film Making.

I was exposed to many beautiful concepts, characters and environments designed by various artists around the world, which reminded me of all the imagination I had as a child and I knew this was what I had to do for the rest of my life!

Visual Development Artist Dattaraj Kamat believes in-depth research is the only way to create truly memorable characters dattarajkamatart.blogspot.com

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Tell us a little bit about yourself.

DK: I joined UTV Motion Pictures in Mumbai as a BG concept artist for their animated feature film Alibaba and Forty-one Thieves. After working freelance on a couple of other feature film design projects in Mumbai, I moved back to my hometown and joined ‘Wonder Thoughts’ studio, as Pre-production Head. Here I successfully supervised design and production of several comics and storybooks for kids. Currently I work for

cartoonist

Animation and Art School Goa as pre-production faculty. I am also involved in various illustration projects for ad agencies and studios in the UK and Mumbai.

What was your experience working on films like Alibaba and Forty-one Thieves?

DK: Alibaba and Forty-one Thieves was my first film as a concept artist. Despite the fact that I was a fresher, the director Saumitra Ranade gave me the freedom to explore designs and come up with unique location concepts for the film. Our team was a bunch of seven to eight very creative people who managed to pull up one entire pre-production in just six months! That has been the best phase of my animation career so far!

What process do you follow to create your work?

DK: Good research and exploration on a thumbnail level are most important. Before I start drawing I have to know what I want to draw. I understand what exactly the requirement of a brief is and then start doing thumbnails, exploratory sketches.

Thumbnails really help you to test your imagination and bring out all the possible options and variations in your design!

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cartoonist Normally when I design a character for animation, I start with small sketches that have just forms and shapes that define the overall form and silhouette of the character. I always go from the general shape to the specific elements in my design. I always try to keep a strong contrast in shapes and angles and make sure there are no tangents or loose elements in it. I make sure I get a strong silhouette. Getting a strong silhouette from all angles is a very important part of my process! The face is the next most important part of a character, so I make sure it has the kind of appeal and attitude I am looking for.

If I have to work on a pre-decided style I try to understand how the style guide works. I pick up the key elements that define that style. If I have the freedom to come out with a new style then I start exploring with various forms and shapes.

I study elements or any art form that may be associated with the storyline. For instance, if the story revolves around any specific part of the world, then we can pick elements from the local art forms practiced in that area. This helps not only to come up with unique styles but also to maintain a link to the roots of that culture, which is present in the script. The best examples of this are the designs for Disney’s Mulan and The Emperor’s New Groove.

How important is research in your field of work?

DK: Research plays an important part in this field. Visual development for a film requires a lot of study about the subjects you are working on – the location in which a story is told, its characters, their costumes, ethnicity, geography, period, props and so on. Every detail about the subject needs to be taken into account before designing it. Research can also help in developing a whole new perspective towards the design part. Disney’s Mulan is one of the perfect examples of how research can help you develop a whole new and very exiting style of design.

What is the most challenging part of being a visual development artist?

DK: It’s a very challenging yet fun job! The most challenging part is to create things according to the need of the script or your director’s vision, and that which can also appeal to the masses. It’s very challenging to create stuff that amazes and surprises viewers. It’s tough to relate to and draw according to someone else’s vision. You have to understand what the director’s vision or the need of the script is - try and stick as close to this and then try to improvise and add to it as a designer. Another challenge is to be innovative all the time! As www.poolmagazine.in 35

cartoonist a visual development artist you can’t stick to the same style and designs every time. One has to keep on exploring and innovating and produce something new and better every time according to the requirement of the script.

Who are your inspirations?

DK: My family used to make Ganesha idols for the festival, so it was always Lord Ganesha who inspired me from childhood.

I still have the habit of starting every drawing with a ‘Shri’ on top of the page! My parents, especially my mom, are the motivation for me to get into this field. After getting into the industry, artists like Glen Keane, Ian McCaig, Uli Meyer, Florian Satzinger and John Nevarez also had a major influence on me. I would just sit and browse through their work for hours and that really motivated me to work harder to be a better designer. I was lucky enough to meet many genuine people in our industry like Aashish Mall, Nitin Nigde, and my current director Ruturaj Arolkar, who have really inspired me to improvise and shape into a better artist.

What is your opinion of the animation industry in India?

DK: Honestly speaking we are still far from what it takes to produce world class animation content, but we are progressing strongly towards it. I feel the major factor responsible for the lack of good quality animation in India is the lack of good education in this field. There are very few schools out there who take animation as an art and not business! Very few lay a strong esthetic foundation in students, so when it comes to producing appealing visuals we face a major problem. Animation schools really need to understand the importance of esthetics and visual communication and stop providing courses which are purely software oriented!

I believe if art colleges in India start taking animation seriously, it will really help develop good designers and animators.

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cartoonist Being culturally so rich, India has the best chance to cater to the world with a lot of new content. Because of the expansion of the Internet, market and territorial barriers have fallen, and designers and scriptwriters have the opportunity to showcase their work worldwide. As artists we have to take the initiative and start producing content that grabs the attention of the world. Producers and filmmakers may then come forward to support original Indian content, which can help rebuild this industry. We have so many skilled artists and animators who are performing well on an individual level. All they need is a good platform and opportunities so that they can help develop a strong design base for this industry.

As far as our production capabilities are concerned, we have been successfully catering to the production needs of the international feature market, but our own animation feature market is close to being nil! It’s been a long time since an Indian animation feature was released. However, we have major content being produced for television. Many new channels and TV shows are being added and getting a good response. I feel we really need to look at the TV market seriously. More original content can be produced for TV where the success rate too is much higher.

I think it’s high time we have a collaborative approach towards the enhancement of this industry. We have to put all our efforts and hard work into producing good Indian animation content which will help us get an identity and rebuild this industry, thus creating more requirements and jobs.

What career advice would you give young animators?

DK: Always stay focused, work hard and always stay updated!

Pay attention to what’s going on around the world in the animation industry, and what other artists/ animators are creating. If possible interact with them, share your work. Get feedback. Maintain a sketchbook and make a habit of carrying it and your portfolio everywhere. Never get out of touch with your trade! It takes years of practice to become good at what we do, but it takes mere days to lose that touch! So make it a point to practice on a daily basis. Mistakes at this level won’t cost you any damage but in turn will teach you a thing or two.

If you are a designer, making a printed portfolio makes more sense than a DVD as you can show it to people anywhere. Start posting your work where people can see it. Start a blog! Post work on online art communities and social sites, which have a big reach. Make it a point to attend CG meet ups, film festivals, comic con and any such art and animation related events.

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Illustrator You always end up meeting inspirational people here and get exposed to lot of exiting stuff. Remember, exposure to good content really helps a lot in your development!

Clarify your goals in this industry. Decide what part of animation you want to excel in. It’s always great to be a master in one area and have little knowledge of the rest, than to be a jack of all trades.

Always choose to make your career based on your strengths and interests because it requires less effort to take it to the next level.

Most of us have a habit of working hard on things that we are not good at, thus making us neglect our strengths, which if worked on can be developed into mastery with less effort.

What’s next for you?

DK: I am working on a very interesting graphic novel currently, which is my dream project! I am also planning to bring out an art book in a couple of years. I am currently developing some unique styles for character designs which I would love to put across in a film if given a chance.

I would like to design for a feature film soon, where I can put forward all the things I have learnt and developed as a visual development artist. I have always wanted to be part of an international feature film project where I can get a chance to perform with some of the best artists in the world. I believe working in competitive environments always gets the best out of you and it’s the best way to make yourself world class!

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COVER STORY

PORTRAIT OF AN ARTIST Looking at Lala’s work makes one think of places where color and sentiment are the overwhelming elements of one’s life. Her canvases feel at home in India. They belong. Striking and evocative of perhaps an alternative reality found at the thin border where the mind meets the heart, they invite those looking to look again and then, to feel. Hers is not the timid, tentative brush stroke. Lala’s work speaks of the inner life of the artist: confident strokes, unusual subjects and brave, strong colors fill every canvas, some of them (literally) larger than life. Like the artist, the work is self-assured yet poised, definite yet genuine, profound yet full of serenity and throughout, of a rare, stark integrity.

FINDING HER CALLING

For German-born painter Lala, India is the land of artistic and spiritual reawakening. Lidia Dancu discovers why… www.lala-arts.com

Lala was born Patricia Koch in Hamburg on 13th April 1972 to a German father and Bolivian mother. But the seeds of an alternative path in life were perhaps sown earlier, when her parents met in Miami where her father was a chef and her mother was studying German. They fell in love but unusually for a Bolivian woman, Lala’s mother wasn’t prepared for marriage and a settled life but strived for independence and personal fulfillment. Years later, her parents married and www.poolmagazine.in 43

COVER STORY

Lala working on her 6 x 10 ft painting ‘The Last Tango’

moved to Hamburg. Lala talks of a happy childhood on her grandfather’s property near the harbor, playing by the shore of the Elbe, soaking up the images that would become metaphors in her paintings - ships and sailors and water. Later, the family moved a little outside Hamburg, and her mother encouraged her creativity with homemade playhouses and interminable stories before bedtime.

She had always painted and played with color in its myriad forms, but the catalyst of the artist that was to become Lala was her first art teacher at the age of 12. She describes him as a genius, a lover of the German performance artist Joseph Beuys, and a passionate educator who imparted his love of the arts to his young students. At 14, Lala moved to another school that offered more classes in art, and was frequented by young people from all over the world. There, she immersed herself in the learning of colors, techniques, and art history; experimented with painting and various designs; and traveled around Europe to visit museums and numerous art collections.

“During that time, I developed a strong interest in biology and psychology and studied them to understand where we come from, why we are here and how we function. I discovered that art was the perfect medium to follow our urge to create,” she says. It appeared to be a choice between an intelligent mind’s quest for answers and a heart that yearned for creativity.

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COVER STORY

On graduating, Lala started to train as a nurse with the view of becoming a doctor and took work in a hospital where she enjoyed the companionship of colleagues, doctors and patients, but the work in itself soon became too mechanical for her. The call of the arts was greater, but the idea of studying in an institution that taught, as many did at the time, an art that was all new, modern and highly political, did not appeal to her. “I did not want to be a product of my surroundings,” she remembers, “so I started attending a psychotherapy group led by a famous bio-energy Swiss therapist. Then I joined the Steiner School of Art Therapy and that seemed perfect for me. I had a blissful time painting there.”

THE LURE OF INDIA A series of events and a fortunate stroke of serendipity brought her to India in September 1996. “All of a sudden, a year before I even thought of going there, India arrived in my life. I kept meeting people who had been to India, or who were about to go, or who had some strong connection to the place,” she says.

“I quit everything: my apartment, job, art school and my cat and I traveled to India. It was as if India was calling to me, so I followed.” Lala first visited Pune and after only four days, she met Arhat, the man she would later marry, an Austrian with a big passion for India, who had made the country his home.

They fell in love on a trip to Rajasthan and have remained www.poolmagazine.in 45

`Egon, Otto, Frida, Gil and Me´

It is a get together of four famous painters, Frida Kahlo (in the back, right), Otto Dix (in the back, left), Egon Schiele (in the front, left), the wonderful Indian painter Amrita SherGil (in the front, right) and Lala (in the front, middle)

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COVER STORY (On the right) 7 x 10 foot painting and sketches ‘VW Polo India’

together ever since, dividing their shared life between India and Europe. Initially, she had planned to be in India for only three months, but that became six and when Arhat suggested she could do a ‘summer job’ like he did in Austria and then live the rest of the time in India with him, she quickly agreed.

Back home in Hamburg, she started working as a waitress and moved back in with her parents to save money. In India, she lived off her earnings and painted and traveled. “Those first two years, we traveled a lot. We saw Nepal, Varanasi, Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, and Pakistan, and took a 5,000-kilometer motorbike trip along the southern coast of India. I always had my sketchbook with me and I was in love with the freedom.”

Lala’s tentative lifestyle became a regular way of living. She worked in Europe during the European summers and came ‘home’ to India at the end of the monsoon. In the year 2000, the urge to paint regularly became overpowering, and she started with oil colors. Soon she became absorbed by her work and her all-consuming desire to create and almost never left the house again. She painted day and night in the ‘Moghul Palace’ created by Arhat - an apartment that he designed so that the inside and the outside blended seamlessly, the way their personal histories had blended into the larger life of India, where there were no windows to keep them in a sealed bubble of their own, but where the outside was embraced.

The blue-washed walls, shining black marble floors, a little simple old furniture and the warm Indian yellow sunlight were the perfect surroundings for Lala to finally truly unleash the uncontainable longing to express emotions with colors and forms on canvas.

“After four years, my production became a little overwhelming in the apartment, so we decided to acquire another apartment as a studio,” she says. Located on the top-floor of a nearby building, surrounded by trees and overlooking the river, Arhat manifested once again a dream house for Lala. With his fine sensibility, he transformed the apartment into a jewel. “There, I work about eight hours every single day and not one passes without me being thankful for being in India, with him, in this house and able to paint.”

ART AND THE INDIAN INFLUENCE “My love for India is deeper than I could ever describe. It arises out of my guts into my heart, where it just makes me happy.

Happy like I feel nowhere else,” admits Lala. This affection for the place is evident in her art too. The way she treats her

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COVER STORY

`Everybody knows´ 5 x 8 ft oil on canvas, 2011

subject matters, the fondness, the curiosity, the devotion and most of all, the use of colors. “I don’t quite know what it is,” she muses, “maybe it is the light. Or just the kind, special people. Or maybe it is the ease with which you can be silent and meditative here. I really can’t grasp it. But I know that I love the dirt on the house-walls, washed down the roofs during the monsoons, it is like a painting to me. India is like a giant perfect harmonic painting, with all its ugliness and dirt and imperfection. It makes me feel at home and happy, which is the best ground for my creativity. I come from Europe, which I love with its culture and its knowledge of antiques and its appreciation of the old. But India is so rich in wisdom, even more ancient and old and I value this.”

Lala describes herself as a self-taught artist, influenced by German Expressionism, by Joseph Beuys and Escher, but also by Jack Vetriano (another self-taught artist) and Frida

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COVER STORY Kahlo, the German-Mexican artist. Like Kahlo, who was of similar descent, she brings the rich influences of her personal history to her art. And also like Kahlo, she paints what feels right and not what anybody else might feel is ‘right’, without over-intellectualizing her work. She speaks of her admiration for Indian painters and the names roll effortlessly, if rather a little predictably: Hussain, Chowdhury, Desai, and Souza. Her favorite is Amrita Sher Gill, also known as the ‘Indian Frida Kahlo’. “A friend gave me a catalogue of Indian artists a few years ago, and I fell in love with her work. I also admire her photographs. She seems to have been a strong woman that went her own way.”

Speaking of what art means to her, Lala says, “Artwork can’t really be understood by the analytic mind. The mind can’t grasp something that evolved out of spontaneity and a momentary feeling. You see a painting, an expression, and it touches your heart. It awakes something in you, something hidden and secret - a longing. Maybe the longing of the human being as such - the longing to be united, to be one, full of love and depth and sense. How can a painting create such a miracle? It can bring us in contact with that which we neglect or are afraid to look at - that finally and in the end, we are alone. A painting can become a bridge to our self, a window into the soul. We try to protect ourselves from this revelation, we try not to confront the unavoidable: the unknown, death, loneliness - or whatever you call it. Painting is my timid attempt to perform a miracle - to create energy out of nothing.

First there are only some colors and an empty canvas and then suddenly it is vibrant and it transports a meaning. It is difficult to be silent and to search without impatience for the possibility of expression that reveals the uttermost strength to transport that feeling.”

Living in India, Lala paints for the sheer love of it all.

She creates commissions for private clients when these feel right for her. She designs her own clothes using the rich colors and fabrics of India and makes gift items for friends and their children, like bags, cards and t-shirts adorned with her own paintings. When she first decided to live solely by her art she asked a generous Indian art lover and his wife if they would sponsor her in exchange for paintings and they immediately agreed. This patronage of the arts is reminiscent of an old world where artists were taken under the protective wing of a benefactor, which gave them the opportunity to create, unencumbered by quotidian financial worries.

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COVER STORY India as it was in Europe,” she explains. “This started only recently and now a lot of artists have come up. I always enjoy seeing their shows in Mumbai and some of them are truly impressive.”

PAINTING FROM THE HEART Five years had passed smoothly when existence favored Lala with another fantastic gift in the form of a commission for the new Volkswagen factory in Pune. She was asked to work on a 2x3 meter (7x10 feet) oil painting for their one year anniversary, showing the new Polo car and depicting an Indian scene. There was an exhibition of 56 paintings and Lala was asked to give her first speech in front of the many VIPs present.

Another exhibition in Salzburg, Austria is planned for later this year, to be held during the famous Salzburg Festival, and Lala looks forward to showing more of her work to an ever growing audience. Lala feels that the little money she needs to finance her simple life has come easily enough in the last few years, without impacting her integrity as an artist. This, she muses, may change someday, but she is prepared for difficulties.

Lidia Dancu is a freelance writer and entrepreneur with a keen interest in design, the arts and music. She spent ten years in Pune, India but currently lives in Edinburgh, Scotland. lidiadancu@gmail.com

Speaking about her inspiration, Lala says, “I like the Indian approach towards art that appears to me to come directly from the heart rather than from the mind. And I am the happiest in India so that is reflected in my ability to paint large paintings without effort or tension. Maybe because the atmosphere is more relaxed, people are more at ease with themselves without this Christian concept of guilt. Plus the warm colors that are present everywhere. Indian women have an amazing sense for matching colors, strong colors. In my opinion, they are the most beautifully looking and the most imaginatively dressed women in the world.”

For Lala, India is where her art flourishes, the place that has became home and that beckons, just like her paintings, to be discovered with the kind of honesty that transcends the mind, with raw simplicity and purity of heart. www.poolmagazine.in 53

craft

It’s amazing how many people have a creative side that they tend to dismiss as a hobby, to be indulged when one wants a break from more important work or from regular routine. It remains largely dormant, and few actually take the trouble to nurture it into anything more. Commerce graduate Nikita Dani isn’t one of these people. She was already indulging in creative pursuits like punch craft, oil painting and calligraphy when she decided she wanted to discover a new craft. This Vashi, Mumbai-based housewife certainly wasn’t ready to tuck her creative bent under the covers.

“I had a small baby and it was not easy for me to do things like paintings or other craft forms that resulted in lots of materials lying around the place,” she recalls. “About four years back a friend introduced me to this wonderful art called paper quilling. It required only a little material and I discovered with some imagination I could do wonders with it!”

Nikita Dani’s creative streak finds expression in the intricate craft of paper quilling vishal_79@hotmail.com 58 POOL #24

Though paper quilling or paper filigree is a relatively new art form in India, it traces its origins to 18th century Europe.

Basically it involves the use of strips of paper which are rolled around a quill to create a basic coil shape, and glued together to create decorative designs. Once Nikita learnt how to use

Lord Krishna

craft

‘The European Beauty’ (Took her 11 months to complete this project)

paper quilling to create works of art, she was hooked! “I first imagine a form I want to create and then after putting the outlines on paper I start the process of getting my small paper models of different colors and shapes ready with the help of paper strips and tools. Then I start assembling the same on the outlined paper and give it the form I had imagined,” she says.

Not only does she use paper craft to indulge her latent creativity, Nikita also devotes time to teaching it. “My husband has been my inspiration, as he has always liked me to do something I loved and that was crafts. People around me always underestimated my abilities but with the support of a few of my well wishers I turned my hobby into a profession,” says the talented young lady.

Nikita has discovered that art has no age or market barrier.

“People from all age groups who love art, and people who love gifting and beautifying their homes or offices are my potential market,” she admits. “I showcase my art to a larger crowd through exhibitions, though I cater to retail and custom purchases also.”

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craft Ask her if she has any favorite pieces and she says,

Her passion for what she does is obvious in the way she talks about it. “Paper quilling is a craft form that is currently in the nascent phase since the awareness level among people is not significant. With the help of different media like magazines, exhibitions and word of mouth publicity the craft will grow tremendously in the coming few years. The scope of this craft is immense in India as we Indians have a great love for art and craft. Paper quilling doesn’t come with a big price tag, hence it has the potential to penetrate across all income groups.”

In the future are plans to continue teaching and exhibiting paper craft. “I also want to do more in-depth studies in paper craft,” she says. “A person who loves art and craft never stops dreaming! After every project I complete I learn something more and I dream of putting something new into the next project, but winning the North America Quilling Guild competition is one of my dreams.”

Till then she seems to be on a roll!

Flowers from ‘The European Beauty’, zoomed in www.poolmagazine.in 61

What defines contemporary Indian graphic design? Is it the work of established professionals or DTP operators?

Like it or not, the average person in India would go to a “DTP person” to get their visiting card printed and, yes, designed as well. DTP printers typically charge for the printing and add a nominal hourly fee for any “design” work which is usually done in minutes, and not hours.

The customer usually is not very fussy about the design and he just wants it to “look nice”. This means the DTP person is left to do whatever he likes and often adds all sorts of flourishes, gradients, and creates his own version of a logo when there is none asked for. He basically flaunts the rules of design. As their work gets more prevalent in a society where there are fewer designers than DTP printers, one has to ask the question, who is driving aesthetics in India and what are they in any case?

We decided to probe into this phenomenon and reversed the roles of designer and client as we became their client.

We asked them to design our visiting card and gave them an open brief that they could design it in any way they like. For more on The Visiting Card Project, visit, http:// www.ishankhosla.com/india-design-experimental.html

FASHION

What is the story behind ‘a.k.a bespoke’?

AKA: ‘a.k.a. bespoke’ is an accessories brand for ladies and gentlemen of the 21st century. It was started by Aeiman Jarwala, Karan Berry and Ateev Anan - we met at design school and we all wanted to create beautiful design. Since we had a liking for accessories over clothes, we all went ahead and pursued that in different directions. Karan and Ateev learned how to handcraft footwear at the Cordwainers College at London College of Fashion, UK and Aeiman got into custom made, high end bags. Together we formed a.k.a. and started our brand for bespoke shoes and bags over a year and a half ago.

The team (Aeiman.

Karan. Ateev) at a.k.a bespoke, a Mumbaibased accessories brand, believes in being different in order to be irreplaceable! www.akabespoke.com 64 POOL #24

Why shoes?

AKA: Footwear for us takes fashion to another level. The most challenging part about a shoe is that it must fit and the wearer must be able to walk in it, so a lot of physics comes into play to maintain the balance and comfort in each design. Also the surface area of a shoe is so small compared to apparel that adapting trends is always about meticulous editing. So the amalgamation of structured engineering with style and trends

FASHION to create a beautiful piece is the most exciting bit for us.

Share with us your experiences as fashion entrepreneurs.

AKA: Coco Chanel said, “In order to be irreplaceable, one must be always be different.” In our own subtle way, we keep trying to make the difference. The one thing that we have learnt and relearn each day at work is that no two feet are the same, just as no two clients are the same. It teaches us to approach every shoe or bag with as much inquisitiveness and originality. We believe in exclusive, bespoke creations - to delve deep into each client’s wants and wishes and handcraft painstakingly, specialty footwear and bags like no other.

The real achievement, as clichéd as it sounds, is a happy customer. We have clients with foot ailments due to reasons such as polio, and when we are able to customize a pair of shoes that allow them the independence and liberty to move comfortably, the satisfaction and joy they express makes everything worthwhile.

What inspires your designs?

AKA: We are hugely inspired by people we see and the style they exude.

a.k.a ladies’

Is fashion about style or are substance and functionality equally important?

AKA: Style is (and should be) a derivative of substance and function. It is fads that inspire design for the purpose of making a statement without much function. As a brand we give style more importance and the trends and fads organically follow.

What role does innovation play in your designs?

AKA: As a design team we like to be aware of the developments locally and globally to understand trends. www.poolmagazine.in 65

FASHION (On the right) 1. a.k.a bag 2. a.k.a men’s

We follow a variety of blogs for updates on the international fashion and design scene. They are a quick source of information not only on what is new but how it is influencing the consumer; you get instant responses and opinions to help understand how a change in trends is being perceived. India is a fast growing market. Though we have a nascent highfashion market, we are constantly in a state of evolution from the old to the new. We definitely need to be two steps ahead to effect positive change.

Does your work reflect your personal fashion taste?

AKA: We all design from instinct. We create what we most passionately wish to express at any point. We enjoy conjuring up ‘old-as-new’ designs... working on classic shapes in innovative materials or combining two contrasting styles to create a new statement.

In this age of mass production and quickie collections, a.k.a. bespoke shoes and bags humbly bow down to age-old Indian ‘karigari’. Our team comprises skilled craftsmen who handcraft each piece meticulously using traditional techniques used over generations, each mastering various methods of making a shoe and bag respectively.

Each product is modern in design sensibility but handcrafted meticulously to ensure that all the footwear and bags will delight the senses, comfort body and soul, and be passed on through generations as precious heirlooms.

How would you describe your designs?

AKA: They are modern, individualistic, powerful, charming and honest!

How would you compare accessory design abroad and accessory design in India?

AKA: India has no dearth of resources. The awareness of the importance of design and an attitude of working towards creating something new versus creating in numbers has helped further what we can offer globally.

What challenges does an accessories designer in India face?

AKA: The Indian market for shoes and bags works largely on an export format. So breaking into that system as bespoke designers with exclusive limited collections wasn’t easy. It has been tough making people understand the work that goes into customized design and the price it thus deserves. What has worked in our favor though is that there aren’t many people

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FASHION

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FASHION

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FASHION

‘Karkhana’ (On the left) a.k.a Travel Tool kits

offering design and quality like ours and especially nobody doing bespoke accessories, so it makes us stand out.

What are your plans for the future?

AKA: After a successful launch of our ladies’ and gentlemen’s footwear collections at bungalow 8 (Mumbai), White (Delhi), and kids footwear at Mal (Mumbai), we are now ready to launch our exclusive travel range which includes everything from wallets, pouches, tags, and card cases, to iPad sleeves, diaries and overnight travel bags. The idea is to increase brand visibility through exclusive retail collections while we popularize the bespoke creations. We are expanding our base to start retailing overseas because the eventual plan is to grow to become a global luxury accessory brand.

Closing thoughts...

AKA: The rules are good to know because they guide you to achieve technical perfection, but the challenge is in bending the rules to create new definitions of success. www.poolmagazine.in 69

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More to be confirmed shortly.

DES

GOA IGNY ATRA , IND IA

The theme for this year is ‘THE DIVIDE’, providing a platform to examine the issues dividing the creative output of the industry.

CONFIRMED SPEAKERS Debbie Millman (Sterling Brands, USA) Marian Bantjes (Canada) Karl Heiselman (CEO, Wolff Olins USA) Bill Lunderman (VP Global Strategic Brand Design, Colgate Palmolive, USA) Paul Barnes (Commercialtype UK) Masashi Kawamura (ECD, Party, Japan) Kentaro Kimura (CEO and ECD, Hakuhodo Kettle, Japan) Ji Lee (Creative Director, Facebook) Robert Wong (Chief Creative Officer, Googlelabs) Nick Roope (ECD, POKE UK) Aapo Bovellan (Director of Brand and Marketing, Nokia) Michael Gough (Vice President, Adobe Experience Design)

AUG 30 — SEP 01

KYO ORIU S

KYOORIUS DESIGNYATRA,one of the most awaited design conferences of the year, brings together a range of prominent speakers, from all over the world.

2012

www.poolmagazine.in 73

ARCHITECTURE

Sachin Patil credits his success as an architect, and that of the firm he started with his wife Sheetal, to the gurus who have guided them along this remarkable journey www.manthanarchitects.in

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What is your relationship with architecture and design?

SP: I am a partner and principal architect with Manthan Architects in Kolhapur. Architecture is not just a profession for me - it defines and evolves my thought process as an individual. Architecture and design are a way of living, wherein everything we look at, touch and feel is an experience that leads us to a conscious reflection and response towards things in everyday living. This in turn governs our design process, be it architecture, interiors, landscapes, furniture, or products.

I completely believe in what Kahlil Gibran says: ‘We first shape our buildings and then our buildings shape us’. Similarly we as architects evolve our own perception about architecture and then with due time this perception helps us evolve as architects!

How did you get into the field of architecture?

SP: I have a B.Arch degree from SPSMBH’S New College of Architecture in Kolhapur. My years in the college were like a stepping stone into the profession of architecture. Kolhapur, though a small city, is very rich in art, architecture, art and

ARCHITECTURE

Medshinge House, Panhala Fort, Kolhapur J.K.Cement Architect of the Year Award-2009 Archidesign Award for Private Residence-2009

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ARCHITECTURE sports, but there are very limited avenues for exposure to modern architecture. I was fortunate enough to have studied at this pioneering school of architecture under the able guidance of Prof. Vijay Shinde, who was a very well versed professional, a dedicated teacher, and a thoughtful human being involved and associated with many art forms.

What led to the conception of Manthan Architects?

SP: Well known architect Christopher Benninger mentioned in his recent book Letters to a Young Architect that there’s no better fortune than to have a good guru or gurus. My wife Sheetal (who is an architect too) and I have truly been blessed to have gurus like architects B.V. Doshi, Girish Doshi, and great friends like Hiranti Welandawe from Sri Lanka, who have been instrumental and pivotal at times in defining our thought process and way of working. We have both worked with B.V. Doshi at Sangath in Ahmedabad - this forms the foundation for our architectural journey. We have always looked upon Girish Doshi from Navkaar Architects in Pune as a mentor. We went to Sri Lanka and worked with Hiranti Welandawe for around a year and a half, which was a kind of metamorphosis for both of us as architects, as a couple and as individuals too.

After acquiring work experience on varied projects we decided to start out on our own. Like every other beginner we too faced our share of rough times, right from deciding where to set up our office. We decided upon Kolhapur – it’s a beautiful town with a relaxed pace, rich tradition, and very good connectivity with almost all metros. As for Manthan Architects - the name itself says a lot about our work and thought process. ‘Manthan’ is the churning of ideas or thoughts – an important process.

Our studio is small, with both of us and a few other architects.

We work at our own pace, with our kids playing around us and adding joy and warmth to the work environment.

Which have been your favorite projects?

SP: Every architect has his own favorites and it’s difficult to pinpoint just one or two at any given point of time because we are constantly evolving. However I think the Medshinge house in Panhala is an all time favorite. Our very first office building for IFM Electronic in Kolhapur is also memorable. Though done at the early stage of our careers, these buildings have been a manifestation of all the training we went through as we worked with the masters. Both buildings are very different in their character - the Panhala weekend house is a very transparent and flexible and open kind of building, while the IFM office building is a long solid box, carved from inside, with 76 POOL #24

ARCHITECTURE

Medshinge-Patil Duplex, Kolhapur IIID Anchore Award for Multidwellings-2011 A duplex in a typical apartment with commercial properties, transformed into an open studio apartment.

a long courtyard into which all the work areas open. Both in a way try to fuse the modern with the vernacular - modern in treatment and vernacular in feel and spirit.

You have won several awards for your projects…

SP: With God’s grace and the blessings of our gurus and elders we have been granted several awards over the years. The first award was for innovative interior design for an ayurvedic clinic for a friend in 2004, right after we set up our studio.

When our friend called to say that we had received an award for our very first project, we were disbelieving at first, but then broke into tears of joy and accomplishment. It indeed was a great boost to our morale, and a tribute to our gurus!

Another important award was the ‘J.K Cement Architect of the Year Award’ for the Panhala residence. It was a very important milestone because that’s when we realized that an award is a great responsibility too. Both our gurus, B.V. Doshi, and Girish Doshi, were among the esteemed list of recipients, and reading my name in the same list brought a sense of huge responsibility instead of mere joy! www.poolmagazine.in 77

ARCHITECTURE Devgad Beach House, Sindhudurg IIID Anchor Interior Design Award for Private Residence-2011

A warm and cosy niche to relax and unwind. One can experience complete solitude and spend hours together reading or listening to some music as one looks out of this Jharokha

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At the ‘IIID Anchor Awards’ we received five awards for innovative interior design and architecture for the Devgad Beach House, Duplex at Kolhapur, and Ajit Narke House.

I hope we stand by the principles and the benchmarks we have always set for ourselves by looking at the great contribution of our gurus and working with vigor, passion, understanding, sensitivity and sensibility as architects and human beings!

We believe the ‘Devgad Beach House’ project has a very unique and interesting treatment…

SP: The ‘Devgad Beach House’ project is very close to our hearts. It’s a small building which was originally designed and owned by architect Shirish Beri, and later bought by our client Ravi (Bapu) R. Patil. Actually, we would prefer to call him a patron for the amount of trust and freedom he conferred upon us. It was a huge responsibility because we had to be innovative and yet not disturb the existing form and feel of the building. The core and structure of the building was kept untouched though we recreated almost all the walls and resurrected the degenerated roof. The entire house is done in locally available red laterite stone, and the floor has been finished with cow dung plaster, which gives it an oriental, warm, and cozy feel. Our client wanted a more open, extrovert kind of feel to the weekend house - he is a very social and outgoing person and loves to entertain guests and friends there. So our very first concern was to provide many spaces where people could open up, interact, relax and be at ease.

The gates were widened, and they opened up into a paved and landscaped forecourt. Low height green mounds and meandering pathways were designed in such a way that the

ARCHITECTURE progression to the house in itself becomes an experience before the experience itself unveils. We reworked almost all the openings and introduced some very interesting courtyards and spaces to make it an altogether different experience and yet keep the original earthy and vernacular feel intact.

How do you approach a project?

SP: Every design studio has a certain philosophy or principle that guides their thought and design process. We believe in the Zen way of living, which can be summed up into a sentence I read somewhere: ‘Emptiness in architecture or empty space is not empty but full....the greatest luxury in the 21st century’s consumerist maelstrom is freedom from possessions....!’

And then of course there are other factors governing the evolution of each design, like the context, climate, clientele, site conditions, etc. which are dealt with differently with each project. The crux or the core is always governed by the above mentioned philosophy or principle.

Would you say that simplicity is your signature style?

SP: Simplicity is rather difficult to achieve...one has to go through the full circle of complexities to come back to simplicity. I think we have been able to do this to some extent, thanks to the rigorous training we got with our gurus. It’s also a reflection of the architect’s personal thought process and way of living. Sheetal and I believe in a simple and easy way of living, being true to yourself, and respecting our instincts.

(On the left) As one enters the living room we immediately get a feel of being at home due to the low height Indian seats, and the door opening to the champa court brings in an element of surprise too

Do you experiment in terms of material, layouts, etc.?

SP: Yes, of course. Layouts or plans are the generators so they have to be distilled and crystallized in the first phase only then can the next phase of materials or execution gain the simplicity or clarity we look for in any project. With globalization and the availability of the almost every material in every corner of the world, there is a large palette to choose from these days. And that’s where architects have to be very vigilant and responsible - not only about the architecture but also about the environment, energy, society and humanity by and large. We prefer to a limit ourselves to a few materials and use them in different configurations to make different experiences each time, without squandering away the resources unduly.

What role does innovation play in architecture?

SP: Innovation is one of the most important aspects of architecture but we are strongly against using innovation as a reason to come up with designs that make senseless www.poolmagazine.in 79

ARCHITECTURE

Narke House, Kolhapur IIID Anchor Award for Private Residence-2011 The family space on the first floor has a background of a mystic skylight and shifting staircase, giving it a motion. Changing axis of the vertical connectivity adds motion.

and mindless statements without any regard to the context.

Innovation is a must for the growth of any art form or artist or architect but it has to be the outcome of relentless work and a thought process, not something which is done for the sake of being innovative. It has to be the outcome of the ‘manthan’ and not something that feels or looks like a cut paste add on!

What was it like working in Sri Lanka?

SP: Sri Lanka is a very interesting place to be, especially for architects, primarily because it shares a very similar background and yet is very different from India. Sri Lanka being the homeland of one of the most sensitive architects Geoffrey Bawa - has many interesting works of architecture; the ancient architecture is also awe inspiring, especially Polonnaruwa, Anuradhapura, and Sigiriya. Working with a modern architect like Hiranti Welandawe did add to our work experience. Having worked in Scandinavia for a while, she has her own approach towards architecture as an art and profession. Working with her was kind of a diving board for us to start our own practice once we came back home!

What are your future plans for Manthan Architects?

SP: We are humbled and yet happy to think that we have been able to make a niche for ourselves in the architectural scenario - the challenge is to live up to it and expand the scale and scope of projects and yet stay true to our root principles. We want to be honest towards the kind of architecture we look up to, and somewhere make buildings that would enrich the occupants and not just become buildings made out of bricks and concrete.

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ARCHITECTURE Do you have any plans for branching out internationally?

SP: Like every other professional we too have been influenced by international events and undertakings. We do have a few international architects we always look up to as inspirations - architects such as Glenn Mercutt, Ricardo Legoretta, and Tadeo Ando - their works have been like case studies for us in evolving our own kind of architecture. We have a few plans in the pipeline to work abroad. We would surely like to do some good work internationally.

How involved are you in academics?

SP: We both like to be involved in academics at least to some extent - it’s kind of a laboratory where we can experiment on various things along with the students. We look at academic involvement as a learning experience both for ourselves and the students. Instead of being typical teachers trying to drill ideas into their heads, we encourage and guide the students to bring out their full glory. To quote Christopher Benninger again: ‘The greatest gift we can gift a student is the knowledge that they will always be students’. We keep repeating this to ourselves too. One always has to keep one’s hands, minds and eyes open. We never know who will offer us what - which may change our perception about things and make us better professionals and human beings.

What is your advice to the new generation of architects and designers?

SP: Take up this profession with all sincerity and seriousness.

Remember, it’s not just a profession, it’s a social responsibility.

Take the time to search for your own kind of architecture, travel, meet a lot of people, interact with professionals who are doing good work, try and work with good people, sharpen your skills and sense of observation…and then think about setting up your own practice. It’s very easy to start an office immediately after graduating, but it’s difficult to take it to a higher level unless you have a strong base in terms of thought process and work experience.

Ending on a lighter note, if not an architect, what would Sachin Patil have liked to be?

SP: Can’t imagine myself doing something else but that’s an interesting question! On second thoughts, I might have been an engineer...I had a dream to build a city as a sensitive builder/developer. To create/build spaces for people… that’s what really pulled me towards architecture!

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DESIGN-PRENEURS

THE ULTIMATE TRANSFORMATION The biggest challenge for designers often lies in bringing their creations to end users. What could be more attractive than a system where designers could focus on their creative endeavors without dealing with all the mundane details of running their own business? Tadpole Store could be the answer to their prayers!

The online design retail website has been designed to give designers the power to transform themselves into ‘designpreneurs’. Designers have complete independent access to their own store within Tadpole Store and the freedom to add, present, price, and manage their products; Tadpole Store takes care of marketing, logistics and other such business aspects.

What’s more, there are no charges for listing or creating an account in Tadpole Store.

Online design retail website ‘Tadpole Store’ helps designers become design-preneurs! www.tadpolestore.com 86 POOL #24

Curated and promoted by designers, Tadpole Store offers original, high-quality designs from hand-picked Indian designers. Customers not only get a chance to buy authentic designer products directly from designers, but also participate in an immersive design experience by learning more about the creator of the product, interacting with the designers,

DESIGN-PRENEURS COVER STORY

AVAILABLE AT THE TADPOLE STORE www.poolmagazine.in 87

DESIGN-PRENEURS discovering the creative process of design and giving their valuable feedback. The store houses designs in categories such as Clothing & Apparel, Lifestyle, Accessories, Art & Photography, Home & Living, Furniture and Publications on Design.

The Tadpole Store is the brainchild of Bhavna Bahri and Samarth Mungali, both of whom hold a Post Graduate Diploma in Strategic Design Management from National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad. They are also co-founders of No Formulae, a design innovation firm. “The year 2011 saw the inception of Tadpole as a design initiative undertaken in the scenic valley of Dehradun in the foothills of Himalayas,” say the duo. “From our experience, we observed that people around us were oblivious to the meaning and value of ‘design’.

We wanted to take design to the people - to let society experience and be touched and transformed by design.

Tadpole stands for ‘The Academy of Design Promotion through Observation, Learning and Exploration’. It refers to one of nature’s greatest transforming creatures.”

Tadpole, which conducts workshops, exhibitions and lectures on various design disciplines, eventually spawned Tadpole Store. “We decided to promote design to yet another level. The half incubated idea of having an online platform to showcase design started taking shape. Our objective was clear from the first day - Tadpole Store would enable the design community to spread the goodness of their creations to all.”

Over a period of six months the team went from a very rough concept model to the final website, progressing one step at a time. The web-architecture and design were done in-house; alongside the offline aspects such as registrations and logistic tie-ups were being worked on. “It was the enthusiasm and excitement of the creation being brought to life that made us work at quite a commendable pace,” admit the co-founders.

Today Tadpole Store features a range of interesting products from professional designers, most of whom have a formal design background from prestigious design institutes. Not only do the designers have a readymade platform to display their creations, they don’t even have to worry about the nittygritties of reaching their customers. The team at Tadpole Store is constantly working to improve and refine their venture, aiming towards a ‘delightful creation that successfully answers the need to spread the goodness of design’. The transformation from designer to design-preneur is well underway!

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DESIGN-PRENEURS

AVAILABLE AT THE TADPOLE STORE

www.poolmagazine.in www.poolmagazine.in 89 89

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TM

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Take right brain design thinking.

Take left brain production process and capability. Bring them together and what do you have? An organization called Dovetail where ideas in shopfits and furniture go from doodles on a napkin to perfectly finished products on an assembly line, in one seamless transition.

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BLOGGER

Why did you start blogging?

DR: Two years ago, when I started writing ‘Sound Horn Please’, I worked as a management consultant. I was always quite creatively inclined, but a corporate deadline-driven culture combined with a hectic lifestyle kept my creative pursuits limited to making sure my presentations and spreadsheets looked colorful and pretty. After a few years of that, I realized I terribly missed doing something creative with my day. ‘Sound Horn Please’ started as my daily dose of creative fuel and a window to a more creative existence, and in turn helped me survive an increasing disillusionment with my choice of career.

It is an escape to a wonderful world filled with creative peeps and a much needed jolt that gets my day started.

A self confessed culture vulture, Divya Rajan uses her blog ‘Sound Horn Please’ to add creative fuel to her life!

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What’s behind the name ‘Sound Horn Please’?

DR: The words to me represent the new wave of Indian design that is emerging - kitschy work inspired by street art, India’s unique colloquialism and use of vibrant colors. It represents the

BLOGGER art that is a part of everyday India the typography of street signs, the hand painted billboards, the graffiti on the walls, the rangoli on the streets, and the colorful artwork on truck backs. The choice of ‘Sound Horn Please’ was essentially the result of a strong wave of nostalgia for everything Indian that a move to the US precipitated.

What is your blog about?

DR: Broadly, ‘Sound Horn Please’ covers interior design and Indiainspired product design. I mostly do a lot of features which involve profiling and giving a shout out to the emerging extremely talented crop of Indian design entrepreneurs.

As several members of my family work in creative fields, I’m deeply aware of the struggle that folks choosing a creative career choice go through. I wanted to make ‘Sound Horn Please’ a platform to do my two bits towards helping young designers gain more exposure.

What does art and design mean to you?

DR: My grandfather was a movie director in Southern India, which translated to a childhood surrounded by the arts. In addition, my grandfather took the family on summer road trips, where we picked a different state each summer and explored it. At every major landmark a guide was hired to educate us kids on the history and culture of the village/temple/ palace/museum/art form. I think it was these trips that instilled in me a deep and abiding love for architecture and traditional Indian art forms. However, the past five years in New York have broadened

and slightly altered my design sensibilities to look beyond India.

What are the rewards of blogging?

DR: The wonderful people that I’ve met through my blogland circle of creative peeps - fellow bloggers, artists and long-standing readers who write in. My conversations with them form the best part of any day. I think the audience that gravitates towards your blog automatically preselects them to have similar interests as you do.

It has also definitely helped me become a better writer and a better photographer. Apart from a few attempts at poetry in my misspent youth, ‘Sound Horn Please’ is my first attempt at blogging/ writing.

How much time do you spend on your blog?

DR: Depending on how hectic my week is, a few hours each week. A fair chunk of that time is involved in researching and writing. An equally important chunk is spent attempting to respond to every comment and email that arrives in my inbox. It’s these emails that keep me blogging. Being a corporate consultant has brought a sense of discipline and professionalism to the way I blog and handle blogrelated correspondence.

How do you drive traffic to your blog?

DR: I don’t explicitly reveal my real name on ‘Sound Horn Please’. Its existence remains unknown to most of my friends or members of my professional circles. So, I don’t really publicize. It has mostly grown organically. At present my blog gets about 250 visitors per day. www.poolmagazine.in 93

BLOGGER What is the feedback like?

DR: The most often received feedback is that I need to blog more frequently and more consistently.

My response is that I’m working on it! The other often received email request is to feature my home on the blog. For several reasons, including privacy concerns and an apprehension that my home might not be ‘blog worthy’, I have been unable to get around to doing it.

What is your key learning from blogging?

DR: It has definitely honed my design sensibilities and impacted my career. And more importantly, it has made me realize that I need to work in a job that makes more use of my right-brain than my left.

I have a Masters in Marketing from Baruch College, Zicklin School of Business, New York. Currently I am the Social Media Marketing Manager for The New York Indian Film Festival presented by the Indo-American Arts Council.

Would you ever consider blogging as a full fledged career?

DR: No, I don’t think it is financially viable. And if it is, I think it might result in a certain degree of loss of freedom on the topics I could blog on or it would place an immense pressure on me to blog, resulting in an emphasis on quantity of posts over quality.

Do you think there is any flipside to blogging?

DR: A readership can at times result in a sense of pressure to blog, even when you don’t really have too much to say. I’ve elected to not give in to the pressure, but instead take 94 POOL #24

the risk of loss of readership due to long silences when I have nothing original to contribute. Also, over the years SHP seems to have been tagged as an interior design blog, so I hesitate to include posts on other topics that I still find extremely interesting - like an exhibition of Monet’s paintings, or a newly discovered album by Baul singers.

What is your definition of a good blog?

DR: Good blog = Original fresh content + a unique voice. Some of my favorite blogs include, Rang Décor, Artnlight, Deezden, and Girl About Home.

Where do you see your blog heading in the next few years?

DR: Though my interests are varied, ‘Sound Horn Please’ has somehow been boxed and tagged as an Indian interior design blog. I hope to break this box, and cover a wider spectrum of design topics. Also, I think the Indian design scene is now well-covered by a host of new design blogs all featuring the same designers/ artists. However, there are several Indian design-related activities in New York that do not get a voice in the desi design blogosphere. I hope to cover more artists of Indian-origin based here in New York.

What are your other interests?

DR: My interests cover anything to do with art and culture. I attend music concerts, theater performances, museum exhibitions with as much enthusiasm as I devote to discovering a new cuisine or learning a new language.

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Editor in Chief Sudhir Sharma sudhir@indidesign.in Copy Editor Ashvina Vakil Research & Design Coordinator Shriya Nagi shriya@indidesign.in Publisher INDI Design Pvt Ltd www.indidesign.in

Research Team Neha Thakurdesai Vaibhav Mohite Triveni Sutar Layout & Production Pradeep Arora Satyajeet Harpude Art & Design Pradeep Goswami Swapnil Gaikwad Sayali Lonkar

Contact us Indi Design Pvt Ltd C-1, Unit No 503-504, Saudamini Commercial Complex, Bhusari ColonyRight, Paud Road, Pune 411038 Call: +91 20 2528 1433 Direct Mails All Subscription Enquiries to subscribe@poolmagazine.in All Sponsorship Enquires to sponsor@poolmagazine.in All Content related enquires to content@poolmagazine.in Printing, Binding & Paper Vinayak Arts, Pune 96â&#x20AC;&#x192; POOLâ&#x20AC;&#x201A;#24

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insights often come from extraordinary lives