What to expect at Sir JJ Institute of Applied Art's annual exhibition

From innovative packaging and re-imagined ad campaigns to 3-D prototypes of multi-functional vans, Sir JJ Institute of Applied Art's annual showcase is a window into the four-year learning curve of its students

A series of black and white illustrations of a crow savouring a slice of watermelon peek at you from the invite for Sir JJ Institute of Applied Art’s annual exhibition. But trust an institute at the service of art since 1935 to infuse it in everything it does. So, when we pull out the card, colours start appearing in the artwork, almost magically. This element of surprise continues in the exhibition. Showcasing select projects from a multitude that students work on through the year, the event is also a trajectory of how their approach to art and its application evolves in four years.

“Given the practical nature of the course, this exhibition is considered more important than the written exam,” says Dr Santosh Kshirsagar, dean (in-charge) of the institute. He adds that it is also what industry professionals keep an eye out for. Lecturer Gajanan Sitaram Shepal explains that while the first year is about familiarising students with different facets of applied art, the projects become fewer in number but more thematic with time.
Here are The Guide’s top picks.

Till February 24, 10.30 am to 5.30 pm
At Sir JJ Institute of Applied Art, near CSMT.
Free

Food chain
Students of the first year start off with creating simpler food models as seen in this display of fast food, made primarily with paper and cardboard. One of the themes given to the final-year students this year was the van. Many of them envisioned it on the lines of a food truck, including a chaat van by the beach, and a mobile cake shop by Sagar Londhe. Apart from the van’s design, the glass display with miniature cakes, topped with glazed strawberries are all hand-crafted.

Campaign for change
Designing ad campaigns for fictional brands and re-imagining them for existing ones — print and digital ads, hoardings, posters, etc — are integral to the project work of senior students. Here, the campaign makes an appeal to stop using plastic.

Stagecraft
This revolving stage model by final year student Dheeraj Chachad shows the exteriors of a chawl, which, within seconds, give way to what a chawl looks like from inside

Packing a punch
Research shows that whether or not you pick up a product from a supermarket shelf has a lot to do with how it is packaged. This exhibit of innovating packaging shows cartons of a popular corn flakes brand as envisioned by students of the second year. Here, Utsavi Prakash Lahane shows her tent-like conical cake box “because cakes these days with all the fondant and decorations tend to have a height”.

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