Handcrafting a Sustainable Future

The DSGN arcHive Women's day Feature

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BAAYA DESIGN | India

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THE DSGN ARCHIVE
WOMEN'S DAY FEATURE

The DSGN arcHive Women’s Day Feature is all about honouring and celebrating women from all walks of life. A woman is indeed the element of strength, compassion, courage, perseverance in any setting or task she might be put into. Most importantly, she is a change-maker, working patiently and skillfully towards a goal that will change the environment around her for the better.

We dive into the story of one such change-maker who integrated reinterpretations of various ethnic handicrafts to better adapt the evolving decor industry in India. The woman or brainchild behind this is Shibani Jain, Founder & Director- ‘Hand for Handmade’ and Founder of ‘Baaya Design’. Her simple act of elevating handicrafts onto a contemporary pedestal not only opened the eyes of design professionals of design parallels like product design, interior design and architecture, her initiatives also triggered the generation of better employment opportunities for the artisans themselves, enabling the artistry of the craftsmanship to be kept alive for posterity.

SUPPORTING LIVELIHOODS BY SKILLFULLY INTEGRATING INDIAN HANDICRAFTS WITH THE EVOLVING DÉCOR INDUSTRY

Shibani, an alumnus of NID Ahmedabad, has worked extensively with Indian arts and crafts for over two decades and is associated with craft groups across the country.

She works with over 70 styles of crafts including art, murals, artefacts, lights, partitions, and furniture for residential, hotels, as well as corporate projects.

Crafts and handmade products fulfil several criteria of the UN Sustainability Goals.

Shibani co-founded the Hand for Handmade (HFH) initiative movement (a formalised collective group of over 500 (and growing) professional individuals and organisations passionate about the craft and handmade industry in India. It includes artisans, master craftsmen, producer organisations, designers, design studios, retailers, e-commerce platforms, NGO’s, craft institutes, design schools and colleges, media, and other stakeholders.

The HFH movement is working for the resurgence of the craft and handmade sector during COVID crisis and beyond. Shibani believes that making craft a subject in education will enable millennials and future generations to have an appreciation for craft. With this thought process, ‘Hand for Handmade’ is working towards education, design intervention, market campaigns and repository.

CRAFTING AN ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY FUTURE

Shibani Jain’s numerous initiatives in the field of handicrafts aims to change the modern day mindset of contemporary decor by replacing it with more environmentally sensitive alternatives.

While the world is now trying to return to its roots of sustainable living, the artisanal décor and artefacts created by skilled craftsmen of India are in their innate nature eco-friendly as well as accustomed to our climatic conditions.

Their carbon footprint forms a mere fraction of an alternate created with modern day technology and materials.

Artisans thoroughly skilled with their techniques mostly reside in the rural communities and are largely unaware of new market prospects of today. Shibani and her team identifies such opportunities opening new avenues while creating space for age old crafts for modern day décor.

“Promoting native arts and crafts will not only preserve our heritage but will also protect the livelihood of the artisans, which in turn will highlight our ethnicities and so on,” -she says.

Over the years, her work is seen in prestigious interior spaces like that of Tata Bombay House, Axis Bank, Hotel Tirupathi (a 5-star hotel),

Sobit Sarovar Portico (Goa), Apte Jewellery Showroom, Woodpecker Fine Dining Restaurant (Aamby Valley) and many others.

Her team has worked with renowned industry professionals such as SNK Consultants, ZZ Architects, SJK Architects, Manish Kumat amongst others.

A LEAF FROM SHIBANI’S BOOK

How to add character in the form of culture and tradition in modern homes

Functional art has found a strong foothold in the décor industry lately. It has witnessed a steady rise in interest, especially since people have started spending more time indoors due to the pandemic and like to surround themselves with elements of heritage that they can relate to.

In today’s day and age, the term ‘maintain social distancing’ seems as though it does not intend to leave us anytime soon. As we have grown to adapt in this new world where distance and boundaries have found a permanent home, it is vital that spaces incorporate solutions that endorse distancing.

An uncomplicated and more visually appealing solution to the problem is placing hand-carved, design fused partitions instead of ugly sign boards. Simple to use, flexible and temporary in nature, partitions can be placed and replaced at any given point in time. Renowned design expert in the artisanal space, Shibani Jain says,

“A bigger space can have a couple of partitions to incorporate safety protocols, while the same can be removed once the pandemic bids adieu. Partitions actually date back to the medieval age and were used as a style statement among the royals. It is the breeziest way to transform the interiors of your space with no hassle.”

However, in the recent past, partitions have become boring in nature – often bland blocks of wood (or other material) that unfold to create a temporary wall.

To add a bit of drama and transition away from the mundane, partitions can be created with a touch of art and culture. Shibani says,

“A classic double partition can be made in a combination of brass and wood. The brass jali made using dhokra casting technique depicting florals complemented by a geometric wooden jali. Moreover, a pure brass casted jali partition made by composing florals elements like lotus leaves and plumeria flowers can add to the luxury quotient of the space.”

Another render of the partition includes carved textured veneer partitions lent to the expression of various tropical forms on the screen. These sliding partitions give way to a larger living room space for entertaining. For the ones who prefer a modern touch, glass panels made with tessellating patterns fine cut outs of paper sandwiched between glass can serve as a temporary/permanent solution.

Room partitions are just one example of the plethora of options one can find in the artisanal space for the décor industry. Shibani explains,

“To make homes more cohesive, other essential furniture can also incorporate artisanal magic to make them beautiful yet functional. For example, doors do not need to be plain slabs of wood. One can incorporate stories using different kinds of motifs to create a feeling of grandeur and natural serenity. A dining tabletop can have beautiful inlay work, tile work or embedded brass sheet work for a more aesthetically defined look.”

People, especially in recent times, have become very particular about what they want in their homes, and it is not necessary they will get the piece exactly how they envisioned from a retail store.

“Customizable artisanal work where a special craft or skill in the product adds a lot of character and history to a simple piece of furniture. It could be something modern day like resin, wood engraving and laser cutting or work done on traditional materials in a contemporary way like customization in brass sheet work, brass casting, copper enameling, clay work, mirror work, textile panels and wood carving. People are looking for a more custom experience for their homes. They want furniture that is well thought of, artisanal yet functional. It could be a wardrobe, a chair, dining table or a chandelier but when you put it all together it must look and feel harmonized,”
-she concludes.

PARTITIONS BY BAAYA DESIGN

Interactive wall

A splendid exhibition of crafts and paintings from all over India, this interactive wall adds a spectrum of colours and displays treasures of the world of handicrafts. Collecting them from various parts of the country and bringing them under one structure at the TCS campus resemble the TCS community whose efforts to work together bring in liveliness to the campus.

The installation consists of crafts that have been listed below.

Bandhani, Leather Carving, Blue Pottery tiles, Wrought Iron, Gond Paintings, Khovar Painting, Dokra, Beaten Copper, Phad Painting, Madhubani Paintings, Beaten Metal, Terracotta tiles, Copper Enamelling, Mother of Pearl, Warli Paintings, Cherial Masks, Bheel paintings

Wooden Wonder

Celebrating wood with its intricate geometric patterns inlaid using different varieties along with a perfect balance of organic growth rings. The inlay of wooden patterns is done using the Sadeli craft along with brass framed panels with growth rings made by gold leafing.

Folk Elements

A jaali made using the wrought iron craft of Bastar narrating the relationship of nature and humans.

Stepwell

A concrete partition made by repeating 7 units in combinations, inspired by the stepwells of Rajasthan. The partition can also be used as a wall mural and can be scaled to any sizes. Also available in varied cement finishes.

Created in collaboration with Craft beton.

Sacred Fig

Jaali made using multiple square brass units with sacred fig leaf motifs. The units are soldered together with a brass buffer in the middle to create two screens on either side. The size can be increased by increasing the number of square units.

Ripples Jaali

Jaali made of long wooden bars with a laser cut brass ripples motif sandwiched between the wood. The bars can be made to rotate on their axis. The jaali can be increased in size by adding more bars.

Tropical Partition

Partition comprising tropical monstera leaves made in brass. There are 2 types of leaves – solid brass cut outs and bent brass rod leaves soldered together. The side of the jaali can be increased by increasing the number of leaves used.

Nature Jaali

Jaali made up of 2 wooden slabs joined to each other using a central brass pipe connected to the base. One slab has a cutout of a tree motif with brass inlay work. The second slab has cutouts of birds flying away from the tree. Multiple such units can be repeated to make a longer partition.

Pitara Partition

A partition with a curved wooden frame with pitara covered MDF slabs in the center in two finishes. Two units are attached together to make 1 standing partition, which can then be repeated to increase the length to the desired magnitude.

Wooden Vent

A partition made with wooden slats with veneer inlay in a floral pattern. The slats are movable using a vertical rod on one side to change its angles.

IN-SYNC WITH CONTEMPORARY STYLE

With all the options and variables one can explore to nurture the craftsmanship of artisanal handicrafts, following Shibani’s lead into a journey of sustainability is not only beneficial for our environment, but a perfect way to respect and carry forth ancient craftsmanship that defines a people, their ethnicity and culture.

Moreover, you are still pretty much in sync with contemporary style

Thanks to a woman with a purpose!