India Design Forum (IDF) is an inclusive and integrated design conference connecting prominent personalities in the fraternity. It brings together leading industry figures, professionals and emerging talent with their counterparts from around the world.
Rajshree Pathy founder director has created IDF (www.indiadesignforum.com) as a platform to promote discourse on social relevance of design, its commercial appeal and the innovations that drive it.
IDF held its design event in Sri Lanka (IDF Colombo) on October 18. The event took place at the Gallery Café the former office premises of world-renowned Sri Lankan architect Geoffrey Bawa.
IDF Colombo included a series of discussions by a group of eminent regional and international design industry figures. The center of attraction of the event was inimitable inventor, creator, architect, designer and artistic director, the Frenchman Philippe Starck. He was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award as an honour for his contribution towards design industry, specifically within the South Asia region. The award was presented to Starck by the State Minister of Finance, Eran Wickramaratne.
This designer par excellence considers his duty is to share his pioneering vision of a fairer planet. He creates unconventional places and objects that are good before being beautiful with his motto in creativity, ‘Making life better for the largest number of people possible’.
In keeping with Starck’s design ethos, IDF Colombo explored topics such as responsible luxury and the relevance of architecture in an era of sustainability, the significance of design in a rapidly urbanizing South Asia, the impact of globalization on local design practices and subaltern perspectives in architecture and design.
Madhura Prematilleke, principal at Team Architrave, a design practice in Colombo in his speech mentioned about Channa Daswatte the crown prince of Bawa legacy with other innovators in the local fraternity who are determined to take the Bawa tradition forward.
“Gallery Café with open space and trees is a good example of an urban tropical house”, he said.
“Construction of public places is of great importance where young artists could come and interact with the public, exhibit their works. Gallery Café building inhabit our city’s premier public space, a place where everyone used to gather”, he added.
He said buildings designed by him face East-South instead of North-West for the purpose of not missing the beautiful shadows created by sunrise and sunset.
Abha Narain Lambah, principal architect at the leading Indian architecture firm ANL Associates viewed, “The future is our past”. She made her views with reference to architectural conservation, building restoration and retrofit, museum design and historic interiors.
Creative director of Bodice and 2017-18 international Woolmark Prize winner Ruchika Sachdeva spoke of South Asia’s shift from an apparel manufacturer towards global fashions to develop international design brands with collections that combine traditional techniques of craftsmanship with universal aesthetic.
Ruchika spoke of her passion for Sarees having body hugging harmony. She said fashion weeks with thin fashion models walking on ramp to promote products are becoming obsolete and there is Instagram and other effective communication means to reach potential customers and markets for new designs.
“I never harp on fashion models to sell my new designs”, she said.
Christopher Turner, Director, London Design Biennale is a respected architecture and design writer who has been nominated for the Orwell Prize for political writing of outstanding quality.
In his talk on the value of architectural history, he examined the pressures on heritage in the face of rapid urbanization, gentrification and war.
IDF Colombo came to end with a fashion show choreographed by Annika Fernando, courtesy of PR fashion store.
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