The India Art Fair is the largest exhibition of modern and contemporary art in India since its inception in 2008. The first fair (called India Art Summit then) was held at Pragati Maidan, one of the largest exhibition spaces in the country and it has been attracting art galleries from across the world every year since then.
I was a part of the set design team led by Sumant Jayakrishnan for the design of the 2012 venue at NSIC grounds, Okhla. Our scope of design included set design, installations, signage and space planning for about 12,000 square feet of exhibition space and allied spaces.
I was a part of the set design team led by Sumant Jayakrishnan for the design of the 2012 venue at NSIC grounds, Okhla. Our scope of design included set design, installations, signage and space planning for about 12,000 square feet of exhibition space and allied spaces.
The theme of the entire set was built of cold raw steel draped with the colourful warmth of woolen threadwork. The huge tent facades were covered with a pattern of triangles in a gradient of gray which formed the backdrop for the multicoloured threadwork installation at the centre of each tent. The deck in front of the structure was laid with three different kinds of steel tiles and entry to the structure was built with horizontal steel pipes which seemed extruded from inside the space to create an entry.
The threadwork was carried over to the interior as well where curving translucent walls of thread were made and the cafeteria space had a flowing canopy of colour over it. The highlight was an interactive installation called ‘pin wall’ inside the lounge area. It was made of hundreds of steel pipes projecting from a flat steel structure which could be independently moved in or out thus forming a pattern. Throughout the fair, new patterns and shapes were sculpted and erased as visitors thronged the pin wall to make their own art!
The threadwork was carried over to the interior as well where curving translucent walls of thread were made and the cafeteria space had a flowing canopy of colour over it. The highlight was an interactive installation called ‘pin wall’ inside the lounge area. It was made of hundreds of steel pipes projecting from a flat steel structure which could be independently moved in or out thus forming a pattern. Throughout the fair, new patterns and shapes were sculpted and erased as visitors thronged the pin wall to make their own art!
All pictures ©André Fanthome - http://andrefanthome.com/
Renderings and drawings by Shashank Singal
Renderings and drawings by Shashank Singal
