Overview
I co-founded Unbind along with 6 other team members for 3 years (2017-2020). Unbind was an organization that focused on impacting the person (a professional/student of design-related fields) through rural immersion programs and workshops using a human-centered design approach.
Following is an outline of 3 programs I was involved in :
Role
Website design
Graphic design
Workshop facilitation
Program execution and collaboration
Community outreach
Team
6 members
Duration
2 years
Event X was a two-day maker space festival that we conducted for students of design, by organizing several maker-based workshops for over 200 students, making them outcome-driven workshops.
Over the course of Event X, students were exposed to the various facets of fields such as architecture photography, journalism, set design, and installation design and conducted a design hackathon. This framework of workshops led to widening participants' horizons in different allied fields.
Location
Bangalore, India (2017)
Collaboration
Design Innovation and Craft Resource Centre (DICRC), Ethos India, Build Inn, Running Studio, THE workshop, Third Space Labs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qNkbHQrPXs
Prabhaav was a 7 day rural immersion program where participants interacted with the craft communities in villages around Karnataka, India, to understand indigenous design processes. The aim was to open up multiple perspectives and possibilities in the design sector for students and professionals. The program included an inquiry into the indigenous craft sector of the Gudigar community, interaction, ideation, discussions, and reflections. Designers engaged in conversation with the artisans and the community at Banavasi to understand how the role craft sectors played in the community.
During this experiential learning, participants looked into how traditional design - be it in arts and crafts or construction techniques can be applied in today’s world.
Location
Banavasi, Karnataka (2018-19)
Collaboration
Outdoor World Sustainable Tourism
For decades, the handloom and handicraft industry has been the backbone of India’s rural economy. The design of handicrafts from raw material to the finished product has evolved over many years keeping in mind the context of the region. Different regions have developed their own process of making products giving rise to unique craft communities. One of the most potent ways we could show students this evolution of design was to expose them to the actual design schools of this country - the villages.
Through various discussions, activities, interactions, and facilitated reflections, it is an inquiry into rural ecosystems, indigenous art forms, artisans, dynamics of rural-urban collaborations, etc. 3 cycles Prabhaav was based in Banavasi, Karnataka to understand the Gudigar community known for pith coronets.
Prabhaav follows 3 narratives:
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What can a designer understand from rural artisans and their lives?
How can a designer become self-aware and responsible, thus developing an observation lens?
How can a designer make an impact within and in their surroundings?
The workshops during Prabhaav centered around 3 observation lenses for participants to understand these rural narratives.