Two exhibitions that underline why the design discourse needs to deepen and strengthen
A pair of forthcoming exhibitions in Mumbai aims to distill what it means to be Indian, by urging us to reinterpret everyday objects that populate our domestic lives. Design: The India Story consists of two exhibitions—Objects Through Time1 and Ideas Through Time,2 both curated by Divya Thakur, founder and creative director of Design Temple, a Mumbai-based multidisciplinary design studio.
Objects Through Time assembles objects that capture evolution in our lifestyles over the last century. Ideas Through Time examines the relevance of eight concepts from traditional Indian philosophy to contemporary design. Paired together, the two put out an intellectual framework around product design, design entrepreneurship, and cultural and national identity.
....
Ideas Through Time was a more “experimental, accidental exploration”, she explains, adding, “the exhibition was not intentional at all. I did not set out to find something. Some concepts jumped out at me and I thought, this is so interesting because it’s from our ancient past and it is so valid even today,” she describes.
The exhibitions also express Thakur’s reputation as a researcher and curator. Alongside her established design practice, she has mounted several shows on aspects of Indian design over the last 12 years, in Milan and at London’s prestigious Victoria and Albert Museum. “After leaving school, the gallery and the museum are probably the only centres for continued education, which is why we tend to keep going as often as we can,” she says.