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BE OPEN Made In… India: here are some photographs of the handcrafted products on display at the BE OPEN Made In… India Samskara exhibition in New Delhi.

Creative think tank BE OPEN organised the exhibition to launch its Made In… programme, a two-year-long project focussing on the future of craft in design.

Products on display at the Samskara exhibition include contemporary furniture, homeware and garments made using traditional techniques.

The granite installation that forms the backdrop for the products was designed by architect Anupama Kundoo and created by stonecutters from a local quarry – find out more in our previous story.

Samskara continues until 28 February at the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts in New Delhi. Opening hours are from 10:30am to 7:30pm and entrance is free.

Dezeen has filmed a series of movies at the event, so look out for these on the site soon.

For more information about the exhibition and the Made In… programme, visit the BE OPEN website.

Here’s some more information from the organisers:

Made in… India launches in Delhi, with a challenge for handicrafts to design the future

BE OPEN, the global philanthropic foundation, launched its worldwide project “Made in…” in Delhi last week, the beginning of a two-year journey to the ‘four corners’ of the earth to research the handmade and how to ensure its survival in the future.

Nowadays we tend to consider bespoke items as the ultimate form of luxury, since they stand above the homogenised mass market, offering the consumer a unique mode of self-expression. As a result, despite having been neglected for a considerable amount of time, crafts are now re-acquiring a leading place in the production chain, with their potential to offer this much desired exclusive and uniqueness. “Made in…” is BE OPEN’s way of investigating how craft can adapt itself to these new opportunities, getting up to speed to face the associated challenges of delivering in a highly demanding, global marketplace. “Made in…” looks at how work by small-scale producers can adapt and survive without losing its integrity and local flavour; how makers can collaborate with designers and companies to exploit new networks; and, crucially, what the future holds for these independent, skilled makers.

BE OPEN chosen India as a starting point because it is home to the strong dual influences of tradition and modernity, with all of the innate contradictions and endless mutations that this combination provokes. Is Indian craft still what is used to be? Is it ready to evolve and encompass new approaches to change its output?

Made in… India is an intensive program that includes an exhibition, Samskara, a discussion panel, featuring worldwide experts on craft and luxury market and two competitions, challenging Indian students and the global users of social networks to offer their visions of the country, both through proposals for new products and through images representing India’s past, present and future.

Over 600 guests from the worlds of design and fashion, together with politicians, high-profile, international figures from the creative industries, business and academia, gathered at the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts in New Delhi to see the opening of the Made in… India showcase, Samskara.

The director of BE OPEN, Gennady Terebkov, welcomed guests on behalf of the founder Yelena Baturina, announcing that India is the starting point for a series of exhibitive platforms that will take place across the world to raise the profile of local makers and designers, whose work relies on traditional materials and techniques. Mrs Baturina is emphatic about craft’s significance as the “embryo of design” and India’s renown as a birthplace of handicraft practice. “We’re very excited to be here at the beginning of our global adventure, bringing together practitioners, academics, industry and business experts who can explore how best to support handicrafts and develop strategies to ensure that it flourishes in today’s highly competitive, global marketplace,” Mr Terebkov said.

The event was officially inaugurated by the Honourable Minister of Textiles, Kavuri Sambasiva Rao, and Honourable Minister of Culture, Chandresh Kumari Katoch, showing their support for BE OPEN’s mission to sustain national heritage and keep it alive by refreshing and reinvigorating it.

Samskara aims to refine and re-position craft practice, showcasing furniture and tableware, textiles and jewels that reveal an imaginative reinterpretation of traditional craft skills by contemporary Indian designers.

This is done through a display that suggests how an ideal Indian brand would use traditional crafts and production methods to meet the demands of a worldwide luxury market. Such an innovative approach to the subject was made possible by the very essence of BE OPEN: an international foundation whose scope is to investigate, to share thoughts and ideas to improve our perception of the world.

Over 350 objects by 24 Indian designers are on display, selected by BE OPEN with creative advisor of Made in… India, Sunil Sethi, President of the Fashion Council of India. He commented that BE OPEN’s Made in… India is a ground-breaking project for Indian design: “It is the first time that Indian designers in the fields of fashion, textiles, decorative objects, floor coverings and furniture have all been brought together in one exhibition. The result is a fascinating overview not only of where Indian design is today, but of where it is going.”

The installation for the exhibition, created by celebrated Indian architect Anupama Kundoo, is an integral part of the Samskara experience, designed to suggest how a contemporary, conceptual brand might present its products to a sophisticated international audience. Sparkling tableware, sumptuous homewares and ravishing clothing were dramatically displayed against the sober palate of the hand-stippled, rippling granite flooring, while furniture pieces were ingeniously “floated” in four, large, rectangular pools of water that intersected the granite, creating a variety of hard and soft surfaces to delight and intrigue the eye.

Samskara’s aim is not to replicate a traditional gallery style overview of contemporary craft, but rather to show how the presentation of product with a holistic branding concept – from everything including the shopping bag, labels, music compilation created for the show and brochure – can contribute to the effect of visiting a luxury store, rather than an exhibition space, repositioning the way we “consume” craft.

A Talk, held as part of the launch day at the Indira Gandhi Centre, entitled The Future of Making in a Globalised World, was moderated by Luxury Briefing expert and creative consultant from New York, Jeffrey Miller. The panel shared thoughts about “acting local, thinking global” (Angelika Taschen, publisher); the increasing profile of the handmade in luxury output and how small-scale production has to be acknowledged by the big brands (Raymond Simpson, the Dominion Diamond Corporation); and, with particular reference to India, how craftsmanship could drive employment and generate prosperity, but it has to shed a legacy of decades of stagnation (Amy Kazmin, the Financial Times). The importance of teamwork in the craft process was also discussed in relationship to its territory – how we can exploit our natural resources – was another key topic (Armando Branchini, Altagamma). Kundoo spoke for everyone when she said that she would like a future where humans are more intelligent and enabled than machines, so continuing to work with our hands and perpetuating skills is vital.

BE OPEN’s Director Gennady Terebkov also announced the educational element of BE OPEN’s activity in India. Two competitions will act as a call for ideas and promoted through a web and social media campaign. The first “Create the ultimate Indian object for our future” invites Indian design students to submit concepts across five home and fashion categories, awarding 1500 USD to each category winner. The prize money will ensure that the winning student is able to cover material costs in the interim between educational and professional practice, a concept which was enthusiastically acknowledged by Mr Prem Kumar Gera, Dean of NIFT, India’s National Institute of Fashion Technology, whose institute is participating in the competition and who voiced his support as part of the announcement. The second, “India Through My Eyes” is a global call for responses to the image we have of India today. Winners will be invited on an all expenses paid trip to the next international BE OPEN event.

Made in… India is not only about making a strong statement for Indian craft; it has global application, which highlights the important relationship and exchange between micro and macro economies. BE OPEN’s mission for this project will be to encourage makers around the world to explore alternative ways of using traditional skills and keeping them alive.

Once again, BE OPEN demonstrated its determination to promote growth and progress through creativity, and design in particular. As Yelena Baturina says: “creativity should not be consumed by the future; creativity should design the future!”

Made in… India continues at The Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts until 28 February 2014. The “Made in…” project will then travel to its next international destination.

www.beopenfuture.com

The post BE OPEN Made In… India Samskara
exhibition opens in New Delhi appeared first on Dezeen.

Dezeen promotion: this month is the last chance to submit architecture, interiors and design projects for the A’ Design Award and Competition.

The annual A’ Design Award and Competition honours designers, architects and companies worldwide.

The call for entries closes on 28 February and projects designed or completed in the last ten years will be accepted.

A jury of 50 experts will choose winners in a range of categories – click here for a full list.

Prizes include an invitation to the exclusive gala night in Italy, a copy of a yearbook that features all winning projects and a 3D-printed metal trophy.

Selected winners will be published on Dezeen in April, with a link to the full list of successful projects. Images in this post show previous winning projects.

For more information about the awards and how to enter, visit the A’ Design Awards website.

Here’s some further details from the organisers:

A’ Design Award & Competition Call for Entries

There are only ten days left to take part in the A’ Design Award and Competition. Industrial Design, Spatial Design, Service Design, Communication Design and Interaction Design entries are now being accepted for the Annual Juried International A’ Design Award & Competition till February 28, 2014.

A’ Design Award and Competition is one of the world’s most diffused and prestigious international juried design competition where entries are peer-reviewed and blind-voted by an international 50-person experienced jury panel of outstanding scholars, established professionals and influential press members.

The A’ Design Accolades are organised in a wide range of creative fields to highlight the very best designers, architects and companies from all countries in all disciplines. A’ Design Award and Competition promises fame, prestige, publicity and international recognition to all A’ Design Award Winners through the A’ Design Prize which is given to celebrate the awarded designs.

The A’ Design Prize is a coveted and comprehensive winners’ kit for awarded designs. A’ Design Prize includes but not limited to: international design excellence certificate in metal frame, invitation to the exclusive gala-night in Italy, online and offline exhibition of awarded projects, A2 poster of awarded projects, hardcover printed best projects yearbook publication, special 3D-printed metal award trophy in luxury black box, project translation to 20-plus languages in order to truly reach international audiences, an exclusive interview with the winner, press release preparation and distribution, license to use A’ Design Award Winner Logo in your communication, promotion of awarded works to thousands of other publications, media appearances through our press partners, inclusion in World Design Rankings as well as access to further marketing and PR tools.

Since 2009, the competition attracted over 30,000 Participants from 150 Countries. Last year, the A’ Design Accolades awarded entries from 70 Countries and hosted 400 guests (Designers, Press Members, as well as Ambassadors and Consul Generals of five countries) in their Gala-Night in Italy.

Not only established architects, professional designers and famous companies but also world’s top brands were successfully highlighted in the accolades, and the A’ Design Award Winner Logo reached more than a billion impressions worldwide thanks to appearances in national televisions, newspapers, traditional and digital publications. World Design Rankings, published by A’ Design Award & Competition, has become a resource for academics and media members to discuss creative developments in countries.

Every year, thousands of projects that focus on innovation, technology, design and creativity are awarded with the A’ Design Award. Entries are accepted annually till 28 February 2014 and results are announced every year on April 15. Designers, creative agencies, product manufacturers, architects and real estate developers worldwide are called to take part in the accolades by entering their best works, projects and products. Entries are accepted as long as they were designed in the last 10 years.

A’ Design Award & Competition is especially calling Dezeen readers to submit their Spatial Designs ie Interior Designs, Architectural Projects, Building Designs, Landscape Designs, Lighting Projects and Urban Designs. In addition to the Spatial Design Categories, furniture designs, decorative items, and interior design objects including lighting products are welcome to participate. Selected winners will be published on Dezeen together with a link to other winners on 15 April 2014.

www.adesignaward.com

The post Last chance to enter A’ Design
Award and Competition 2014 appeared first on Dezeen.

Dezeen promotion: materials brand DuPont has created a range of darker and more intense tones for its solid-surface product Corian.

Using a manufacturing process the brand calls DeepColour Technology, DuPont has developed the material to improve its durability, and make it easier to thermoform and seam.

This improved technique allowed the brand to add darker and more intense colours to the range of surface finishes.

Corian is a material that can be moulded into any shape. It is commonly used for architectural and interior applications, such as sculptural cladding or kitchen and bathroom surfaces, in commercial, residential and public space projects.

Deep Nocturne is solid black, Deep Anthracite features flecks of silver, Deep Black Quartz is speckled with ivory and Deep Night Sky includes translucent particles.

These colours are now available in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Further details about the latest range can be found on the Corian website.

Read on for more information from DuPont Corian:

DuPont Corian introduces the DeepColour Technology

Industry, architects, designers and consumers looking for high-performance, elegant, reliable, hygienic surfacing solutions in dark colours for their products, projects, creations and homes, now have a new possibility.

Within their multi-year growth initiative “Endless Evolution”, DuPont are setting once again a new, superior standard in advanced surfacing materials for interior design and architecture: the research and development laboratories of DuPont have developed an innovative manufacturing solution called DeepColour Technology (a patent pending invention) enabling the creation of dark solid surfaces which offer deeper, more intense and durable colour, improved wear performance and easier thermoforming, seaming and finishing.

The DeepColour Technology has been used by DuPont to produce four black tones:

» DuPont Corian Deep Nocturne, a classic jet black, a super-versatile solid black;
» DuPont Corian Deep Anthracite, a lustrous black immersed with minute flecks of silver.
» DuPont Corian Deep Black Quartz, an infinite black landscape offset by a vivid array of ivory specks;
» DuPont Corian Deep Night Sky, a midnight black with a galaxy of translucent particles.

The four colours of DuPont Corian made with DeepColour Technology are going to be commercially available in Europe, Middle East and Africa as of 1 February 2014.

“In summer 2013, we launched the Endless Evolution initiative for DuPont Corian, introducing new marketing tools and on-line services for both industry, specifiers and consumers. Now we present the DeepColour Technology, a science and technology based innovation applied to the dark colours of DuPont Corian solid surfaces. We use it to make four black tones with an enhanced combination of beauty and functionality. The Endless Evolution initiative and its generation of new products are a further, clear demonstration of our strong commitment to the market of solid surfaces, to the competitiveness of all our customers and to the satisfaction of end users,” says Jean-Yves Bach, DuPont Building Innovations, Europe Middle-East and Africa, business director.

“DuPont Corian solid surfaces are deeply changing interior design and architecture, due to their special mix of properties and performance. Through the DeepColour Technology, we propose a superior, solution – in terms of fabrication, aesthetics and functionality – among advanced surfacing materials in dark colours. With this technology, we are going to provide new, versatile solutions to all those who are looking for modern surfacing materials in dark colours. And thanks to the versatility of this technology, we will soon propose other colours, always featuring a renewed mix of functionality and beauty, delivering the innovation promise behind our Endless Evolution program,” says Eddy Verschueren, DuPont Building Innovations, Global Technical Manager for DuPont Corian.

www.deepcolour.corian.com

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to develop dark colours for solid-surface material appeared first on Dezeen.

BE OPEN Made In… India: Indian handicrafts and contemporary design will be displayed in a space built by local stonecutters (pictured) at an exhibition organised by creative think tank BE OPEN, which opens in New Delhi on 10 February.

BE OPEN’s Made In… programme, a global search for handmade goods and ideas to ensure the survival of handicraft, is launching in India with the Samskara exhibition.

The exhibition will take place at the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts in New Delhi, inside a bespoke space designed by architect Anupama Kundoo.

To create the installation, Kundoo worked with stonecutters at a granite quarry in Tamil Nadu who carve and finish each piece of stone by hand (pictured in these photos by Vimal Bhoraj).

Curated by BE OPEN and Sunil Sethi, the exhibition will include a range of furniture, products, textiles and lighting, handmade using traditional crafts and reinterpreted for the contemporary market by local designers.

It kicks off on 10 February with an invitation-only talks programme focussed on “The future of making in a globalised world”.

Six guest speakers will present their ideas and case studies illustrating successful brand-building in the worlds of design and craftsmanship, followed by a discussion with journalists and commentators.

BE OPEN is also running two competitions that tie into the themes of the exhibition. “Create the ultimate Indian object for our future” invites Indian students to design contemporary objects using traditional skills and “India Through My Eyes” calls for global entries responding to perceptions of India today.

Samskara then opens to the public 11-28 February daily from 10:30am to 7:30pm and entrance is free. Dezeen will be filming a series of movies at the event, so keep an eye out for these on the site.

To find out more about the exhibition and the Made In… programme, visit the BE OPEN website.

Here’s the information sent to us by the organisers:

Made in… India
BE OPEN’s search for the future of creativity starts in India, with a focus on making

10 February official opening, by invitation only

BE OPEN, the global philanthropic foundation, announced its intention last month to launch a worldwide project that looks at the handmade and how to ensure its survival in the future.

Each year BE OPEN announces a theme that guides their research. 2012 focused on design and the senses, while the theme for the year ahead is North/South – East/West. Travelling to the four corners of the world, the foundation will involve a new generation of makers and designers, as well as students, academics and retail industry professionals, to develop the subject, exploring where and how our diverse cultures can meet and how to take traditional skills into the future, through innovation and technology.

The journey of discovery begins in India, where, from the time of the Mughals through the Rajput, to the present day, Indian craftsmen have been commissioned to carve and inlay marble, wood and stone, to weave in silk and to mould in clay. Made in… India’s exhibition will showcase furniture and tableware, textiles and jewels that reveal an imaginative reinterpretation of traditional craft skills by contemporary Indian designers.

A range of pieces by twenty-three designers will be installed in the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts in New Delhi, in a bespoke space created by architect Anupama Kundoo. A dedicated graphic has been designed to create a unified way of presenting the conceptual Made in… India international brand, Samskara. Samskara refers to the idea of refining, which is what the project aims to do by re-positioning locally made, handcrafted goods to give them global appeal, rather than purely displaying the latest in contemporary Indian craft.

Founder of BE OPEN, Yelena Baturina, says: “Business is in my DNA, so I can’t help but bring a business focus to this project as well. We feel that the future of the handmade is about keeping it out of the moribund museum space and instead making it live and breathe by becoming part of the market economy. Working with local experts, BE OPEN has been looking at today’s most promising Indian designers, encouraging them to think beyond their usual market and giving them the opportunity to present their work from a completely new perspective, so that it appeals to a much wider, international audience. Made in… is launching in India, not least because its culture reveals such a fascinating and stark dichotomy between tradition and modernity. This means that there is a tremendous legacy of skilled work and a willingness to take it forward into the future.”

BE OPEN is working with eminent design consultant, President of India’s Fashion Design Council, Sunil Sethi for this project. Sethi has been a pioneer in terms of changing perceptions of India abroad, through events such as Bollywood at London’s Selfridges (2002), and installations at Conran shops internationally (2007), amongst others. He says: “We have chosen designers to represent all of the craft skills for which India is best known, yet will be showing them in a light that will dramatically change the way that people might think about the tagline Made in India. For many, Indian goods are associated with poor quality and cheap labour. The BE OPEN project will prove that there is vast potential to reverse that perception.”

Voicing her support for the exhibition, Smt, Chandresh Kumari Katoch Honourable Union Minister of Culture, Government of India, says: “I am extremely happy to know that BE OPEN project is being launched in India, which is home to such a rich variety of handicrafts. The BE OPEN Foundation has adopted a novel and innovative approach of applying the business model as a way of working with the Indian crafts industry. It is a difficult task to keep the ancient traditions of handicraft alive in our country and the only way of doing it is by linking it to markets thereby making it self-sustaining. Therefore, I am delighted with this initiative of the BEOPEN Foundation and hope that it will mark the beginning of a new way to promote and preserve our cultural legacy for the future.”

Pieces in the exhibition include: fashion by Aneeth Arora’s Pero brand, Abraham and Thakore, Samant Chauhan, Ashish Soni, Gaurav Gupta, Rahul Mishra, Pankaj and Nidhi Ahuja; textiles by Gita Chopra’s “Disha” brand, Ezma and Rasa; furniture by Bombay Atelier, Ayush Kasliwal, PortsideCafé and Sameer Wheaton; products by Sunil Sethi Design Alliance, Thukral and Tagra, Gunjan Gupta, Sahil & Sarthak and Siddhartha Das; lighting design by Klove and Vibhor Sogani; and metalware by Devi Design and Episode.

Nothing will be for sale, but the work will be presented as though part of a new brand, with logo, labels and tags, shopping bags and display all reflecting contemporary design: dynamic, beautifully crafted goods, grounded in tradition, yet reinterpreted for today. Items from the exhibition will be auctioned during BE OPEN’s events at Milan World Expo 2015. The proceeds from the auction will be plowed back into the Young Talent Award fund, creating a virtuous circle of support for emerging designers.

In addition to the product installation, a discussion panel will see prominent international design and fashion professionals sharing experiences and discussing their approach to the future of making in a globalised world. Confirmed participants include: Amy Kazmin, Financial Times South Asia Correspondent (UK); publishers Angelika Taschen (Germany) and Yaffa Assouline (France); Armando Branchini, Vice Chairman of Fondazione Altagamma (Italy); Raymond Simpson, Executive Vice President of Dominion Diamond Corporation (USA); and architect and architectural educator Anupama Kundoo (India).

BE OPEN’s activity in India will be supported by two calls for ideas through a web and social media campaign. The first “Create the ultimate Indian object for our future”, will invite Indian design students to submit concepts across five home and fashion categories, awarding 1500USD to each category winner. The second, “India Through My Eyes” is a global call for responses to the image we have of India today. Winners will be invited on an all expenses paid trip to the next international BE OPEN event.

Made in… India is not only about making a strong statement for Indian craft; it has global application. BE OPEN’s mission for this project will be to encourage makers around the world to explore alternative ways of using traditional skills and keeping them alive.

www.beopenfuture.com

The post BE OPEN’s Made In… India: Samskara exhibition
will focus on the future of craft appeared first on Dezeen.

Dezeen promotion: design show designjunction and online retailer Clippings.com have teamed up to bring a Christmas pop-up shop to London‘s Covent Garden.

The temporary shop in the Seven Dials area of Covent Garden is stocking Christmas gifts from stocking fillers and greeting cards to glassware, cushions and decorative lighting, as well as our Dezeen Book of Ideas.

A stackable tea set by VW+BS, diamond-shaped light bulbs by Eric Thurner and wooden shelves in the form of a deer’s head by BEdesign are among the products for sale.

Also included are designs by Lovely Pigeon, Vitamin and 1882, plus many more brands. All the items can also be purchased from Clippings’ online store until Christmas.

The pop-up shop is open at 53 Monmouth Street, Covent Garden, London WC2H 9DG, until 5 January.

Designjunction sent us the following text:

Designjunction Curates Clippings.com Christmas Pop-up Shop

4 December 2013 – 5 January 2014
53 Monmouth Street, Seven Dials, Covent Garden London WC2H 9DG

London’s leading design show designjunction and online retail market place clippings.com have joined forces to create the ultimate Christmas shop in time for the festive season. Located in the heart of Covent Garden, in a prime retail space on the Seven Dials, this vibrant new pop-up shop is set to open later this week.

Curated by designjunction, shoppers can expect to find a range of products from an eclectic mix of emerging labels alongside selected established design brands.

1882, Kangon Arora, VW+BS, HAM, Natasha Lawless, Kaymet, Lane, Lovely Pigeon, Vitamin and BEdesign are just some of the brands that have joined this exciting line-up.

Customers can expect to find the perfect festive gifts from small stocking fillers, watches, ceramics, greeting cards to glassware, cushions and decorative lighting.

As part of the Seven Dials late-night shopping evening on Thursday 5 December from 5–9pm, shoppers can take advantage of a 20% discount on all purchases made on the night – don’t miss this opportunity to buy the latest trends at unbeatable prices!

You can shop in-store from Wednesday 4 December or buy online up until Christmas.

See you in store!

Opening Hours

Monday – Saturday: 10am – 7pm
Thursday late-night shopping: 6pm – 9pm
Sunday: 12am – 6pm

The post Designjunction and Clippings curate
Christmas pop-up shop in London appeared first on Dezeen.