Combining art with utility

Taking baby steps towards their career, interior designing students of Jagannath Institute of Management Science (JIMS), Rohini, recently displayed their creative innovations at a two-day annual exhibition, ‘Ideometric Warriors’.

Held at Dilli Haat, Pitam Pura, the exhibition featured product designs, models of the new designs and low-cost furniture such as tables, chairs, shelves and lamps by young designers.

Some of the interesting creations were made by the final-year students who, using their combined knowledge of creativity, design, material and financial feasibility, came up with interesting decors.

Paint Can Seat and The Pyramide were examples of converting waste into beautiful, durable and low-cost furniture. A team of four students developed paint cans and an old scrap into seats and a centre table respectively. The seats were beautified with kitsch art and old magazine sheets.

Sakshi Chug, a final year student of B.SC in Interior Designing and part of the team, said, “It took us a week to transform our design into the final product. It is an example of how recycling is the best way to save money. Our focus is on designing products that are in the budget of people across classes.”

PVC pipes came out beautifully as the base of a glass table, The Pyramide, a simple, yet durable and low cost furniture made up of the negligible material. 

Patio Tab, a beautifully shaped set of patio table and chair for both outdoor and indoor was a blend of nature and comfort. It was made of metal rod framing and an appearance of weaving was given by colourful ropes. Nerin, a centre glass table used the concept of mermaid as its base, which was made from thermocol, papier-mâché and chalk mitti.

While the final-year students had to design their products within a limited budget, there was no such restrictions for other participants. First-year students, being beginners, made only designs and those in second year had to develop a model of their idea on either of the themes – an office setting, a hotel suite or an exhibition hall. 

Shravi Rathi, a first year student, designed a showpiece-cum-lamp Papillon, meaning a butterfly in French. Taking inspiration from butterflies’ wings, she and her two team mates designed the lamp with acrylic sheets with a carving and wooden base. “It can be modified into a table top or a disco light. We got the sheet cut from a carpenter and joined it on our own,” she said.

The exhibition, now in its third edition, aimed at giving students a platform to showcase their skills and learn the process of turning the on-paper project into a reality. Renuka Jain, HoD (Interior Design), said, “All creations were a blend of creativity and practicality. This year, many students used waste and scrap to make their products. So, now they know that some beautiful creations can be achieved in low budget also.”