Nov 13th 2000
BUSINESS LINE INTERNET EDITION
Joseph Fernandez
It was Chennai's day out for its unsung tribe of designers, at a one-day workshop on `Indian Design -- Post Revival -- Future Directions' held in the city recently. Fittingly, the workshop conducted jointly by the Madras Craft Foundation (MCF) and the Na tional Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) was held at Dakshina Chitra, a heritage village on the outskirts.
The 20-odd participants were drawn from the extremes of the design realm: contemporary artists, industrial designers, professional photographers and print professionals. The result was the formation of the Design Forum, an interactive platform for art an d design professionals to help translate design-awareness into design-initiative.
The workshop attempted to spotlight the key concerns of design professionals in the 21st century. These included issues such as the role of `design' in the modern context, the implications for Indian designs in a global setting and the future direction o f Indian design in the midst of knowledge technologies.
The speakers included Radhika Vaidyanathan (installation art), Aarti Chari (landscape design), Matthews Abraham (fashion design), Rajesh Mirajker (industrial design), Madhu Krishna (corporate design), Deepa Kamath (print design), Mohammad Sadiq (leather design), C.P. Satyajit (photography and design) and Natesh (contemprorary art). Madras Craft Foundation President Deborah Thiagarajan was also present. The workshop, moderated by Aarti Kawlra of NIFT, was marked by a lively exchange of insights and views on design. For more information about the Design Forum, contact Aarti Kawlra at (044) 8233744/ 8233013.
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