Bengaluru launched its very own Design Festival - Bengaluru ByDesign on 23 November which will be on until 2 December 2018 across the key landmarks in the city. The Festival celebrates creativity, encourage design thinking and is exploring the innovations in design today.
The 10-day Festival commenced with a press walk-through with Suprita Moorthy, Founder and Priyanka Shah-Bhandary, Co-Founder of the Festival who highlighted some of the key installations at UB City, Bengaluru. The installations included Karolina Merska Pajaki Chandelier made out of local flowers hanging from the ceiling titled A Little Paper, A Little Poland, Bluecat Paper’s Stop & Stair - Unchained Symphony: Birds which covered the entire staircase at UB City with recycled and upcycled paper, 20+18 Chair Project which is a showcase of one functional object interpreted in terms of process, material, form, quality and time, VU televisions’ installation A Different Point of VU that aims to open a dialogue on the role of technology in our lives and Tales of Indigo by Asian Paints giving viewers a unique insight into the story of the colour - Indigo.
Other public installations included Green is the Colour by Total Environment at St. Marks, Bengaluru. This installation forms a twisted arch made of metal and jute covered with covered with baby spinach plants and watered periodically creating the appearance of a continuously twisting green ribbon and When Buildings Come Alive, where Townhall Bengaluru is wrapped with warps and wefts, exquisite weaves from Aadyam Handwoven’s collection creating a disruptive sight capturing the public’s imagination.
The walkthrough was followed by the opening of the country’s largest design conference, India Design Forum who brought global thought leaders and practitioners of technology, innovation, and design, to Bengaluru for the first time. This year’s theme was Disruptive Design and the speakers discussed how cutting-edge innovation and technology is creating lifestyle changes universally. From what we wear, to the way we consume information, to how we engage with our environment; to how we live is changing rapidly with disruptive businesses and products.
VU Televisions celebrated their highest sales in Bengaluru by hosting the first-ever VU Design Party. Devita Saraf – Founder and CEO, VU played the perfect host and was seen welcoming her friends which included the Crème de la Crème of Bengaluru including Aditi Premji, Anisha Bhandary amongst others.
“Bengaluru ByDesign features a variety of events, exhibition, installations, debates, launches, design documentaries, pop-ups&parties across the city of Bengaluru. Whatever your experience of design is, I think somewhere on your journey around the festival you will be confronted by a new idea which challenges your thinking and inspires you. The best things to go see are not what you know but what you don’t know.” Suprita Moorthy, Founder, Bengaluru ByDesign
“Design is not just for the elite, it is for everybody. With Bengaluru ByDesign, we want to democratise and demystify design. This year’s festival is focusing on three key areas - Design and Public, Design and Business and Design and Education.” Priyanka Shah-Bhandary, Co-Founder, Bengaluru ByDesign
Key highlights of the IDF included sessions by Jay Kothari and Sanjay Poddar Project Lead, Accenture Labs, on the innovations that are changing the world - linking society’s big problems with radical solutions and breakthrough technologies. The world-renowned gaming designer Chris Solarski and Biren Ghose, Country Head for India at Technicolor discussed how emergent technologies seen in gaming and experiential media shape and interrogate our relationships with reality, and help to solve real-world issues. Steve Lidbury, Managing Principal, Eight Inc. talked about designing for the experience economy: how today's consumer -more concerned with experiences and transformations than goods and services - is forcing designers and brands to tear up the rulebook and rethink their strategies. The internationally-acclaimed Graphic and Type Designer, Shiva Nallaperumal talked about the way he uses his work to disrupt expected norms, and the power of graphics and typography to be subversive.
“IDF2018 @Bengaluru has been a great success for us. Our USP has always been our curation and the topics were relevant to the current debates on technology interventions, Design education, craft in modern luxury retail, designing for the Millennials and sustainable practices in architecture. IDF2018@Bengaluru is a huge success with a riveted audience and highly inspiring Speakers. Congratulations to BBD for an amazing city-wide celebration of events and installations will be back next year!” Rajshree Pathy, Founder, India Design Forum.
Sanjay Garg, Founder, Raw Mango, talked about contemporising fashion traditions and breaking away from the established industry structures such as fashion weeks and runway shows. Maximiliano Modesti, the French-born Founder of Les Ateliers 2M, the Indian embroidery partner for major international luxury brands such as Hermes, Isabel Marant, and Chanel, spoke about changing perceptions of craft and of making in India.
Gautam Vazirani, Curator, Lakme Fashion Week and IMG Reliance, was in conversation with Parvinder
Marwaha, Design Program Manager for the British Council, UK, on craft in a world of rapidly evolving technology and the visual mediums being used to pass down these stories - showcasing projects with Storyloom Films for the global Crafting Futures campaign.
Kamal Sagar, founder of the architecture and building firm Total Environment talked about big city life and the design innovations that will change our urban environments - to make cities safer, cleaner, and more livable. Rahul Mishra, spoke about the need for innovation in the production and consumption of fashion.
Other pioneering design industry influencers and practitioners speaking at IDF Bengaluru include Malika
Verma Kashyap, Border&Fall; Brian Parkes, CEO, Jamfactory; Jahnvi Dameron Nandan, The Perfume Library; Revathi Kant, Chief Design Officer, Titan; Bandeep Singh, Photo Editor, Fortune India; and Abhimanyu Nohwar, Founder-Director, KibaDesign.
Bengaluru ByDesign focuses on demystifying design and making it more accessible to the public through installations, exhibitions, workshops, conferences, events, screenings, pop-ups, talks and more. The 10-day design programme, 23 November - 2 December 2018, shines the spotlight on India’s design talent whilst also functioning as a platform for global creative dialogue, featuring a strong participation from design professionals from across the world. This year’s Festival aims to cover three key themes: Design & Public, Design & Education and Design & Business. The Festival will promote public participation, education, innovation, sustainability and creativity via design.
The Festival is in collaboration with TVS, Progress Partner, Asian Paints, Colour Partner and WeWork, Productivity Partner. Titan, Total Environment, VR Bengaluru, Technicolor and Shrishti Institute of Art,
Design & Technology have come on board as Design District Partners. Workbench Projects, The Swissnex India, The Polish Institut New Delhi, Institut français en Inde, The Japan Foundation, Pro Helvetia - Swiss Arts Council, Goethe Institut/Max Mueller Bhavan are the Content Partners and Anant National University, the Education Partner. The Festival is supported by VU Technologies, Aadyam, Aditya Birla Group, Nicobar, Hospitality partner Oakwood & Logistics Partner: Star Worldwide
To make design inclusive, educational and accessible, other activations around the city included Museum
of Everything curated by Sarayu Hegde, Founder, Bombay Attic, and Virja Shah, Founder, Kit and Caboodle will focusing on Indian contemporary fashion, ethical clothing for sustainable living and alternative fashion.
TVS and Bengaluru ByDesign launched a Design Challenge wherein students and young professionals have been invited to render colour and graphics to TVS Apache RR 310 and TVS NTORQ 125.
Total Environment in collaboration with the Festival conducted their annual event, Think Design at Whitefield, Bengaluru and focused on their large residential projects along with showcasing their capabilities in design.