The art of experience design!

By Annie Aggarwal

Photography: Tejas Shah; courtesy the designers

Read Time: 2 mins 

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Manoj Patel Design Studio translates the art of selling into a cost-effective and sustainable, flexi-display system for an art gallery in Vadodara…

Designer Manoj Patel’s recently designed Aris Art Gallery, located in Vadodara, Gujarat, gives entrepreneurs and sellers an exclusive 480 sq. ft. of exhibition space to elegantly display their creations and products. A dull rectilinear space is transformed into a vibrant and lively setting, apt for displays and exhibits, using low-cost techniques and local skills.

 

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The gallery offers possibilities of versatile and ever-changing spatial configurations to accommodate the requirements of the exhibitors, offering each a unique ambience and aura. The employment of especially designed and fabricated movable racks ensures a smooth transition of the positive, negative, circulatory and artistic space, as the racks can be arranged linearly, in an angular fashion or consecutively to house the designers’ products.

 

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Inspired by moving displays such as lorries and rickshaw vendors, three types of racks – a 2’ x 4’ with castor wheels, a 4’ x 6’ and a 6’ x 6’ with bicycle wheels, and each with flexible sliding flaps, efficiently accommodates the display. Furthermore, corners have been carved out with local, customary methods to create fixed displays. From wooden frames and mesh for display on walls, to bright-coloured storage boxes out of re-furbished and re-used scrap stainless steel trunks, and dangling artifacts from the ceiling, the space offers a multitude of display opportunities; while 360⁰ rotating suspended LED track lights enhance the display, providing focused and ambient lighting.

 

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The entire setting comes alive with a melody of colours. Right from the bright cyan front door, embellished with an abstract ‘Toran’, and which offers a glimpse within, one steps into a colourful space, subtle yet striking. The ceiling features a barcode of pastel shades, contrasted against black and a pine wood grid, which covers the light points, offering the space a spirited feel. The south and west glass facades adorn vivid, brightly coloured vertical awnings to relieve heat gain and reduce the need of artificial cooling.

 

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The multiuse and sustainable gallery provides an expressive space to exhibitors for the display and sale of trending products, while offering a pleasant experience to the visitors.