The Qissa Ghar : The Making of the Abwab India Pavilion for the Dubai Design Week 2019

THE STORies OF

THE

QISSA

GHAR THE ABWAB PAVILIONS : THE DUBAI DESIGN WEEK 2019 PROUDLY SUPPORTED BY PIDILITE INDUSTRIES.

Our

PATRONS

Pidilite is an Indian consumer-centric company, committed to quality and innovation by design. An Indian multinational, it has been a pioneer in diverse categories like adhesives, sealants, construction chemicals, and polymer emulsions.

With a legacy of trust and strong in-house R&D, the company has a global presence in 70+ countries with 8 manufacturing plants overseas. Through popular brands like Fevicol, Dr. Fixit, Fevikwik, M-Seal, and Fevicryl, Pidilite has forged strong bonds with people from all walks of life.

Learn more about Pidilite at https://www.instagram.com/fevicolka jod/

Artisan Connect is a CSR initiative by Pidilite, that engages and uplifts traditional art & craft.

Artisan Connect is committed to working on projects that drive positive change in the field of craft and design. The ethos has always been to increase the awareness of India’s unique heritage in Art and Craft and bring the work to mainstream with the hope to raise the respect and marketability of artisan’s products.

By engaging in traditional craftsmanship, we try to enrich the consumers we serve and the communities we live in See more about the initiative at https://www.instagram.com/artisan_connect/ read about their work at https://artisanconnect.wordpress.com/blog/

Ways of

Learning

The central theme of the Abwab 2019 pavilions at the Dubai Design Week is “Ways of Learning�.

The Indian way is dominated by Storytelling.

“The universe is made of stories, not of atoms.�

Muriel Rukeyser

Myth is magic.

In looking for the roots of the Storytelling tradition in India, we came across hundreds of amazing Creation Myths, where our purest and most primitive selves have expressed their own unique relationship with the Cosmos.

The Stories we tell ourselves are the very foundations of our culture and views on Life, the Universe and everything in it.

7

Creation

Myths

#1

BISON.HORN

MARIA

tribe Rewali, Bastar State, Chattisgarh

THE MYTH: There was a great rain and the first world was drowned.

Ga jabhimul put a brother and a sister, Kawachi and Kuhrami in a gourd. It drifted until it ran aground on a great rock.

Mahapurub sent out a crow to search for men, which saw the gourd on a great rock.

The crow perched on a nearby Banyan tree and pecked it open. From the gourd came out the siblings and climbed up into the tree.

They were hungry and began to drink the sap of the tree. The sap soon finished and the children began to cry.

When Mahapurub heard the crying he was angry and sent the crow to stop it. But the crow was greedy and wanted the children to die so that it could feed on their bodies; it returned to Mahapurub and told him that all was well. But again the cries continued.

Then Mahapurub sent an eagle, followed by a tiger who repeated the same lies. But when there was no end to the children's cries, Mahapurub sent a monkey. “We have nowhere to go; there is no food!” said the children.

Mahapurub then sent a boar. “Near the rock is a tortoise. It has made itself a home of mud and clay.”

Remove the mud and spread it over the rock.

These children will sow seed and you will be the first to eat it.� The boar found the tortoise and rolled itself in the mud on its back. It came to the rock and shook itself violently and the mud flew in all directions and there was the world again.

The children sowed seed and reaped their harvest. Ga ja Bhimul asked the two children to marry, but they refused. He called Budi Matal. She gave them small-pox and sent them wandering round the world.

One day they met and did not recognise each other, married and populated the World.

Sameer Kulavoor X The Bison Horn Maria Tribal Myth

#2

The

Garhwali

Myth Garhwal, Uttarakhand.

THE MYTH: In the beginning there was a void .

There was no earth, no sky and no water.

The Goddess Parvati was bored, and requested God to create the Universe.

Nirankar or “the formless� created a female eagle from the dirt of his right thigh and a male eagle from the dirt of his left thigh.

The Name of the female eagle was Soni and the male was Jambu.

Shiva was shocked as he wanted to create human beings. When Jambu grew he offered to marry Soni. Soni the female eagle became angry as they were siblings. Jambu started weeping. Soni, feeling sorry for him, drank his tears.

The tears penetrated her womb and she became pregnant. Soni then asked for a place to deliver her egg. Jambu spread his wings and Soni laid her egg on his wing.

However, the egg dropped down and broke.

The upper white portion of the egg became the sky and lower portion became the earth. The ocean was created by the white of the egg, and land was born from the yellow yolk.

This is how the World was Created.

Aniruddh Mehta x The Garhwali Myth

#3

The SANTAL

Myth Jharkhand

THE MYTH: At first, there was only water and the earth was under this water. Thakur-Jiu began by creating the creatures of the water.

He made two humans out of the earth and was about to breathe life into them when the Sin-Sadom (day-horse) came down and trampled them into pieces.

So Thakur-Jiu decided to make two beautiful birds with material taken off his own breast.

The birds flew about the sky and then perched on his hand. The Sin-Sadom came down again for a drink, leaving some froth on the water. Thakur-Jiu told the Has-Hasil birds to alight on the froth but they asked for a firm place.

He made the earth with the help of an earthworm and the tortoise.

The tortoise stood quietly on the water while the earthworm went down to bring up the earth, ate, and passed it through his tail on to the tortoise‘s back.

As the earth spread, Thakur-Jiu planted seeds and created Land. The birds alighted on this newly-created earth and bore two eggs in a nest. These hatched and give birth to two human beings, a boy and a girl, who lived together naked and in peace. They were called Pilcu Haram and Pilcu Budhi.

One day, Maran Buru came to them disguised as a grandfather and taught them to brew rice-beer. After getting drunk, they were amorous with each other. Ashamed, they covered themselves, and confessed to Maran Buru.

Thereafter, the two human beings lived as man and wife, and bore fourteen children, seven boys and seven girls.

Sa jid Wa jid Shaikh x The Santal Myth

#4

The Agaria

Myth Mandla, Madhya Pradesh

THE MYTH: Bhagavan made the first world by laying a great lotus leaf on the water. The sun arose and withered the leaf. The next world he made of lac, which broke into a thousand pieces when he climbed on it.

At last, from the dirt of his breast Bhagavan made a crow, and allowed it to suckle on him to help him find earth. The crow flew till it grew weary and fell on the body of Kakramal Kshattri (the great crab).

Kakramal Kshattri took him down below the water to the sleeping Nal Ra ja and Nal Rani.

He shook them awake, Nal Ra ja said, 'Nizam Ra ja has the earth, not me'.

But Kakramal Kshattri squeezed his throat till he vomited up the earth in little balls.

So the crow took the earth back to its father, and Bhagavan made the world.

Upasana Nattoji-Roy X The Agaria Myth

#5

The Naga

Myth North East India

THE MYTH: There lived a first woman by name Dziiliimosiiro which means ‘purest water’.

One day, she was resting under a tree with her legs apart, at a place called Makhel.

Suddenly a cluster of clouds came over her and some drops fell over her loins and she became pregnant. Subsequently she gave birth to a Tiger, a Spirit and a Man. By the time the three children became adults she was quite old and sick. So the three brothers took turns to look after their ailing mother.

When the Tiger was with her, she became sicker with anxiety and her worry got intensified, because the Tiger used to keep touching her to identify the fleshy, good muscles which he could eat after her death. When the Spirit came to her, the mother became feverish and develop headaches.

The mother was at ease only when the Man looked after her because he treated her with utmost care and concern.

As the death of the Mother was nearing, the sons began to fight for her land. When the tussle reached bloodshed, the mother decided to settle the dispute with a contest.

She created a ball made of grass far away and told them that whoever touched it first would inherit the land. She knew that the Man could not compete with the others, as the Tiger and the Spirit both had superhuman powers. Hence, she advised him shoot at the ball with a bow and arrow.

The Man followed his mother’s advice, and inherited the Land. The tiger was disgusted with his defeat and went deep into forest.

The spirits disappeared to the South.

Lokesh Karekar X The Naga Myth

#6

The Lepcha

Myth North East India

THE MYTH: Lord Eetboo-deyboo Rum created the Kanchendzonga Mountain and his younger brother Matli Pano (The Earthquake King) in the world that was underwater.

The Lord then made the soil on his own body which became the earth, where creatures could live. Matli Pano did not want to live on the soil, so he moved below the earth and caused the whole world to shake. The Lord then placed Kanchendzonga on Matli Pano’s chest to control the movements of his younger brother.

He then called deities from all cardinal directions to create every type of living creature. They advised that flesh be made from the dust, ribs and bones from rocks, and breath from the wind and heat from the sun.

Lord Eetboo-Deyboo Rum put the soul from the fresh snow of Mt. Kanchendzonga into the first male, Fadaongthing. Realising his loneliness, He created Nuzaongnyoo who would be his sister and warned them of untold misery if this relation was altered.

God then sent Fadaongthing to live at the top of Tungseng Nareng Chyoo (a mountain peak in Mt. Kanchendzonga) and Nuzaongnyoo was to live next to Naho Nathar Da, a lake at the base of that mountain (in the village of eternity- MayelKyong)

Overtime, Nuzaongnyoo was unable to resist the temptation, so one day she built a golden ladder and climbed up to meet Fadaongthing secretly, thereafter breaking the incest taboo and getting pregnant several times.

Their first seven babies were hidden in a cave in order to hide their evil deeds.

Realizing this, Eetboo-deyboo Rum dropped them nine steps below, where God instructed them to live as husband and wife.

They were now to fend for themselves and survive to take care of their own children.

Hanif Kureshi X The Lepcha Myth

#7

ANTARIKSH

SANCHAR Self Created, Modern myth

THE MYTH: Antariksha Sanchar ( “Transmissions in Space� ) tells the fictionalised story of the Indian genius mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan. Ramanujan's theorems came to him in dreams, and eventually lead him to build and fly a mythical vimana (flying vehicle) to explore the cosmos.

The origins of the project lie in a 2010 original Bharatanatyam production by Jayalakshmi Eshwar, also called Antariksha Sanchar, which took inspiration from Tamil sangam literature and Sanskrit epics, as well as the controversial 20th century text Vaimanika Shastra to depict different mythical modes of flight.

Avinash Kumar X Antariksh Sanchar

“Stories have to be told or they die, and when they die, we can't remember who we are or why we're here.�

Sue Monk Kidd

7

Artists

Engaging with the amazing tradition of Tribal Creation Myths from India are these 7 leading figures from the world of Design, Illustration, Art, Typography and Animation.

Meet our 7 Artists.

Sameer Kulavoor

Sameer Kulavoor X The Bison Horn Maria Tribal Myth

Sameer Kulavoor X The Bison Horn Maria Tribal Myth

Sameer Kulavoor is a bold, outspoken chronicler of the contemporary Indian situation, using a potent combination of simple, confident bold lines and powerful narratives. His work interpreting the Bison-Horn Maria myth showcases his unique interpretation of the Story at The Qissa Ghar.

See more of his amazing work at https://www.instagram.com/ sam_kulavoor/

Aniruddh

Mehta

Aniruddh Mehta a.k.a The Big Fat Minimalist, created a strong unique style of bold vector line-work, referencing sacred geometry with minimal yet precise alignments. His unique style meets the Garhwal Myth at The Qissa Ghar.

See more of his amazing work at https://www.instagram.com/ thebigfatminimalist/

Sajid Wajid

Shaikh

Sa jid Wa jid Shaikh is one of the most prolific creators in the contemporary Indian Art scene today, with work that is fun, quirky, irreverent and constantly blurs boundaries with it’s incessant experimentation. He lends his unique style to the Santal Myth at The Qissa Ghar See more of his amazing work at https://www.instagram.com/ sa jidwa jidshaikh/

Upasana

Nattoji-roy

Upasana Nattoji-Roy's work spans across the diverse domains of motion graphics, animation, illustration, classical dance and detailed Indian-inspired storytelling and narrative. She lends her unique style to Agaria Myth at The Qissa Ghar.

See more of her amazing work at https://www.instagram.com/ theswitchstudio/

Lokesh

Karekar

Lokesh Karekar’s work is uniquely fun, modern and minimal yet rooted in styles of illustration that span various mediums, from found objects and the everyday urban-scape that surrounds him to fun commentaries on life the way he sees it. He lends his unique style to the Naga Myth at The Qissa Ghar.

See more of his amazing work at https://www.instagram.com/ lokeshkarekar/

Avinash

Kumar

Avinash is truly a man of multiple talents, equal parts Design strategist and Social innovator, Media artist and Visual Jockey, his works spans multiple mediums and expressions. He leads a large cast of artists and performers in his epic video-game Antariksha Sanchar that is creating a 21st Century mythology for young India. He lends his unique style to the Naga Myth at The Qissa Ghar.

See more of his amazing work at https://www.instagram.com/ antariksha.sanchar/

“Whoever tells the best story shapes the culture.”

Erwin McManus

3

Builders

To synthesise all these diverse narratives from India, the Qissa Ghar was conceived as a collaborative build between 3 entities, contributing equally to the Chaos.

Meet our 3 Builders.

FERNANDO

VELHO

Fernando Velho, a trained Architect with a passion for Heritage and Conservation engages in a wide variety of build projects with his Studio Woodpecker. Fernando works with Furniture Restoration and the long rich history of his home state of Goa. He lends his unique talents to The Qissa Ghar.

See more of his amazing work at https://www.instagram.com/ studiowoodpecker/

The 400 year old Chapel of Saint Sebastian, Panjim, Goa.

Sourcing various kinds of woods from the Chapel’s Restoration.

Sorting out the Wood

Sizing and lining up planks for the build ( with Drego Workbench, Goa )

Sizing and lining up planks for the build ( with Drego Workbench, Goa )

Creating material collages for the Pavilion ( with Drego Workbench, Goa )

Polishing to accentuate the Natural textures ( with Drego Workbench, Goa )

Assembling the Stars, a part of the Tessellation.

MANSEE

BADVE

Mansee Badve, a Textile designer from the National Institute of Design, and Founder of Casa Nir, professes a deep love for Fabric and the rich Textile tradition of India.

Empanelled with the Indian Ministry of Textiles, Mansee has worked on various grassroots initiatives and up-skilling projects.

She lends her unique talents to The Qissa Ghar.

See more of her amazing work at https://www.instagram.com/manseebadve/

Translating Artworks into “khatas” or guides for Textile techniques

Translating Artworks into “khatas” or guides for Textile techniques

Creating the Material Palettes for Translation

Abstractions and magnifications into large Art panels

Production planning and sampling

Full size artworks and test samples

Creating the lamps ( in collaboration with Scintillate Shades, Goa )

The Busride

Ayaz and Zameer Basrai, co-founders of The Busride Design Studio and The Busride Lab in Goa, dabble in diverse built environment projects ranging from Institutional, Production design for Film, Theatre, Installation Art, Future speculative design and Heritage Conservation.

They led the design and planning for The Qissa Ghar.

See more of their work at https://www.instagram.com/thebusride/

The Original Tessellation from the stone paving at the Ta j Mahal, Agra

Abstracting a plan from the base tessellation

Initial ideas for a Maze-like immersive experience.

The Qissa Ghar

The Qissa Ghar

The Qissa Ghar

The Qissa Ghar

The Qissa Ghar

The Qissa Ghar

The Qissa Ghar

“Old storytellers

never die.

They disappear into their own story.�

Vera Nazarian

THE ABWAB PAVILIONS : THE DUBAI DESIGN WEEK 2019 PROUDLY SUPPORTED BY PIDILITE INDUSTRIES.