Innovative ideas from young minds

The post-graduate students of the Srishti School of Art, Design and Technology showcased their ideas, projects and installations, for the first time at Galerie De’Arts recently.

The exhibition titled, ‘Granfalooners’, had students mix their creativity with technical knowledge in order to create something unique.

These students have specialised in subjects such as experimental media, communication design and aesthetic and critical studies. The participating artists were Anupriy Kanti, Ritika Baheti, Surabhi Singhal, Kiran Setty, Pragya Sharma, Samhita, Anuja Shukla, Paulomi R and Sana Rai.

They worked around interesting themes such as ‘Creating myths and history of a fictional world’, ‘Local festivals and rituals that shape an Indian woman’s life’, ‘Tracing the evolutions of living spaces’, ‘Rejuvenating the concept of colours’, ‘Designing interaction with user research and wire framing’ and ‘Re-inventing children’s story telling’.

Deepa Subramanian of Galerie De’Arts says, “It is a delight to show the works of these highly academic and creative students. What is interesting about the show is the treatment of various fundamental topics, which have been taken to a completely different level of mental analysis.”

She says she admires the way the students have managed to convert their personal quirks into ‘creative props’ for their projects. “The bright young students re-affirm our faith in the future of academic art,” she adds.

The student confess that they thoroughly enjoyed working on their projects. Anuja Shukla, a first-year post graduate student, found that her interest lay in storytelling for children and believes that doing aesthetic and critical studies course, in post-graduation, will help her in being a children’s author and illustrator. “I’ve developed an application that makes story telling more interesting for the elderly. I’ve also explored the concept of Greek gods and developed a humourous take on how they survive in a modern era,” says Anuja.

Pragya Sharma, a software engineer, used her skills in developing an user interface designing and devised an application, which takes the art of storytelling closer to people. “I developed a web and web application, which required a lot of research about the latest technology and tried to develop a gadget that’s user-friendly for the elderly,” she says. 

Samhita, an architect, explored how typography and spaces affect each other. “I concentrated on the buildings on MG Road and Brigade Road, where the buildings on these stretches have been defaced by the many hoardings that literally cover the frontal of these buildings,” she explains. 

Paulami R, a first-year student, spent two years travelling and working. Her current project explores the theme of reciprocal awareness, “I tried to capture how different people react in various situations and how to start conversations with people and I worked with the elderly. This project required a lot of interaction with people, especially with those in joint families,” she says.