Design Disruption at JD Annual Design Awards 2019

JD Annual Design Awards is held to celebrate the design breakthrough of our students which showcases well-put together and well-thought of designs from different departments like Interior, Jewellery, Fashion, Photography and Fashion Communication. Months of ideating, design conceptualization, jury meetings and creating their end product in a showcase to their peers, family, management, industry stalwarts and prominent personalities. This year the JD Annual Design Awards, Bangalore was an extravagant 2-day affair with 3 shows at the Lalit Ashok, Bangalore on 5^th and 6^th June 2019.

Each year before the commencement of the awards, a theme is unveiled to the students that form the basis of their design thinking for the final showcase. The students have to stay true to the theme, through thorough research and reach the crevices of their imagination to come up with designs that are innovative and incorporate the ethos of the Institute – Sustainability, Ethics and Innovation into their product/collection. The theme for this year’s annual awards was “CURATOR”. The dictionary meaning of the term is, “a keeper or custodian”. The themes decided by the students touched upon topics that resonated with their social, traditional, environmental, historical or dying art causes.

The show commenced with an exhibition presented by students of Jewellery and Interior Design alongwith Photography. The students of jewellery design incorporated elements inspired by the decorative masks used Chhau dance of Bengal which culminated in a collection that incorporated 9 precious gemstones. The amalgamation of a fabled love story, Persian miniature art and the eclectic style of the Achaemenid Empire led to the creation of modern pieces to appeal to the generation of today. The craftsmanship in Kalamkaari used in Chhatisgarh was used to explore new designs to create pieces that have not used these techniques. The luxury of Mercedes-Benz formed the genesis of the idea for the designer to create unique cufflinks, collar pins and lapel pin. Whereas, stories from the Panchatantra, were used to give life to a creation specially crafted for children.

The interior design students created products that were sustainable and innovative in nature. Multi-functionality was a widely used element in their designs which was visible in a game table which could be used as a side table or a coffee table and could also be converted into a board game; traditional office chair with an inbuilt acupressure system.  Designers were inspired by the old terracotta work of Tamil Nadu and designed a wine holder which could also be used as a light fixture when not in use. Chromotheraphy and ant hill/ant colony formed the inspiration for a light fixture inspired. Apart from products, the designers also exhibited space designs.

The photography students showcased their keen eye through the digital medium and captured the essence of the theme of the year through the beauty of travel, nature’s phenomenon, childhood memories, the power of revenge, friendship, freedom, the art of balance, and a mother’s love.

Fashion communication students presented their work through a short film that highlighted traditional jewellery of South India and the time to retrospect on our views towards the appreciation of the true spirit of creation.

The fashion design students presented 60 collections with 300+ garments. The designs of the students highlighted the extent, of their creative genius by touching upon various relevant issues. The students have explored the dangers and problems that have plagued our environment and marine life, the migration to another planet due to the toxicity caused on earth and the times post-apocalyptic phenomena. The beauty derived from architectural prowess of the bygone empires, Nordic era, strength of women, age of jazz; alternative to cotton was created through the usage of aloe vera fabric, whereas banana fabric was used to portray its eco-friendly nature; fish scales and plastic waste to provide a substitute for sequins, natural dyes through discarded flowers and rusted objects. Students also explored Japan, Rome, France, Ukraine and Mexico. Age is a just a number and has no bearing on the designs or colour choices, was perfectly showcased by some fun and elegant pieces. Dying art forms were highlighted with a twist by students to bring awareness about the rich cultural heritage of our country. Multi-purpose garments for women or athleisure wear that doubled as work wear, travel or to work out; collections that incorporated pigments that reacted to body temperature. The students also touched upon topics of mental health and self-healing. Homage was paid to Game of Thrones, one of the most watched series of this millennium.  Work of some of the greatest artists from past and present formed the basis of some collections. Poetic verse from the great Rabindranath Tagore’s Geetanjali and shadow art also found its way in one of the collections. Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder and all good things take time was aptly derived from the representation of the Agate Geodes which are colourful crystal formations found in the hollow of rocks and take atleast 200 – 250 million years to form. One of the student designed a collection to help individuals who suffer from hearing impairment and created that enhances hearing through a hearing-aid like arm extension as well as omnidirectional noise cancelling wearable technological solution. A line of colourful garments with bold prints was inspired by an NGO that works towards the upliftment of the transgender community.

Design is a visual medium that has the power to reverberate with people as the human mind is known to process images better and helps create the desired impact. The students through their designs have not just captured the theme of the year very well but also translated their inspirations and incorporated the values of the institute – sustainability, innovation and ecofriendly. This year’s students will be tomorrow’s pioneers and will set an example for the upcoming batches.