Gunjan Gupta of Studio Wrap - the only Indian designer to show at the current edition of the Venice Architecture Biennale - proves "Make in India" can be international, luxurious and cutting edge
Published: Thu 9 Jun 2016, 8:56 PM
Last updated: Thu 9 Jun 2016, 11:43 PM
For anyone in the world of design and décor, all roads lead to Venice, as the 15th International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia 2016 (Venice Architecture Biennale) takes place from May 28 to November 27. This hub of architecture has included design for the first time, as a collateral event. Taking part are a select number of international names including England's award-winning interior designer Karen Michelle Evans, New York-based cutting-edge industrial designer Karim Rashid, and India's very own Gunjan Gupta, the only product designer from the country to be part of the Venice Architecture Biennale. Gupta's Studio Wrap has previously showed at Design Miami, Art Basel, and at La Triennale di Milano earlier this year.
Game of designer thrones
While the official "Make in India" campaign may be two years old, Gupta's Studio Wrap first gained attention for taking "Make in India" to an international level a decade ago, when she designed a gold-and silver leaf dining throne. Referencing the grand Indian Mughal era, it was, however, totally modern in its outlook.
This chair, the forerunner to her now iconic deconstructed throne, proved that Gupta understood how to make Indian exotica seem contemporary chic and clean. The designer says, "The dining throne, bicycle thrones, stacked thali, matka table, and the Bori sofa all emerged from international invitations to participate in projects. They made me push the boundaries of design."
Be it her reinterpretation of thalis or thrones, she is now one of India's leading product designers, and is also known for her interior projects. Gupta has shown that bespoke furniture can be an art form. "The art collectors in India are the ones attracted to my work and I have enjoyed their support." A lot of her inspiration comes from Delhi, a city she moved to after marriage (she also adds that none of her work would be possible without the support of her husband, Arjun Gupta).
"I grew up in Mumbai and had very little context of true Indian culture and heritage. Moving to Delhi gave me a whole new perspective. My Masters at Central Saint Martins in London allowed me to focus on this discovery," she states. Both Sotheby's and Christie's have collaborated with Studio Wrap. She has also shown at Design Days Dubai two years in a row, and thus feels connected to this part of the world too.
Reviving age-old craft customs
At the Venice Architecture Biennale, the Central Saint Martins graduate shows two pieces from her Sacred Geometry collection at the "TIME-SPACE-EXISTENCE" exhibition at the Palazzo Michiel. In classical Indian philosophy, these three notions merge into an indivisible and infinite consciousness. 'Anu' (atom) and 'Parmanu' (split atom) are the names of a pair of sculptural tables that Gupta presents, made in collaboration with the thateran craftsmen in Rajasthan. These metal craftsmen behind the work are descendents of those who were employed by the erstwhile royal Mughal courts, and are famed for hand beaten brass vessels, religious finials and adornments. These artisans are also on UNESCO's list of dying craft clusters.
Truly breathing a spirit of Indian luxury into the idea of "Make in India", it took six months from sketch to studio. The visual vocabulary of the designs has been borrowed from Mughal architecture, in which the dome and the arch create a symphonic communion, creating the distinct visual identity of Indian architecture from that era. To Gupta, "Make in India" still has a long way to go. She says, "It's too early to speak about this campaign in the context of craft. They are focusing currently on industry more than culture. It's like Maslow's pyramid. Culture will follow in future, but as of now, one has to work with the entrepreneurial spirit to make things happen. India needs to think like France or Japan about its skill base and historic production. First and foremost, we need a retail industry for design in our own country. Like a flagship!"
Creative miles to go
While the Venice Architecture Biennale is truly a dream for any designer to show at, it is not a point of sale, and Gupta, winner of British Council's Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award in 2007, knows that for art to survive, it needs to make commercial sense.
"The studio is busy with some exciting institutional projects in hospitality and real estate. I have a new collection to be launched internationally, in addition to some Indo-French collaborative projects with the French institute that I am working with, as their design ambassador from India."
The Indian designer is also aware that she needs to have this region on her radar too. She is scouting for the right partner, as her work would have a readymade audience in the Emirates. Gupta keeps herself informed about Dubai Design Week happenings. "There is no question that Dubai is an important market and my work fits right into it. I think Dubai, like London, is a melting pot of different cultures and has a strong advantage.
With the economic changes in Europe, new markets are emerging. Over the past 10 years, one has already witnessed the shift in production to emerging countries like China and India. Taste is also shifting, and with the cultural development in the Middle East - Dubai will become a hub, like Hong Kong is in Asia."
As much as Gupta recognises it is her international collocation projects that make her push the envelope, her dream project is closer to home - to design space at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, the mansion that is the official home of the President of India, in New Delhi. There is no question that India is at the heart of all the work that Studio Wrap does.
sujata@khaleejtimes.com
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