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Furniture and Interior Design
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LLANDREALL@GMAIL.COM |
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Bamboo Product Development for Tripura Bamboo Mission
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Guide Anuya Naik |
Sponsonr Outreach Programmes, NID, Ahmedabad
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I steadily developed an interest in crafts and products with a high ‘human’ value during my academic curriculum in furniture and interior design. I took up this project for the Tripura Bamboo Mission as an avenue to further explore my interest. In addition to designing attractive bamboo products, the project was aimed at adding value to the artisans trade.
My research commenced with a fact finding mission, during which I understood bamboo as a material, the artisans who work with it, skill levels prevalent in the area and market access.
Next, I created my own questionnaires for buyers, consumers and designers to understand their aspirations and perceptions of bamboo and then conducted extensive market research studies. Most of the customers perceived it as a low cost, cheap product and were wary of their image declining with having bamboo furniture in their homes.
It was here that I decided that I should find a unique and brand new expression in bamboo, which while retaining its character would also be contemporary enough to suit a user’s aesthetic needs. My products are small in size and not primarily important in function. The focus is on visual appeal. They include a split lamp, a belt culm lamp and a seat.
The process to manufacture these products cannot be entirely mechanized and will still retain a handmade quality. So, it will not be removed from being a craft. As value to the artisan at the grassroots level, the products I have designed are aimed to be material and labour intensive to create more employment. |
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