Upcoming exhibition features works from a 140-year-old American design school's

Created by Ananya Tantia

Starting today, 21 artists and designers from around the country, who are alumni of the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), USA, will present a group exhibition at a Colaba gallery, showcasing a diverse range of works across disciplines in the field of design. Installed in an intimate setting, the objects offer an alternative to the way we think about design.

Rectangular neck piece by Malvika Vaswani

The exhibits depict individual histories and memories. You can expect to see metal sculptures, architectural installations, recycled silk sari carpets, artisanal furniture and jewellery as well as experimentation with material techniques such as printed cork, screen printing with natural pigments on organic fabrics, and explorations in graphic design and photography.

The three-day event has been organised by alumni Malvika Vaswani and Tanya Singh. "We have been wanting to bring the alumni together for a while. The disciplines are varied and offer a wide scope when you present them together," says Singh, who has studied interior architecture and will display her installation at the exhibition.

A carpet by Ishrat Sahgal

"In India, unlike the West, most people still get things like furniture made by others. This a good chance to meet the artisans behind the craft. Each piece has a thought and research behind it," says Vaswani, an industrial design student who currently designs jewellery and will display pieces made using the dying art of bidri.

"We timed the exhibition with Rosanne Sommerson's (president of RISD) visit to India. Sommerson will participate in a panel discussion titled, Building Creative Imagination,"

A painting by Taniya Vaidya

You can also check out works by artistes such as Nishita Mehta (graphic design), Durga Gawde (sculpture), Aditya Dutta (illustration), Mehr Chatterjee (film animation video), Cynthia Director (textiles), Prarthna Singh (photography) and Taniya Vaidya (painting).