Give me hard long-lasting Indian marble any day rather than soft Italian marble that cracks even while it is laid as floors and all things Indian – any day, everyday, forever!Dr Alka Raghuvanshi is an art writer, curator and artist and can be contacted on alkaraghuvanshi@yahoo.A country that arguably produces the world’s best hand-tufted carpets Office Paper Shredder had a stall with an amazing carpet priced at a mere Rs 3 lakh. Collaborations in terms of sensibilities, colours, aesthetics can be beyond compare. After all, design is something that is supposed to make life simpler while keeping aesthetics firmly in place.Driving through villages in Karnataka the one abiding image that stayed with me was of plastic pitchers in neon green and neon orange. Even quirky options that have captured the imagination of the younger generation of Indians were not seriously explored as a design intervention.
There was virtually nothing that held the attention as one went through the bland stalls that were all looking westwards. It was a microcosm of all that the Indian architects and interior designers are placing in homes.The designers’ reference points, inspiration and sensibilities are pointed towards the West as far as mosaic, lights, furniture and even wall art is concerned. The government bleats about Made in India, these designers who participated in the fair are in complete contravention of that thought and are doing the exact opposite. After getting clients to spend lakhs if not crores on the homes and office spaces, the entire money crunch is applied on the moveable items like paintings, lighting, furniture and other artifacts.com. Obviously their aesthetic bandwidth doesn’t extend to including art in the spaces and designing around it. Surely someone was underpaid to create the beauty that must have taken at least six months to weave? Assuming there is a market for both modern and traditional design, the same artisans can create so many versions that one can be hard put just to choose. It is a classic case where indigenous design is looked down upon as second grade activity while we celebrate Western sensibilities. I hate to say this but not only does it need government interventions, it needs pride in things Indian and our heritage too at the private level so as to ensure sustainability of our crafts. The entire fair had only one single painting that too by an unknown artist.
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