FOSSILSS FOR FUTURE

Haribaabu Naatesan Founder of FOSSILSS

Haribaabu Naatesan, the founder of FOSSILSS, is well-known for his passionate work on purposeful repurposing. To highlight a few, his work has been featured by Volkswagen, Deloitte, and Viacom18. He has previously worked on animation projects for Reliance, BBC, and other organisations. His studio is full of metal tools clinging to a magnetic and new plot, and his life revolves around discovery, ideas, and media that can be welded and woven together to bring his stories to life.

Making crucial decisions about one’s career can be challenging, but Naatesan’s passion gave him the courage to leave his job in animation and focus fully on his art. Although it wasn’t a well-ironed cloth, some wrinkles came along the way but his unwavering belief in himself and his work eventually led to his recognition. During our conversation about his works, he offered tips to aspiring artists, emphasising that success does not happen in six months. Time and a great deal of patience serve as building blocks to help you build a structured path towards your goals. Haribaabu struggled to find opportunities to showcase his work at the start of his career, but he feels that true art is not just about making money, as it is with design, where practical issues such as budget must be taken into account. He said, “I embrace my struggle, as I am living my life pursuing my passion”.

Maneuvering Materials

He develops ideas for his creative works of art by collecting or receiving things from friends, family, and acquaintances all over India. The nature of the project alone defines how the idea should be conceived. When working on a client project, he ensures that the material is replaced if it doesn’t meet his requirements and follows a sustainable path by using 100% recycled materials for his personal work.

With no set plan in mind, ideas evolve into concepts. He begins separating the components to reassemble them in the way that he sees fit while picturing the form in his head. He mentioned that identifying the internal components of waste is often surprising.