The Steampunk-inspired works of Delhi-based Abhishek Basak of Absynthe Design speak to his fondness for antique objects, ones that have a story to tell. Launched in 2014, the label comes to Bengaluru for the first time and will retail out of furniture and home decor store, Chairs and Company. Taking us back to how it all began, Abhishek tells us about his mother’s watch, given to her by her grandfather, that had fallen into disrepair. “There was no way it could be restored, so I took it apart and turned it into a pendant. My mother loved it. That was the starting point for Absynthe Design,” shares Abhishek, who is a graduate of NIFT, Hyderabad.
Besides pendants, the label’s collections, known for their heavy use of antique watch parts, also include earrings, rings and brooches for women, cufflinks, lapel pins and tie clips for men, fountain and rollerball pens and various objet d’art, all crafted from discarded material. “I think only five to 10 per cent of each object is virgin. Everything else is repurposed,” explains the designer. With Swarovski crystals serving as embellish-ments, the exquisite pieces, decidedly art nouveau and baroque, employ found objects, think broken porcelain; and natural material, such as driftwood, glass and bones, besides copper, brass, silver and gold. The colour and lustre come from jewel beetles, usually used to make shellac. One of their key pieces is a statement ring made with a pocket watch from the 1790s. “Watch parts are extremely delicate, precise and are made from alloys that do not oxidise, lest they stop working. So usually when I’m incorporating a watch part into a new piece, I give it minimal treatment, which enhances its longevity. It doesn’t really require anything more than that,” he explains.
Fashion aside, there are typewriters from the 1950s turned into lamps, a restored 1955 Philips radio that can be operated through Bluetooth and USB and wooden USB drives and video games that serve as perfect gifts or keepsakes. “I have worked with watch parts that are 250 to 300 years old. But I reinterpret them in such a way that they don’t get old. What I’m trying to achieve is timelessness. It’s a way to celebrate emotions and it connects people as humans,” he signs off.
Rs.1,800 upwards. At Indira Nagar