A Workshop Excursion, Dang, Gujarat.
To gain a basic understanding of the culture and lifestyle of the Kotwalia indegeneous tribe, who are
the artisans with the skill of Bamboo Craft.
Individual Project and
A Group of 5
Time frame: 5 Days
Role
Field Research, Interviews, Cultural Research Analysis, Photographic Documentation, Ideation, Visualisation, Finishing, Sampling, Narrative Building, Spatial and Content Curation, Visual Language Development, Project Management, Installation
Culture Study
The visuals of the village.
Click on image for material details.
Interaction of the locals with the craft.
Click on image for closeup view.
Dang · A hilly village
A place of “Bamboo”
‘Kotwalia’ is an indigenous forest dwelling community from the Narmada Basin in Gujarat, India. The number of Kotwalia tribals weaving bamboo is dwindling, along with the traditional product range.
About the village.
During the trip, we visited villages in the area to study the basic culture and lifestyle of the people. We saw how the natives used the craft as a daily livelihood, which told us how we could help them.
Bamboo · An abundant renewable resource
The basic use of the material for the tribals was to make baskets for a livelihood. The skills to handle the material not easily learnt by those who do not have the privilege of being apprenticed to accomplished craftsmen.
About the craftsmanship.
After the trip and research undertaken, it was apparent that besides appreciating the aesthetic qualities of a particular craft, designers would need to develop a strong understanding of the technical possibilities and limitations of the materials, tools and techniques used.
Illumination Design: Table Lamp
Why design this.
The intent was to understand a material, bamboo, while having a physical interaction with it, in the rural crafts community. It was to obtain a material-centric approach to design a product and inversely to incorporate a design process approach to craft.
Where and how will it be used.
Type of product
Illumination | Lamp
Placement
Side table | Living room | Bedroom
Design Brief.
To design a lamp that is an interactive illumination design element with ambient light in an indoor environment.
Process of Work
Click on image for material details.
Digital Development
Click on image for closeup view.
The lamp is an interactive illumination design element that has ambient light in an indoor environment.
The interaction is created through dividing the product into two parts, the cover and the base. It’s visualized in a way that it can be reoriented to any direction.
The design details are derived from a structural and aesthetic perspective, the angle and the curvature of the slats, the double dowels, the lap joint and the natural melamine finish.
Exhibition Design
Process
Content
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Content Review
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Parallel Exhibition Study
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Content Curation
Synthesis
Curate
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Defining Objective
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Defining Target Audience
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Narrative Development
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Theme Development
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Space Planning ·
Layouts, Flow of Traffic,
Visitor Experience
Create
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Visual Language Development
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Design Iterations
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Material Sampling
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Test Prints
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Final Prints
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Installation
Objective and Narrative
To portray our understanding of culture and material, Bamboo, while working with the craftsmen of the region and display an alternative material - centric design process.
The narrative has been set as per our journey at the trip, from a cultural study, for material understanding, to studying the material properties and limitations, progressing to designing an innovative product.
Flow of exhibit
1 · About the Exhibit
2 · Geographic Details
3 · Our Journey
4 · Culture of Dang
a · Village and Religion
b · Lifestyle and Bamboo
5 · About Bamboo
6 · Working with Bamboo
7 · About the Studio
8 · Studio’s Work
9 · Our Designed Products
10 · Our Experience
11 · Audience Feedback
The Exhibit
Dang Ni Karigari
The 2 Areas:
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The Culture and Material
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The Designed Products