Editor’s Choice – from the bouquet 2018!

IAnD Exclusive

By Savitha Hira

Read Time: 3 mins

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Interacting with design stories day-in and day-out leaves a residual impact on one’s thought processes. Join me in sifting out some profound take-aways from our bouquet of 2018!

The life that we live is wrought with a mixed bag of emotions, reactions and responses. I won’t stand judge on right vs wrong but would definitely affirm that design plays a very staunch role in almost everything around us – sometimes subconsciously; at others, premeditated. 

It is difficult at times to put your finger on the one aspect that conforms to your sensibilities and you approve of a design, a product, a space, an intent… ‘coz there is an underlying connect that touches you within. It does not remain static though. It changes with the moment, your mindset and mood. It is hugely circumstantial.  

As we strive to unearth these nuances of each of our stories for you – our reader – we realise that ever so often, there comes along a story that is meaningful, potent in the long run and says a lot more than meets the eye. I have picked five such stories for you from our bouquet of 338 stories that we brought to you in the year 2018! They have deeply impacted my thinking. Tell me whether they do the same to you…

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1. Respect – born out of an empathy with what was and what is: Noida’s studio Archohm has resurrected a derelict and defunct Kattha (catechu) factory and repurposed it to house an interdisciplinary institute -The Design Village. This architectural reinterpretation is a representation that not only preserves the spirit of the place, but where the old co-exists with the new to convey fresh meaning. Can we use this example to move on the path of repurposing spaces rather than destroying the old for the complete new? It can be applied at micro and macro levels, stage-wise, too. 

Read the full story here…  http://inditerrain.indiaartndesign.com/2018/09/reducing-urban-footprint.html  

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2. The act of stretching oneself to go beyond one’s capacity: As we observe the trend for simplification and objectivity, maverick fashion designer Payal Khandwala’s reversible sari balances the equation between couture and pret, between traditional and contemporary, between greed and thrift… The humble sari speaks volumes. Care to listen? 

Read the full story here…  http://inditerrain.indiaartndesign.com/2018/06/the-reversible-sari-double-bonanza.html

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3. The act of giving: The Lollipop Moment can be a singular event or the culmination of interactions over time – the impact that you have on another’s life.  Characterized by unexpected elements and a high degree of identification, this working environment stands out as a place that offers a convivial atmosphere for every team member. 

Read the full story here…  http://globalhop.indiaartndesign.com/2018/07/lollypop-moments.html

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4. Healing – The experience architects of Utrecht-based Tinker Imagineers transform treatment into play by designing an interactive, stimulating environment that conveys all about health to the young children and even extends to involving parents through game play. This not only eases the discomfort of disease in these youngsters but works on destressing the parents as well, and simultaneously, consciously works on parent-child bonding. 

Read the full story here…   http://globalhop.indiaartndesign.com/2018/06/transforming-treatment-into-play.html

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5. Living with tech - A former freight depot with a diverse industrial history in the small town of Stuttgart, in the south of Germany is being repurposed as a mixed-use building with an interactive building skin. The iconic structure that appears like a huge crystal rock with its façade mirroring the cityscape and its people is intended as a landmark that you can interact with via a smartphone app! The building is aptly christened – The Milestone!

Read the full story here… http://globalhop.indiaartndesign.com/2018/02/interactive-building-skin.html