Ahmedabad: The trend of purchasing furniture for entire house/commercial project from China and Malaysia is not new in high-society of Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat and rest of Gujarat and India. Concerned about this, city based designer Tanvi Karia joined by like-minded people from design fraternity is organizing ‘The Raw Collaborative’ for last two years in Ahmedabad. The latest edition of this design show is going to take place during 30th November and 2nd December at ATMA house on Ashram Road. The idea is to discover, curate, showcase and promote products that are inherently Indian in their expression, process and outcome blending together craftsmanship, design, experimentation and technology.

Curated designs of 60 distinguished designers from around India and abroad will be showcased in the event. The 3 days will also see ‘Raw Talk Series’, addressing different facets of art, design, and architecture. Eminent designers, architects, and artists will be a part of this talk series.

“The first edition in 2017 tried to address the huge gap between the exclusive product creators and their discerning audience, with a keen eye towards detail, finesse, quality and style. The latest edition of event will see a meticulous curation of 60 designers and innovative concepts from all over India. The passion and craftsmanship of these designers reflects in their designs so deeply, that each of their products has a story to tell. All products originate from a beautiful narrative, fusing fine decor, art and craftsmanship. All creations shall be a perfect union of vernacular and contemporary design,” the organizers said on eve of the event.

Tanvi Karia, Conceptualizer & Founder Raw Collaborative says, “Raw Collaborative is the culmination of my design journey over the last 18 years of some exceptional eureka moments of finding the right product for my projects and clients, as well as some heartbreaking moments of not being able to connect the dots in search of the right piece for a particular space – products that required to be authentic, raw, organic, un-adulterated in nature. Ahmedabad being the hub of art, architecture and design in India, there could not have been a better place to start the initiative. This year’s venue is the Mill Owners’ Association Building which has a close connotation with the absolute raw, post-modernist, brutalist language which resonated with all that we envisioned ‘Raw Collaborative’ to be. This year we have Rooshad Shroff as our Guest Curator to bring together signature works of 40+ designers for the Design gallery.”

Sharing more details, the organizers said, “the platform of ‘Raw Collaborative’ encourages cross pollination of ideas, design synergies and shared dialogues between artists, designers and architects. This year there will be studios displaying their range of products to end-users, specifiers, buyers and connoisseurs along with a Gallery where Design will be elevated to another level beyond the commercial aspect of it.”

Priyadarshini Rathore and Vishwa Bhatt Weir, Presenter and curator, W-Project together said, “As everyone knows putting up an event or a show is not a meager task; nonetheless it becomes a stroll in the wind when a like-minded team comes together for a subject area we have been passionate about. We are presenting the second edition with so much more enthusiasm and rigor, at a venue which culminates the rawness and modernity of appeal and to the audience who will surely appreciate the efforts put in to bring all the right and sought after designers to Ahmedabad. We look forward to see Ahmedabad admire the celebration of design this weekend.”

Guest curator Rooshad Shroff, speaking about the Design Gallery said, “We believe that there is a lot that India has to offer in terms of design talent and design per say. The Design Gallery will showcase works of 40 designers, Indian or working in the Indian context, displaying their works in a Gallery format where Design is viewed and appreciated through its process, the narratives woven through its production process including the craft and the craftsmanship involved and then finally see the end product as a ‘Collectable’ rather than mere functional object.”

He added, “Over the last decade, we see a surge of young Indian designers with a strong design identity that needs a representation beyond a retail setup. The need for a design gallery within India was the springing point of the event we would like to bring out together as part of ‘Raw Collaborative’ in Ahmedabad that puts together significant pieces of design (furniture / products / lighting / textile / ceramics / accessories) within a gallery format.”

DeshGujarat