May POOL 2013

ISSUE 35  MAY 2013

Giridher Katta

Photographed by Hubert Tassin

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Christoph 04/ abhijit 08/ bernd 12/ ratHna 18/ stephan 24/ markus & Daniela 28/ uttam 44/ smriti 50/ vaibhavi 56/ rohan & Supriya 61

Editor in Chief | sudhir@indidesign.in

May 2013 | # 35

Sudhir with interns Alena Andreyeva, Christopher Peetz & Lakshmi Shewale

ISSUE 35 MAY 2013

ISSUE 35 MAY 2013

Giridher Katta

Photographed by Hubert Tassin

pg34

Christoph 04/ abhijit 08/ bernd 12/ rathna 18/ stephan 24/ markus & daniela 28/ uttam 44/ smriti 50/ vaibhavi 56/ rohan & supriya 61

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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

Sustainability It is a very hot topic and almost every sphere of the world is running to include this in their activities. Like many other things, this is also a operational definition of design today. Designers have the means to act on it and make a clear difference to the world. For many people ‘Sustainability’ is a very confusing concept; designers have an added role of demystifying the concept for them.

The objective of the whole campaign is to make sustainability a way of life for people. We see this happening in many parts of the world. Fortunately, in India many concepts of sustainability are an integral part of our thought. In that sense it is easy for us to understand and celebrate.

The concept of ‘Responsible Design’ is perhaps the best way to go forward towards the goal of Sustainability for Designers. This means putting a slightly different objective to your end designs.

Besides making design for profitability and to grow business, also see that your design includes people. Think of an audience beyond your focus that is using material that is not coming from too far and takes too many processes to make, but has a role in society after its life is over. Most importantly, also consider how your design should end...how a product should be destroyed after its life is over.

Believe me, these few things will change the way you pitch your work and demonstrate your ability as a good designer.

Sudhir Endorsed by

Supported by

opinion

RESPONSIBLE CONSUMPTION Christoph Harrach makes a case for the concept of KarmaKonsum, or spiritual activism as a means to ensure sustainable development

Loka samstha sukino bhavantu. May all beings be happy.

The UN World Conference for climate change in Rio has shown that the complex problem of climate change cannot only be solved by politics. The discussion about climate change is only one of the many current challenges of mankind. Other problems like the loss of biodiversity, soil erosion, water shortage, poverty and corruption can only be solved when a new alliance between politics, business, science and civil society are collaborating towards sustainable development. To ensure that we are not living at the cost of further generations we have to integrate social, ecological, and economical aspects; but mostly, a cultural change is necessary.

www.karmakonsum.de twitter.com/karmakonsum facebook.com/karmakonsum 4  POOL #35

Most of the problems we are facing are caused by the western economic system which is based on permanent growth, profit maximization, mass consumption and production. As the current economic system was designed by humans it is also possible for them to change it. The need for change is even bigger because consumers in emerging markets like India are seeking a western consumption lifestyle. In collaboration with media companies, multinational corporations are delivering products and images of an unhealthy and unsustainable lifestyle. At the same time people in the western world, who have experienced that materialism does not lead to happiness, are seeking spiritual values which we have sacrificed on the altar of capitalism. Eastern culture of volunteer simplicity and spirituality are emerging in the West. One of the main movements in this context is the growing popularity of yoga.

In this article I would like to discuss which aspects of yoga could lead us to a sustainable life. Yoga could be defined as the experience of unity. To feel united with nature, with other people and all creation is the base of a responsible personal lifestyle. As consumption plays a major role in everyday life. I would like to narrow the discussion to this field.

The economic system focuses on the consumers’ needs. Consumers therefore have the power to change the economic system. This brings in the concept of KarmaKonsum. The idea of karma as the law of action and reaction in the domain of Konsum (the German word for consumption) gives us a personal responsibility in changing the future economy. As Mahatma Gandhi said, “Be the change you want to see in the world.” We could start to change our own consumption patterns towards more sustainable and healthy choices.

In the western world a lot of alternatives are available in shops or online.

Yoga could help us in this process of changing our life. In the scriptures as well in the messages of spiritual leaders we find concrete advice on how to live in harmony. I would like to concentrate on the concept of karma in the following:

In the buying process we could take two perspectives: the karma of the product and the karma of the money.

The first perspective could support our awareness of the history of the product when we choose it. Every product has an individual story and is the result of different steps in the value chain. Every step in this creation process has an impact on nature, people, economics and culture. In the current world this chain of action and reaction reaches around the globe and has a footprint.

This ‘karmic pack’ of the products we consume stores sufferings of nature, people and animals. As a buyer we are responsible for the production of every single item we buy. Having this in mind, we could ask the following questions relating to the yogic ethical principles (Yamas and Niyamas) from Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras: Satisfaction (santosha): Do I really need this product or does it only satisfy my ego which is identifying with the material world? What impact does the purchase deliver to my personal wellbeing?

Non violence (ahimsa): What suffering and cost does this product mean to people working in the production chain, to animals, and the soil? www.poolmagazine.in 5

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opinion which are emerging in some western avant garde urban neighborhoods are the beginning of a new economic thinking called ‘degrowth economy’.

Sharing, co-creation and making will play relevant roles in this type of economy.

Non stealing (asteya): Is this purchase in balance with the natural cycle of life? Has the earth the possibility to re-grow the material that we took for production?

Non polluting (saucha): What does the product leave in the world (e.g. package, waste)? Is it reusable or recyclable after usage?

Take the example of food: this will lead us to a vegetarian or vegan diet of organic vegetables grown in the local area. Most consumption decisions are more complex and international labels like fair trade, organic food order, and GOTS (global organic textile standard) help customers to buy better in a sustainable way.

We also see a strong trend towards DIY (do it yourself) in the western world as an anti movement to mass consumption. People are growing their own vegetables, and knitting or weaving clothes in a new urban lifestyle. These people are seeking transparency and freedom in production. In this context we are talking about the phenomenon which is called ‘prosuming’. This means the combined action of producing and consuming. These radical concepts

The second perspective of KarmaKonsum is the karma of the money. In this concept we are aware of what happens with our money after the shopping process. Who will get it, what will this person or company do with it, in which economic cycle will the money flow and who will participate in it? How much money will go back to the people in production? If we have this in mind while buying, every single shopping act will be a vote for a better world. There is a great difference between giving money to a multinational corporation seeking profit maximization and giving it to a small fair trade company.

Following this we will see that our money is designing the world.

To summarize the article, yoga could support sustainable development in a very concrete way. A good starting point is changing our consumption behavior.

Starting this process could lead us to a new volunteering simplicity which will lead us to freedom.

Hari Om Tat Sat. (Christoph Harrach is the founder and CEO of KarmaKonsum. He is a well known German trendscout, blogger and researcher in the field of lifestyles of health and sustainability (LOHAS). He is a trained yoga teacher in the tradition of Swami Sivananda, and lives with his wife and two children in the small village Bad Meinberg, known as the biggest yoga tourism destination in Europe.) www.poolmagazine.in 7

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technology

THE KARMIC WAY Abhijit Bansod’s KaRMAMETER will help you to make purchases according to a pre-determined value system

Creation is the epicenter of the world today; it is closely driven by every individual’s urge to find novel solutions to all the hassles around. But we forget that life is a vicious circle and what goes around should essentially come back to its origin point. By simply creating newer things in a row, we will end up clogging our earth and space to the extent that we will be left with nothing to make. A creation also comes with the equal responsibility of driving it well and ensuring its end.

Looking at mythology, we see that the holy trinity of Hinduism formed by Brahma, the Creator; Vishnu, the Preserver; and Mahesh, the Destroyer also ensured a balance when creating matter, earth and our existence.

In the whistling honks of our modernity, we have become numb to the subconscious karmic connection within us, which keeps reminding us that every action we perform has a relevant consequence. We feel that man must take charge of his actions, including consuming products in a Karmic Way!

www.studioabd.in 8 POOL #35

The alliance of design, development and manufacturing has rarely grappled with these moral dilemmas; however our

technology

world is an exhaustible resource and we need every individual’s contribution to achieve sustainability in life. Design is taking a lead here, creating a technology based voluntary system wherein the designer, the Government, industry and the consumer sign up and work together.

KaRMAMETER is one such device based on the principles of karma. It assumes the form of a silicon wrist band, smart and trendy. It is integrated with a RFID proximity chip, which equips it with its functionality to interact with products which you purchase and the technique of bringing them to an end while disposing them. Once you select your Karmalavel, it helps you

adhere to the same by not letting you buy or interact with a product/system which does not fit in your pre-selected value system. On making the right choices or decisions, you earn yourself points at every stage of your actions.

It has a unique expandable link which helps you pay through your cash, tickets or your ID at various interfaces. It can be a universally accepted standardized system, which is easy to use and acquired across all age groups.

KaRMASUN is another integral part of this system. It a smart logo with imprinted information about the product, its history, and the details of ‘environmental’ expenses made in terms www.poolmagazine.in 9

technology

of resources consumed to manufacture it. It would also tell you how to maintain the product/system and finally, its ideal disposal. This KaRMASUN logo connects with your KaRMAMETER, guiding you through your decision making experience.

Revisiting the Karmalavel is the preset ethic responsibility level that the user willingly defines for himself. This indicator helps you find the right choices in the array of variable options you find in different scenarios like consumer goods and transport in your surroundings. On making the right decision you earn points which can be redeemed through purchases, tax rebates, travel benefits or charitable donations.

The embodied value system for any product/system is based on five different levels as: 1. Recycle 2. Recycle Low 3. Mono material, Low pesticides 4. BIO degradable, Organic 5. NO consumption, Local self help As designers we believe that all design interventions happen at a cultural discourse.

Design, by its very nature, is a public statement aimed at marking social subjects with a holistic blend of technology and consumer needs/behavior.

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teChnology

KaRMAMETER is a technology enabled design blessing which helps users to choose, use and dispose the product in a manner which will have the least impact on ecology. It makes a fashionable statement: I care for the planet’. We can create ecological benefits by doing right things the right way or end up paying for our wrong karmas.

(NID alumnus Abhijit Bansod has been part of the new age design movement in India.

After spending a decade with Titan Design Studio, he founded the award-winning Studio ABD in Bangalore in 2008 to create an open platform to discover new facets of contemporary Indian Design.) www.poolmagazine.in  11

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design Awareness

TEACHING DESIGN IN TIMES OF SUSTAINABILITY

by Bernd Draser Sustainable development has become the leading discourse of our time. For good reasons: India and other nations of growing importance are pacing up with the industrialized lifestyles that the so-called western world has developed during the 20th century. But these lifestyles are hardly bearable in terms of their input (resources) and output (emissions), as well as their exploitive character in terms of economic, ecological, societal, and cultural means. In order to sustain nature’s resources for future generations, some significant shifts in our lifestyles are indispensable.

An extremely short history of design Design has been intimately ensnared into these lifestyles of industry and monoculture: In the 1920s, German Bauhaus was the avant-garde of mass production - producing in masses and for the masses. Despite all its esthetic and technical innovations, the Bauhaus culture is one source of the 20th century monoculture.

During the Cold War, consumerism endorsed the western identity. Design served this purpose by tarting up surfaces of products and palliating commercial messages in order to enforce consumption. Designers saw themselves as flippant auxiliaries of marketing departments.

www.ecosign.net 12  POOL #35

From the 1970s on, the concept of linear growth and consumerism started to become shady; the idea of sustainable development began to rise, appointing consumers, but

The graduation project of ecosign student Anna Süss gives a comprehensive understanding of nuclear energy.

The project was awarded the Kölner Design Preis, one of the most important design awards.

Picture by Anna Süss

especially designers to new and unprecedented responsibilities.

Designers are currently overwhelmed with complex responsibilities that a majority of design study programs are unable to handle. Designers are required to assess the effects of their design along the complex value creation chains. They are expected to account for the impact of their designs, whether economic, cultural, environmental or social. Designers are asked to convert products into services, to change values, and to communicate the allure of sustainable lifestyles. And yet, a felicitous design must be attractive at first sight; it must convince through beauty and perspicuity, convenience and satisfaction.

As a philosopher, I have been working with design students for a decade, focusing on the sustainable dimensions of their creative work. I

would like to present two projects, that I have been experiencing as paradigmatic approaches in sustainable design education.

ecosign/Academy for Sustainable Design ecosign/Academy for Sustainable Design proves that it is possible to attune all the new demands that design is facing today to the professional skills and expertise of designers within one attractive and well-respected study program. ecosign has been educating professionals about sustainable design since 1994. Currently, the course nuclei are communication design, product design, photography, and illustration. Located in Cologne‘s vivid and furiously developing Design Quarter Ehrenfeld, ecosign presents design in its holistic context, and students receive intensive training in technical processes, basic theory, and handicraft skills. Simultaneously, they www.poolmagazine.in 13

design Awareness

learn to transfer these skills to a more ecologically responsible way of design in concept and form.

In order to implement all these competences into real life solutions, it is indispensable to have a solid foundation in matters of esthetics, theory, and culture. This interdisciplinary foundation enables complex ways of thinking for a complex world.

Theoretical courses include philosophy, psychology, design theory, art history, and design management. The skills acquired in these courses are applied in various projects which help prepare the students to become successful designers. The conceptual method of work increases quality while opening up a range of new possibilities. Personal interviews, presentations, and general discussions of projects open up a variety of new perspectives.

The students learn to position themselves as ecologically-aware and future-orientated designers located between industry, consumers, and the environment. Solutions must be found 14  POOL #35

which pose no threat to the environment yet can still attract and appeal to consumers, thus making them both practical and profitable for industry. All in all, students receive a solid practical education, a comprehensive overview of their future profession, and all the tools necessary for them to develop both responsible behavior as well as a keen sense of judgment. One of the obvious indicators of the successful ecosign concept is the numerous national and international design awards granted to ecosign students and graduates.

Sustainable Summer School Since 2009, the Sustainable Summer School has attracted students of design and adjacent disciplines, graduates, young professionals and experts from all over the world to experience the meaning of sustainability and to enhance their international commitment. This is the time and place to develop a sense for locations and their local issues, to learn new methods and tools for sustainability, and to learn how to create solutions in a short time!

design awareness

(L-R) 1. Ecosign founder Karin Simone Fuhs receives the Utopia Award in 2011.

Picture by ecosign 2. Ecosign student Paul Ketz gained national and international media coverage for his Pfandring project (www.pfandring. de) and was awarded the Ecodesign Award of the German Government.

Picture by Markus Diefenbacher

The venue of the Summer School is Nikolaus Monastery.

Located in the rural countryside of the Lower Rhine in the west of Germany, the monastery offers a stark contrast to the nearby open-pit lignite mines at Garzweiler and the urban centers of Cologne, Düsseldorf, and the Ruhr Valley. In 2012, the 4th Sustainable Summer School took place in Helsinki, capital of Finland, World Design Capital 2012, and the focal point of the whole world’s design activities.

In these inspiring environments, students find the space to work out eco-intelligent concepts and experiments, to conduct studies of resilience that can function as models for majorities. The space to develop sustainable and resource efficient product-service systems of high quality. The space to overcome obsolete categories and fragmented thinking.

For their personal and professional development, participants find plenty of inspiration and unique chances to build new and international networks, while learning and working in a cross-cultural and trans-disciplinary environment in close contact with renowned scholars, and experts. Last but not least, the Sustainable Summer School is the perfect place to have fun and meet interesting and inspiring people from all over the world in beautiful locations!

For the partners of the Sustainable Summer School, this is the perfect way to bundle excellence in sustainability and design, to reach tomorrow’s decision makers and to form a nucleus of problem solvers for the future in order to enhance sustainability discourses. The partners are five universities/ academies from Germany, Switzerland, and Finland, as well as three renowned German sustainability think tanks. By www.poolmagazine.in 15

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design awareness

Ecosign end of semester presentation and exhibition in February 2013. Picture by ecosgin

connecting international students, professionals, experts and teachers, an academic and international network for sustainable design is growing, shaping the vision to create a virtual design campus, featuring and promoting a variety of tools, methods, approaches and perspectives.

From the very beginning the Sustainable Summer School has chosen a meta-topic for each year in order to attract a broad diversity of participants and experts. The topics give a flavor of the complexity of approaches: ‘Value Through Less’ in 2009 suggests approaches of resilience; ‘Societies, Systems, and Swarms’ in 2010 fosters systemic and trans-disciplinary views; ‘Managing Sustainable Design’ in 2011 focuses on the implementation of sustainable design concepts; ‘Sustainable Transition’ in 2012 deliberates on the processes and mechanisms of sustainable changes. This year’s topic ‘Culture(s) of Sustainability’ will explore the cultural dimensions from various perspectives.

With its altogether new and different methodology and distinct values, the Sustainable Summer School serves as an academic, educational and societal role model for a sustainable re-orientation of design and society. The thriving project keeps the partners and participants inspired and motivated to continue and enhance this unique approach to the pivotal questions of our time: What is a good life? And what can we do to achieve it?

Both projects prove that teaching design in times of sustainability means a broadened, holistic understanding of design. High quality design means not to put a gloss on superfluous products, but to enable designers and users to accomplish the complexities that design and our societies are facing today and in the future.

(Bernd Draser is a lecturer of Philosophy and Cultural Studies at ecosign/ AkademiefürGestaltung in Cologne, Germany. He is particularly intrigued by the question of how to think sustainability in the context of cultural histories.) www.poolmagazine.in 17

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publication

THE MAKING OF A BOOK

BY HAND Chennai’s Tara Books is a fine example of truly sustainable graphic design and print production, says Rathna Ramanathan

Jason McLennan in The Philosophy of Sustainable Design (2004) summarizes sustainable design as the redefining of how things – buildings, objects, etc. – are designed, made and operated to be more responsible to the environment and responsive to people.

India is a country that has an excellent tradition in sustainable design and production. Just a glance at Aditi and M P Ranjan’s Handmade in India: A geographic encyclopaedia of Indian handicrafts (2009) gives one a sense of the wealth and range of local design and craft processes that are indigenous to our country.

In industrial production processes, sustainability is much harder to achieve as the focus is on achieving the best quality product at the lowest possible price and within the fastest production time. This isn’t always achievable in a local context.

In publishing it has become common practice for many publishers (particularly in Europe and North America) to send books to print in Asia – particularly China.

www.m9design.com

www.tarabooks.com 18 POOL #35

This is problematic for a few reasons, first of which is the environmental impact of the lithographic offset process, which traditionally uses masses of

chemicals and energy and utilizes large amounts of water, paper, aluminum and plastic in the production process. Second, is the environmental impact of producing goods in faraway locations, requiring them to be shipped back to the countries in which they were designed to be sold. The third reason is the paper often used in the printing of books. As Caroline Clark of lovelyasatree.com notes, ‘paper pulp production is responsible for a rapid global expansion in intensively managed tree plantations, some of which are established by clearing natural forests or other precious habitats’. Just one ton of recycled paper saves approximately six mature trees and 89 cubic feet of landfill space.

Last but not least, because the designers of the books are invariably not based in the countries where the books are printed, there is a break in the production process.

This means less time and opportunity for meaningful dialogue or interaction and more automation and impersonalization. If you take a look at the inside of a book www.poolmagazine.in  19

publication

(L-R) 1. Light Exposure 2. Printing 3. Drying 4. Collating 5. Binding

of fiction published by any of the big publishers you might notice that they look almost identical rather than individually designed objects. In contrast, independent publishers such as Tara Books have an opportunity to pursue more local, sustainable production options.

For those who are unfamiliar with India’s publishing scene, Tara Books is an independent publishing house based in Chennai. They publish children’s books, and arts and visual books for readers of all ages. The handmade titles produced

by Tara Books have received international awards and have been published in multiple languages. This year Tara was awarded the highly prestigious Bologna Publisher of the Year (Asia) award.

I first came to know of Tara Books in 1996 when they invited me to come by with my design portfolio. At the time the publishing house was still very young and had only one title in print. I was astonished to hear that this title – The Very Hungry Lion by Gita Wolf and illustrated by Indrapramit Roy – was printed in-house, by hand, using the silkscreen process on locally made handmade paper. It was the first time I had ever heard of a publisher producing books in such a different way. My first response to hearing that was to wonder whether anyone could sustain such an approach to the making of books. I have worked for Tara as a freelance book designer for close to 16 years now and have come to realize that Tara’s way of doing things is often innovative and path breaking.

The handmade titles published by Tara are produced in Tara’s in-house fair trade printing shop, called AMM Screens after its founder (and Tara’s Production Manager) Arumugam

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Chinnaswamy. The motto of Tara’s printing workshop – ‘nothing is impossible’ – is a genuine mission. To date, the printing shop has printed an incredible 2,41,600 individual books by hand. This is no joke when you consider that in the silkscreen process each color has to be ‘pulled’ by hand individually. According to Arumugam, the average number of pulls per book is roughly 65, which brings the total number to 15.7 million pulls! This is incredible when one considers that this is no big scale industry but is instead a small, self-contained printing workshop of 16 printers who hail from villages in Tamil Nadu, and live and work together in Chennai as a community.

Tara’s book production process is built on fair trade and sustainable values. The paper that the books are printed on is made by hand from cotton rags and recycled waste paper. Procured from nearby towns, the paper is ordered exactly to the needs of the project, ensuring no waste. And in fact, any misprinting ends up being a cover for Tara’s stationery range of Fluke books. Film used to embed the image on screen is exposed using natural sunlight or a single tube light. There are no huge machines being run or mass energy consumed in the process of printing the books. Instead the process from start to finish is by hand. Colors are mixed by hand in large vats, designs positioned on screens and pulled by hand, and dried naturally in the open air in large crated shelving. The individual sheets are then collated into order and stitched by hand.

With publishing, design and production happening in one city, local solutions can be found to problems and unique approaches can be formed for each book. For example, Arumugam recounts how for the book Antigone, which had a big print run, cricket bats were purchased to mix the color in buckets. With The Night Life of Trees, the black handmade paper on which the book was printed on gave the word ‘Night’ to the title. And when the monsoon rains hit during the production of The Beasts of India the books were dried with hairdryers belonging to the Tara team.

According to Arumugam, the workshop is run on village community values, with all members working together and supporting each other. As he notes, “The www.poolmagazine.in 21

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publication important rule is that everyone must know how to cook! It is also important that everyone takes a turn and does equal work. There should not be a hierarchy, even for the boss!”

The team

As William McDonough puts it, ‘Design is the first signal of human intention’. As designers and producers of content, we have the obligation to first ask ourselves important questions before we produce more things to put out into the world. What are our intentions? What values do we wish to propagate?

What kind of world are we leaving as a legacy for future generations? The Tara Books model gives voice to the stories of a marginalized people, builds on local talent, materials and processes of production, and is the output not of an anonymous corporation but of a collective of individuals working together. That is a practice that is worth sustaining for present and future generations.

(Rathna Ramanathan is a graphic designer based in London, UK and Chennai, India. She runs her own studio called minus9. Her work with Tara Books has received a number of international awards.)

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cause & effect

BRAVE NEW WORLD Sustainable design is good design - and good design is sustainable design, says Stephan Bohle, co-editor of the book ‘Cause & Effect’, which reveals a new visual language for sustainability

Design has the important task of accompanying the discourse on a required change of culture and values. Design will sensitize, convey, and assist in forging a new, constructive identity. The esthetic dimension of sustainability plays a pivotal role in this process. We are today engaged in a competition between two models of civilization: on the one hand, our current consumer society that is attractive but not sustainable, and on the other, the vision of a culture of sustainability that must be at least as attractive and even more desirable in order to gain broad support in the population.

Design is in a position to provide a projection screen for this vision. Yet this possibility has been neglected for much too long. In the German daily Süddeutsche Zeitung, Oliver Herwig once asked: “How much design can the good, the truth, and authenticity take?” Of course, with the help of illusions design first contributed to creating a consumer culture that is based on wasting resources and destroying the environment. This is probably one of the reasons why design is often met with skepticism or mistrust in the context of sustainability instead of being grasped as an opportunity.

www.futurestrategy.de Preview pages online: www.shop.gestalten.com/ cause-effect 24 POOL #35

Design must depart from creating ever-new, fashionable, one-day wonders. Sustainable design conveys conceptually shaped system solutions that communicate in an attractive and alluring language. Designer John Thackara writes: “In a less stuff-more people world, we still need systems, platforms, and services that enable people to interact

cause & effect

“In a less stuff-more people world, we still need systems, platforms, and services that enable people to interact more effectively and enjoyably.

Sensitivity to context, to relationships, and to consequences are key aspects of the transition from mindless development to design mindfulness.”

www.poolmagazine.in 25

cause & effect

26 POOL #35

cause & effect more effectively and enjoyably. Sensitivity to context, to relationships, and to consequences are key aspects of the transition from mindless development to design mindfulness.�

Sustainable design shapes contexts of use and action, and influences processes of life. It mediates between consumers, the environment, and the economy.

Companies that anchor credible sustainability in their corporate policy and consistently communicate this to their stakeholders and internally using visually extraordinary images possess a high differentiation potential on the market, as they are regarded as progressive in economic and ecological terms. Innovative enterprises and institutions utilize the potential of design strategies and images to make the complex processes of sustainable transformation comprehensible without pointing the finger. They gain social legitimacy and contribute to transforming society in a sustainable way.

Many firms have long focused on sending cultural messages in order to secure the foundations of their market success with symbolic worlds. Sustainably manufactured clothes are beautiful, sustainable nutrition is enjoyable, the sustainable handling of mobility expresses quality of life — to create such combinations on the symbolic level is the big challenge for companies on the path to sustainable development.

(A sustainability and communication expert, Stephan Bohle is founder of the think tank futurestrategy, which supports corporate and public sector clients in the development and implementation of sustainable business models. He is a member of the Society of Sustainable Economy and on the advisory board of the German Environmental Foundation.)

www.poolmagazine.in  27

industrial design

WORLD’S FIRST SOCIAL ENERGY MARKETPLACE: CHANGERS.COM Berlin-based startup, Changers.com has developed a portable solar charging system for everyone that aims to reduce global warming by shifting society to the use of a currency backed by the sun. The Changers System™ gives each of us a way to harness the sun’s energy, liberate us from the grid, recharge our devices, socialize our energy production, and compete with each other to earn Changers Credits™ that can be spent in the Changers Marketplace™.

Changers.com, a company that makes eco friendly behavior measurable and personally rewarding, was set up in 2010

by Markus Schulz and Daniela Schiffer.

While he has more than 20 years of experience in the fields of marketing and communications, she earlier worked as a consultant at a communications agency. Together they are doing their bit to spread awareness about a freely available, easily renewable source of energy.

www.changers.com

Follow us: @changerscom on Twitter www.facebook.com/changerscom 28 POOL #35

The Changers System enables people to produce their own energy, measure how much they produce, and convert it into a currency that’s backed by the sun. To jump-start all of us into independent power generators, Changers has

industrial design

developed an intelligent personal solar charging kit that captures energy, records how much power it has generated, and then uploads precise metrics to the energy marketplace - Changers.com - for tracking, sharing, competing and redemption into Changers Credits.

The Changers Starter Kit includes the revolutionary Changers Kalhuohfummi™ solar battery and the Changers Maroshi™ solar module. The Changers Kalhuohfummi is a simple, one-button device that communicates with Changers. com. Inside is advanced intelligence that accurately measures how much energy it captures and stores in the built-in battery, ready to charge any smartphone or tablet. Changers developed the intelligent device from scratch in Berlin and produces it in Germany. The Changers Kalhuohfummisolar battery is powered by the Changers Maroshi flexible solar module, which generates up to four Watts per hour - enough to charge the Kalhuohfummi battery in four hours. The Changers Maroshi solar panel, which is produced in Colorado, USA, can be attached to any window or sunny surface.

“Each of us takes it for granted that we have limitless energy on tap, and as a result we have become completely disconnected from how our actual energy usage www.poolmagazine.in 29

industrial design

30 POOL #35

industrial design

impacts the planet,” said Markus Schulz, co-founder and CEO of Changers.

“The Changers System aims to shift our attitudes and behavior by enabling each of us to produce our own energy, measure and visualize the real effect of this simple act, and then share our contributions with others. We think that if you can unite people in the pursuit of renewable energy even small amounts of energy - it will lead to a dramatic transformation in how we source and consume energy.”

Make a decision. Produce your own energy. Change the world. Here’s how: 1. Capture the sun: produce your own energy. The Changers personal solar charging kit enables any of us to produce and consume renewable energy. Now, www.poolmagazine.in 31

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industrial design

anyone can start producing energy and know exactly how much CO2 they’ve saved. Find a sunny spot, plug it in, and start harnessing the natural energy of the sun. Pretty soon, you’ll be much more aware of where you get the best sunlight and how to optimize your energy production and consumption.

2. Charge your device. Change your thinking. Plug in your Apple iPhone®/iPad®/iPod®, Android™, Kindle™ (or any of 1,000 other devices) and charge it using the energy you have captured. The Changers Kalhuohfummi will recharge your device as fast as a regular charger and radically change the way you think about energy. Now, you’re a Changer – an autonomous producer and consumer of your own renewable energy.

3. Become part of a movement. Tell the world. Upload your energy production statistics to the Changers community to visualize your actual CO2 savings. See how much energy you’ve produced and compare your score with others. Share your experience and contribution via Facebook and Twitter. Your pioneering actions will inspire others to follow.

4. G et rewarded. Turn your green behavior into Changers Credits.

The amount of energy you produce is automatically converted into Changers Credits, which can be spent at retail partners on the Changers Marketplace who share your commitment to a greener planet. www.poolmagazine.in 33

cover story

BRINGING THE FUTURE INTO THE PRESENT Giridher Katta thrives on the challenge on creating sustainable automotive design. For the Head - Styling Studio, Mahindra REVA Electric Vehicles Pvt. Ltd., eco-friendly cars with advanced intelligence are not ideas for the future – they are concepts that belong very firmly in the present! www.mahindrareva.com

Sun2Car 34 POOL #35

cover story

How were you introduced to design?

GK: As a student, I was always interested in being at the source of the creation process. I always used to question things: who made this, who decides what color it has to be, who decides the way it looks? This curiosity led me to study Mechanical Engineering with Production Engineering as a specialization. During my engineering studies, I was happy to know how things were made, but my questions did not end there. I knew there was always someone who would decide the feel, fit, finish, usability, comfort, form and appearance of the product. This curiosity led me to opt for Industrial Design at National Institute of Design in Ahmedabad.

How has the journey been so far?

GK: The automotive design journey has been very exciting so far.

Conceptualizing, understanding form, and designing shapes always felt easy as we were trained in that subject as designers. The challenge was to realize it in a medium that could be repeated and reproduced without loss in styling

intent. Automotive design took a new dimension after I joined Mahindra REVA; five years of work there gave me the purpose to design products that are sustainable. This led to a whole new set of challenges to design products that are eco-friendly and consume less energy from art to part.

Can you give us a small background of the company?

GK: Chetan Maini (Chief of Strategy & Technology, Mahindra REVA Electric Vehicles Pvt. Ltd.) has over 20 years of experience in the development of solar, hybrid and electric vehicles in the U.S. and India. In 1994, motivated by a desire to combat climate change, he co-founded the REVA Electric Car Company, India’s first electric car manufacturer, with AEV LLC of USA. The company unveiled the two-seater REVA electric vehicle in Bangalore in 2001. Subsequently, the same electric car was launched in London as the G-Wiz (2004). In May 2010, the company was acquired by the US $15.4 billion Mahindra Group and rechristened Mahindra REVA Electric www.poolmagazine.in  35

cover story

Vehicles Pvt. Ltd. Today Mahindra REVA has one of the largest deployed fleets of electric cars in the global market.

What is the ‘Future of Mobility’ that Mahindra REVA advocates?

GK: I believe that the advanced vehicles of the future will not just offer unmatched features, safety and convenience, but they will also be ‘clever’ and environment friendly. The increasing fusion of electronics and IT with automotive technologies will give rise to vehicles that will possess advanced intelligence and connectivity.

As designers at Mahindra REVA, we are constantly innovating to bring the ‘Future of Mobility’ into everything we do – today.

36 POOL #35

What are the factors that determine ‘Sustainable Mobility’?

GK: The concept of ‘mobility’ is in the midst of significant change, driven by environmental concerns, oil economics, rapidly changing consumer needs, development of new technologies and integration of multiple disciplines in developing mobility solutions.

Depletion of oil reserves, pollution and rapid urbanization are just some of the reasons why the world is looking to newer, superior mobility solutions.

At Mahindra REVA, we are constantly seeking solutions to target these issues with the kind of products that will define the future and the technologies that will go into these vehicles, the intelligence that these vehicles will possess, and the way they will be manufactured. The answers to these questions shape our vision.

cover story

Sun2Car

What are the benefits of using battery operated electric vehicles?

GK: There are many sustainable benefits of using an electric vehicle (EV). In hybrid or fuel based vehicles, poor maintenance and adulterated fuel leads to high emissions; EVs produce zero emissions and cause no air pollution. Frequent stop and go traffic in cities gives poor mileage as fuel energy is wasted; there is no chance of adulteration with electricity, and in stop and go traffic EVs recapture the energy using regenerative braking. Since EVs have no gears or engine, noise pollution is extremely low. Since there is no engine, there is a large crumple zone in the front of an EV, resulting in better safety. EVs require fewer repairs due to lesser moving parts, and the running cost per kilometer is low.

How does Mahindra REVA envision the ‘Future of Mobility’ in India?

GK: With the significant growth of connectivity and infrastructure in India, we believe that the future of mobility in India will be defined by the 5 Cs: Clean, Connected, Convenient, Clever and Cost Effective.

Clean

www.poolmagazine.in  37

Car2Home

Consumer choice will increasingly be driven by how ‘clean’ or green a vehicle is, from birth to use to disposal. ‘Clean’ will be defined and broadly understood as a reflection of a clean footprint across the entire value chain - from sourcing, to manufacturing, to distribution, to product use and ultimately, disposal.

We use a lean production process for manufacturing the REVA e2o. This helps us keep the energy consumed to make the car low; minimize wastage and pollution in the production of parts; and choose alternatives like pre-impregnated exterior panels by eliminating paint. It also allows us to design cars that produce no emissions and noise.

Connected

Vehicles of the future will become increasingly ‘connected’ and will be able to ‘talk and listen’. Connectivity will enable the vehicle to respond to user instructions and as another node in the Internet, enable car to car, car to owner, car to grid and car to Internet communication. Cars will be designed to be connected to the owners; mobile phone APPs will help monitor the heartbeat of your car every day. Users will 38 POOL #35

cover story have the ability to connect to their car remotely to turn on the A/C, and lock and unlock the car sitting inside a movie theatre or from any other city!

Convenient Cars in India need to be convenient in the future – they should be effortless and easy to drive and park. They should have the ability to ‘fuel from home’ thereby avoiding serpentine queues at the gas station.

Clever

We in India live in a culture where we believe in utilizing the max-lifecycle of any product that we own; future cars need to have a flexible architecture that allows a car to be upgraded. Today, when we service our car we spend at least a day learning the list of issues that need to be tackled; future cars in India should have the ability to diagnose themselves before service. Imagine if you could service your car sitting at your home!

Cost Effective Cars of the future should be dent-proof to ensure minimal repairs. They could have fewer gears, and no oil changes or spark plugs; this will ensure minimal service costs. Future cars should consume lesser energy to run – this will be possible by using lightweight materials and use of High Efficiency Drivetrain.

Every time you decelerate or brake energy is wasted, regenerative braking could recharge your car by saving up to 15% of the energy.

What is the design philosophy at the Styling Studio?

GK: At Mahindra REVA, we constantly experiment with different distribution models and offerings - from designing lightweight structures and creating efficient drivetrains to intelligent, digitally connected cars of tomorrow. The 5 Cs I mentioned earlier have redefined the way we work here at our Styling Studio.

A great deal of work has gone into understanding the manufacturing process from suppliers. This helped us create esthetic details that pushed the boundaries of manufacturing. Our styling process has evolved over the years. The process is now clean and allows refinement at various stages of development till the product is manufactured - we call it hybrid visualization. We have ensured that the customer touch points are user friendly and safe.

What factors were taken into consideration while styling Mahindra REVA e2o?

GK: We have ensured sustainability across the entire development process. We thought about using natural energy from the sun which is free and abundant in our country. This theory was used in the manufacturing of the car and also during its use by the customer. At our manufacturing plant we use natural www.poolmagazine.in 39

cover story lighting and rainwater harvesting; the plant uses 35% solar energy. We have designed the ‘Sun2Car’ facility through which a car can get charged directly by solar energy; once installed a car can run free of cost for life!

We realize that one of the largest polluting factors in any automobile industry is the paint process; and driving in Indian traffic conditions produces a lot of dents on the exterior.

Our body is color impregnated and not painted. Our body parts are bonded on the car by eliminating welding for body parts. A lot of energy gets wasted during the braking process for cars; our e2o uses a regenerative braking system to put the energy back into the battery when a driver slows down or brakes. Our car has been designed with a ‘safety first’ philosophy. It has a unique high strength steel structure that cocoons the occupants. We have three crumple zones, ISO fix child seat mounts, and six energy absorbing structures in the front.

What went into the actual styling process of REVA e2o?

GK: When I joined REVA in May 2008, the project NXR was at an inception stage with all specifications in place. We had a fair idea about the size of the car and the requirements, but the biggest challenge was in designing a car that was sustainable and had a wow factor.

Our flagship model then was REVA-i which is like a ‘shark in the sea’ - its distinctive shape and proportions made it easily recognizable. For REVA e2o we wanted to create a shape that had this distinction.

A large aspect of design went into safety of the occupants. New interiors demanded better finish, flushness and 40 POOL #35

fitment of parts. The entire exterior went through a makeover in this process. To keep the body weight low and establish a lean manufacturing and build process we took the approach of using a space frame design and thermoformed panels. Ensuring consistent quality and repeatability was a tough task. We looked at how complex styling features and highlights can be achieved by milling sample tools in-house. After gaining confidence in most complex junctions in the thermoforming process we built a full scale car on soft tools for Alpha Build. This gave us a lot of confidence on highlight improvement, process optimization, exterior color selection, gap and flushness between panels.

A lot of credit goes to our suppliers who helped us build the exterior. The sustainable approach helped us push the boundaries of thermoforming and gave us the strength to use a new approach to get parts from a completely new process. For example, typical car exteriors are sheet metal and painted; we use pre-impregnated thermoformed sheets with metallic colors, thereby eliminating the paint process.

Our theme for the interiors was clear to ensure all customer touch points look cool and easy to use, and to maintain high perceived quality and feel inside the interior. The digital approach to design helped us make several variants of the car and review them full scale; this not only shortened the time to realize the part but also helped us keep the build costs low. Post the MahindraREVA collaboration there was a major shift to adapting existing parts from the Mahindra supply chain and integrating them into the styling theme.

cover story

Quick2Charge

Various teams played important roles in the finished product, and ensured that it matched the styling intent in all aspects: the Engineering R&D team, the Proto team, the Quality team, the New Product Development (NPD) team, and of course the Electrical and Electronics team, which is the backbone of all our work!

What’s next on the anvil for REVA? GK: Mahindra REVA offers simple and affordable mobility solutions. We focus our energy and investments on R&D - unleashing design and technological innovations that spell a high quality product. At the same time, Mahindra REVA is also committed to ensuring a low carbon footprint and low-cost manufacturing. We plan to develop flexible vehicle platforms and future upgradeable technology.

At the Styling Studio we believe that through innovation we can converge technologies that can make commuting cool! www.poolmagazine.in  41

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product design

GET BAMBOOED!

Uttam Banerjee explains the concept of using bamboo to solve problems!

There is a myth in the local communities around the world that working with bamboo can’t generate employment, business and dignity. There is also a misconception that bamboo can only be transformed into crafts and there is no future in it. Positioning bamboo and other such natural raw materials into the context of modern product design is the need of the hour. The increasing popularity of bamboo products provides an opportunity for diverse cultures to settle their differences through trade and cooperation that benefits everyone. The demand for wood and timber can be directly transferred into that for bamboo; thus the current known demand has a huge scope for growth.

Motivated by the versatility of this incredible material, a group of likeminded industrial designers started ‘Bambooed’ in 2012 to create products that would reflect their love for bamboo. The name of the company originated from the idea of amalgamating a natural substance with modern materials in product design. It represents the idea that if a problem is solved using bamboo or its derivatives, then its solution has been ‘bamboo’ed. We wish to showcase what could be achieved through this simple yet capable material and build a series of products that can compete with those in the mainstream. Our focus is to use bamboo and its derivatives with other modern materials such that they symbiotically fuse together to create unique and functional lifestyle products.

We wish to bring bamboo to the world of product design as a viable and modern material.

www.bambooed.co.in 44 POOL #35

The idea behind ‘Bambooed’ is to transform the craft based skill into a feasible manufacturing based skill and help the

product design

(Clock-wise) 1. Chronoed Crystal Wrist Watch: Made using natural bamboo with embedded crystals and a scratch resistant enamel coating on a stainless steel structure 2. Vinea: A simple and elegant wine bottle display made out of natural finish bamboo and chrome 3. Lumed – 360 Multipurpose LED light: With a uniquely crafted bamboo body, Lumed provides 360 degree illumination and can be used as a torch, night lamp or an emergency light at different intensity levels

www.poolmagazine.in  45

inauguration product design

(Top - Bottom) 1. Lumed – Orchard Lamp: A unique table lamp, inspired by a bamboo grove, that has been designed to be a work light as well as a room light 2. Pyala: Bamboo cups and coffee mugs with a natural color coating in the inner surface

46 POOL #35

artisans to evolve into new age bamboo technologists.

The aim is to advance the field of bamboo research and transform it into a viable modern material and showcase bamboo product design using the help of artisans and application of research.

We believe that sustainable / eco-friendly design is not only about the materials or the products, but about the complete process. It’s about the thought that goes behind designing a product / service. It begins right from the conception stage and continues throughout the life cycle of the product. While designing a sustainable product / process, it is very important to think about even the smallest steps involved during the complete phase from the conception to birth and finally to the death of the product. It is not just thinking about the present

Lumed-Bobble Lamp: Made out of bamboo and concrete, this LED based table lamp is a blend of playfulness and functionality Winner - iDesignAwards

but also about caring for the future. A sensitive design results in sustainable design.

In our designs, we have tried to minimize the use of non-sustainable materials and incorporated bamboo as an alternative. A sustainable design creates a strong relationship between the user, product and the environment.

Bamboo, being sustainable and having various strengths and properties, enables us to create diverse designs, solve numerous problems and allot numerous properties to the product, yet it also stops us from going over the top with our design ideas and keeps us on the ground.

Bamboo is an amazing product design material. It has been the inspiration of art, design and poetry for centuries.

The story is that bamboo is not just the poor man’s timber or a form of grass, but a material perfectly capable of contesting the best design materials in the world. Bamboo is a culture, and our goal is to turn this culture into the next design movement.

(Uttam Banerjee acquired his post graduation in Product Design from Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi. He has a deep interest in the areas of sustainability and loves to play with natural materials. His designs in the field of bamboo have won several prestigious awards.) www.poolmagazine.in  47

Trends & I nsights

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architecture

BOTTLE BRICKS AND THE ESTHETICS OF SUSTAINABILITY Can the ‘crude’ and the ‘untamed’ look esthetic? Does sustainability have an esthetic dimension? Can the tacit knowledge and expressions of a community contribute in achieving sustainable as well as esthetic designs? Smriti Saraswat uses the example of bottle bricks in interior-architecture to answer these questions.

‘Bottle bricks’ refer to sand filled plastic bottles that are used as units or modules for construction. Use of these abundantly available low cost materials, and the involvement of indigenous communities for construction may be quoted as a good example of sustainability. However, equally important are the esthetics of these designs that are nurtured by the community’s expressions, motifs and day-to-day activities.

The idea or concept behind bottle brick construction can be summed up as following: BOTTLES + SAND Abundant, Low Cost Cradle-to-cradle BOTTLE BRICKS

BOTTLE BRICKS + COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT Tacit Knowledge Way of Living iitr-in.academia.edu/ SmritiSaraswat 50 POOL #35

SUSTAINABLE DESIGN SOLUTIONS + ESTHETICS

architecture

Need for Bottle Bricks in Construction Plastic bottles take hundreds of years to biodegrade in landfills. Every year they are dumped into waterways and landfills, causing pollution, erosion, irrigation blockages and health problems. Using these bottles as bricks for construction may be termed as a cradle-to-cradle approach for designing. According to Trade Invest Nigeria, each plastic bottle takes on average 450 years to biodegrade and once filled with sand creates a sustainable, eco-friendly and bullet-proof building block that can be used in a variety of architectural designs. According to research findings from a recent environmental impact assessment conducted by REPRISE, as quoted by an organization called Recycling of Used Plastic Limited (RECOUP), the energy used to recycle plastic bottles is eight times less than the energy required for manufacturing the same virgin polymer. For each bottle recycled the energy saving is sufficient to power a 60 watt light bulb for six hours.

Bottle Bricks and Methods of Construction Use of bottle bricks began nine years ago in Nigeria, followed by India, South and Central America, and Philippines. Eco-Tec, established in 2001 in Central America by ecologist Andreas Froese, is working extensively on this concept.

Another organization that is actively promoting and implementing this concept is Developmental Association for Renewable Energies (DARE). Plastic bottles are cleaned and stuffed with sand (or inorganic trash). These are now ready to be used www.poolmagazine.in  51

architecture from which granite is blasted out can be saved too. A PET bottle can last as much as 300 years longer than the cement used to bind the bottles together in the walls. They are low cost, abundant, nonbrittle, able to absorb abrupt shock loads, bio climatic, reusable, need less construction material, and are easy to build. Yahaya Ahmed, the head of the project for DARE, explains that the compacted sand inside a bottle is nearly 20 times stronger than bricks.

They are even intending to build a three-storey building.

Use of plastic bottles for construction reduces the cost to one-third of that of a house built with concrete and brick.

as construction modules. The bottle bricks are also sometimes tucked between supportive chicken wire, and coated in layers of concrete to form walls between the framing. The bottles are tied to each other with the help of ropes or threads.

Mud plaster or sand or mortar may be used between the two layers of bottle bricks to provide strength and stability.

Bottle Bricks and Sustainability According to experts at DARE and Eco-Tec, a clay brick requires a lot of time and energy to make, right from mixing the clay to baking it in the kiln; a significant amount of firewood is also used. In this regard, a bottle brick is far more energy-efficient.

The technology also reduces the carbon emission that happens during the baking of an ordinary brick.

The heat generation from cement factories can also be reduced as this technology uses only 5% cement.

The foundation for the entire construction is obtained from building waste and so the mountains 52  POOL #35

Communities Involved and Their Esthetic Sensibilities Involvement of the local communities while designing or constructing enriches the whole process by adding their tacit knowledge and esthetic sensibilities that are a reflection of their way of living. These artisans and crafts persons engage in selfexpression through creative interaction with materials, reflecting the esthetic tastes and socio-economic needs of a community. They can impart a unique language to the designs through their selection of motifs (extracted from bottle caps and floral bottoms), choice of colors (perky colors from different

architecture

Bottle Bricks Construction www.poolmagazine.in  53

54 POOL #35

architecture plastic or sometimes glass bottles), understanding of community needs (types of construction), and ability to dialogue with the environment and draw inspiration from it (joinery and structure inspired from nature).

Sustainability is a buzz word in contemporary times.

People define, address, and work on it with different approaches. Working with recycled and re-used plastic bottles is also an approach towards finding sustainable design solutions. What is more enthralling and rewarding is to involve local communities in these design processes. Their involvement enriches the designs with sensitiveness towards the environment, understanding towards materials, tacit skills, esthetic sensibilities, expressions, and concerns to fulfill community needs.

The designs resulting from the recycled trash bottles and sand may appear ‘crude’ and ‘untamed’, but also have a unique manifestation of the community’s way of living that makes these designs piquant and esthetic.

(Smriti Saraswat is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Architecture & Planning, IIT Roorkee, Uttarakhand. She also has an independent practice as architect and interior designer.)

Indigenous communities involved in varied constructions and their esthetic sensibilities

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fashion

THE INDIAN SARI - A VERSATILE AND SUSTAINABLE GARMENT

By Vaibhavi Ranavade The sari, which is the traditional draped garment of most regions in India, is conceived on the loom as a threedimensional garment with variables in pattern, weave, and structure between its inner and outer end-pieces and its two borders, which provide drape, strength and weight, while the body or field enhances its drape. All these elements help to maintain the form of the sari when it is worn.

A very versatile garment, the sari allows for more than a hundred variations in draping styles. The multipurpose garment has evolved in form and function, easily transforming from a flowing, elegant silhouette to snug, practical work wear. It is also aptly suited for the hot and humid climate of the Indian subcontinent. And the best part is that one size fits all!

vaibhavi.ranavade @gmail.com 56  POOL #35

The sari has been an integral part of all rites of passage for women in Indian culture. It symbolizes womanhood in Hindu culture; hence the coming of age of a young girl was often marked by the transition from a skirt-blouse (ghaghra-choli) to a more grown up garment - the sari. Even in contemporary India the sari is often a preferred ensemble for formal occasions like a college convocation ceremony, family weddings, or to convey that a young lady is ready for courtship and /or marriage.

fashion Across the country, the sari is known usually by the local word for ‘cloth’; lugda, dhoti, pata, seere, sadlo, kapad.

It is draped in various styles like the Bengali Sari, seedhapalla style, 6-vari (yards) sari, 9-vari (yards) sari, twopiece sari and the Nivi sari (modern sari); this gives a very unique regional identity to the wearer. Generally 6 to 9 yards in length, a typical Indian sari ensemble ensures an average fabric consumption of nine meters (minimum 5.5 m for sari + 1 m for blouse + 2 m for

Workwear - traditional drape & textile

petticoat). Indian women today do not see the sari as a costume but as a vital and natural part of their contemporary wardrobes. The sari has become the most iconic and timeless silhouette for Indian ethnic fashions.

Brief History The sari permits us to go back at least a thousand years in terms of design. Worn since Harappan times, it continues to be an integral garment for Indian women.

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Sari loom

In the early days women draped only a strip of cloth, later referred to as the sattika in Prakrit language. A bustier or angavastram was adopted during the middle ages and worn with the sari. Since then, Indian women have maintained their identity through the sari even amidst all the cultural exchanges with Muslim invaders and European colonies like French, Portuguese and English; in the process they incorporated influences in fabrics and embellishment, lacy petticoats, and the transition from choli to blouse.

During the freedom struggle of the 1940s, satyagrahi women adopted almost a dress code for themselves in the form of a khadi (homespun) sari and choli or blouse, draped in the Nivi sari style. This modern and more neutral style of draping the sari was conceived by Gyanodanandini Tagore (Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore’s sister-in-law), and went on to become the national dress for Indian women from the late 19th century onwards, a classic example of unity in diversity.

The post-Independence era brought social emancipation, better opportunities for trade, education, and entertainment, and limited exposure to western culture. A few women began to engage in teaching jobs, clerical work, and social work, paving the way for many more. India in the 1970s became a more self sufficient nation and Indira Gandhi was elected the first woman prime minister of India. Indian women took great inspiration from her handloom saris and short hairstyle; an example of power dressing and central to the construction of a visual image of India both internally and abroad.

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(L-R) 1. Bride and Grandmother (different draping styles and colors) 2. Modern Nivi drape

Till the 1970s, Indian women wore the sari draped in their regional style and patronized the traditional textiles of neighbouring areas. The most sought after textile was the Benarasi sari for the bridal trousseau in the northern, eastern and western states, but down south the Kanjeevaram brocades found favor. The sari consumption pattern of the women in rural India has also changed over the years; they have given up their traditional saris for cheaper, synthetic, mill made ones inspired by television soap operas, and also for practical purposes of affordability, visual appeal and maintenance.

Sustainability Undoubtedly the sari qualifies to be the most apt brand ambassador/ icon for the textile trade across the socio-economic pyramid in India, with its diverse manifestations in design, material and drape. What is more relevant today is that it also has a very sustainable life cycle. When no longer wearable as a sari, it can be re-purposed for decoration or other use (made-ups). Traditional embroidery www.poolmagazine.in  59

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Weaver at work

styles like the Kantha of Bengal or Sujani of Bihar are excellent examples of sustainable practices to convert saris into useful made-ups like quilts, bedcovers, throws, purses, etc.

Traditionally, an infant’s layette was made from used soft cotton saris, as new fabric would be too rough on its tender skin. Worn out saris were also re-purposed to make scarves, bandages, filter cloth for water, fabric to cover pickle jars, rags, wipes and mops.

Thus every piece of the sari would be put to good use till finally it could be easily biodegraded.

we support ethnic craft sustenance by endorsing the masterpieces of Indian crafts persons. The need of the hour therefore is to innovate and establish efficient supply chains and sustainable product life cycles. Sourcing of fibres from surrounding regions, production of saris in neighbouring areas, and regional consumption results in shorter and sustainable supply chains. Opting for hand woven organic cotton saris, ahimsa silk saris, and natural silk saris (Eri, Tussar, Mugasilk) will sustain ethical practices and responsible fashion.

Traditionally saris were woven from breathable natural fibres like cotton and silk, which was appropriate for the humid climate of the Gangetic belt and the coastal regions. The traditional weaves produced on handloom and power loom are the second largest means of employment, after agriculture in India. By opting for traditional saris

(Vaibhavi Ranavade is HOD - Fashion Design, MAEER’s MIT Institute of Design, Pune. An apparel designer and passionate academician, she is currently setting up the fashion department at MITID and steering the collaborative fashion courses with the University for the Creative Art - UCA UK.)

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Photo credits : Pruthviraj Ranavade

furniture

BAMBOO BASICS Imagine being able to assemble the décor of an entire living room all by yourself using just a couple of bamboos and strings!

“Always design a thing by considering it in its next larger context - a chair in a room, a room in a house, a house in an environment, an environment in a city plan,” said Eliel Saarinen, well known Finnish architect.

He could have been talking about ‘Bamboo Uncut’, the winning entry at a national competition organized by IIID-Pune Chapter to explore sustainable, economical and products capable of mass production using bamboo.

The competition aimed to popularize bamboo as not just a cost effective, but also a highly esthetic and long lasting utility model.

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‘Bamboo Uncut’ uses ‘one single joint’ as a seed to evolve a range of bamboo chairs, tables (dining, coffee, center) and shelves. The uniqueness of the idea is that it requires almost zero cutting and can be built entirely by www.poolmagazine.in 61

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assembling bamboos with a string and can be mass produced efficiently even by semi-skilled labor, true to the intent of the competition.

The design was created by architects Rohan Chavan and Supriya Krishnan. Rohan is an alumnus of College of Architecture, Kolhapur, and has worked with renowned architects like Padma Vibhushan Charles Correa, Prof. Christopher Charles Benninger and Dean D’Cruz. He nurtures an avid interest in design in all forms and scales. Supriya is a recent graduate of Mumbai’s Sir J. J. College of Architecture, currently working for Christopher Charles Benninger Architects in Pune. She takes a keen interest in studying urban issues, interventions, transit spaces, and contemporary vernacular techniques.

The duo’s design looks at using bamboo in its unprocessed state. ‘Bamboo Uncut’ creates an almost ascetic module adaptable to standardization and customization at once. It potentially establishes a symbiotic relationship between the artisan and connoisseur by creating a product of their choice with almost no ‘powered’ machinery. The minimalist approach tries to dispel myths about bamboo 62 POOL #35

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furniture being bulky, complicated, and short lived into a rather contemporary, sleek product with mass appeal and ease of production.

The ‘Bamboo Uncut’ structure primarily employs 2-inch diameter bamboo poles and 1-inch diameter bamboo poles, which are coupled using nylon/ steel or vegetal cords to create a stable module to transfer load, while still maintaining a rather sleek elevation.

The resultant framework can be then wrapped with an array of finishing materials such as bamboo weave mats, rings, strips, fiber, cloth, or glass to create an array of furniture to suit any requirement, setup and theme.

It really doesn’t get any simpler than that. www.poolmagazine.in 63

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