Design Democracy

Project Proposal to the Triennale, Milan on Contemporary Indian Design Show

Avnish Mehta

Contemporary In"an Design

$e Backgr%nd :

The identity as Indian Design is a widely contested to be a difficult idea which happily does not share a recognized identity. Compared to the efforts in action in Italy over making a single idea to arrive towards the efforts of Italian designers, to recognize something as ‘Italian Design’.

At present the idea of Indian Design in India is at present at a state of development into an image although it has been found difficult to be comprehended into a single force due to the nature of variety within the whole nation and differences of interpretations.

Although a constant feature observed in the present state of Indian Design is a mix of both (technology wise) Advanced, as well as Reversal in nature. There are two pillars of reference acting within the present Indian Design thinking. The foremost and prominent one being the Craft based understanding while the other Minimal technology driven response (often called ‘Jugaad’).

Quite widely this approach has been referred as ‘India Modern’ where the traditional rootings form the base of enhancing life of people.

Project Proposal to the Triennale, Milan on Contemporary Indian Design Show

Avnish Mehta

At present, Design in India is related more with the idea of SERVICE where the certain typology results into UTILITARIAN results as India is the biggest KPO destination in the world.

But the authentic Indian domestic innovation is driven towards developing LOW COST options intended to enhance life of its millions of people. And this is strikingly Indian in the present context - the effort for a constant democratized way to innovate. e.g. 35USD Ipad, cheap mobile telephony, Simputer etc.

The idea of a materialistic society is still an abhorred idea in the Indian psyche where the romance of form and the curves is still afforded to be sacrificed to achieve the basic essential nature of products.

And the idea of this democratic approach to design innovation is due to the political veneration of the idea of ‘Common Man’, dear to the Indian psyche. Thus, Elitism is still a social taboo and base level innovations still the heroes.

The present proposal for an INDIA DESIGN SHOW intends to provoke those ideas in order to showcase the CONTEMPORARY INDIA and how it is believed to be an important player.

There has been no such show ever made and the absence of the India Pavillion at Venice Biennale are witness to that. Perhaps this shall bring a beginning to the ever growing relations between the INDO-ITALIAN exchange.

Project Proposal to the Triennale, Milan on Contemporary Indian Design Show

Avnish Mehta

Project Proposal designed with the genuine support of Prof. Arturo Dell’acqua Bellavitis to be presented at the Triennale Design Museum, Milan on January 26, 2011 | Contact | Avnish Mehta mehta.avnish@gmail.com +39 3273321508

Project Proposal to the Triennale, Milan on Contemporary Indian Design Show

Avnish Mehta