Maxmiliano Modesti, Pavitra Rajaram, Yoko Shimizu and Pooja Dhingra at the ColourNext panel, 2019

Pavitra Rajaram
Pavitra Rajaram, decor custodian for Asian Paints and Good Earth’s lead designer, decodes Enchanted for us and suggests practical applications:\

What is the idea behind Enchanted?
Enchanted is inspired from a need for constructed storytelling in interiors. It’s about maximalism and moving away from austere, pared down aesthetics. Since technology has homogenised our lives, it has also left us feeling vulnerable and has characterised us down to a group of aspects and traits. Enchanted is about breaking away from such standardisation, and using our memories, imagination, fantasy and nostalgia to design, wherein technology plays no role.
 

Mumbai’s Slink & Bardot, a restaurant you designed, embraces this concept. Tell us about it.
I created a fictional world—imagining that the villa was inhabited 100 years ago and conceptualised a real and meaningful decor scheme. This bit alone was inspired in part by Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s masterpiece 100 Years of Solitude. I created wallpapers for the space, placed half-eaten artworks for a discovery-of-the-past feel, used frangipani in every corner as well as fantastical art inspired by the likes of Frieda Kahlo.

Yoko Shimizu
When an artist with a scientific bent reimagines the future, the possibilities seem endless. Tokyo-based Yoko Shimizu’s experimental presentation at India Design ID’s Colour Next panel will give a glimpse into the future of humankind, using art and science as a lens. She decodes the trend Harvest:

How do you use biotechnology to create art and how did you first find this path?
In Kyoto, Japan, I was surrounded by nature as well as ancient traditional art. I then moved to New York where I experienced contemporary art. I’ve been taking art lessons since I was very small. I chose biochemistry at university because I wanted to learn about the beautiful mechanisms of nature. I was fascinated by how cells proliferate and the strong, functional and beautiful structures of living things. I know that to many people science and art and design are opposite things, but, to me, both are creative fields that explore new ideas and concepts and break conventional boundaries. I take the natural and scientific phenomenon occurring around us to create installations, and art or design materials. 

Please tell us more about some of your current projects.
I’ve been working on projects where I cultivate different artistic or design materials, like a type of textile or paper that can be processed into design or 3-D structural products. I have this installation called Gravitropism, where plants are grown 

Maximiliano Modesti
Maximiliano Modesti has spent the past 25 years in India bringing modern design expertise and sensibility to Indian artisans, and in turn, is nourished by their incredible skill and passion for craft. He’s the founder of Les Ateliers 2M, an embroidery and textile production business supplying to leading international couture houses such as Hermès and Christian Dior, and Jaipur Modern, a store championing contemporary Indian design. For the panel Modesti brings his views on F-luxe - a change in the way we view luxury. It is about breaking into the luxury domain by telling authentic, intimate, immersive stories that celebrate the creator and the process. The new luxury is authentic, intimate and meaningful.  

What attracted you to Indian crafts and artisans at first and what about them gives you passion today?
It is the uniqueness of it and the fact that it can't be done anywhere else. What I'm passionate about even today with respect to craft and artisans, is the fact that nothing much has changed. Even though machines may have taken away the essence of made-by-hand pieces, fine craftsmanship in the country has stayed the same for centuries. Therein lies the beauty of it all—the creation process is still the same and a new generation of designers is working to open new avenues within the realm of craft.

Pooja Dhingra
Life seems like a sweet ride when you’re India’s favourite pastry chef. But Pooja Dhingra started Adulting earlier than most - she founded her brand Le 15 Patisserie at 23, and will be sharing her story at India Design ID. She talks to us about how millennials approach success, part of which is ensuring they make time for fun.
 

What was it like having to adult at an age when your friends were still doing stuff other conventional twenty-year-olds do? 
I started my business when most of my friends were still figuring out what to do with their lives at that point. I always had to sacrifice fun for work for the first four years (I still do). I had to miss weddings, birthdays, parties and holidays because I had to be at work every single day. I don't regret any of it, to be honest. Work is where I chose to be. 

What were the advantages of starting a business at that age?
I think lack of experience was the biggest advantage for me. You think you can do everything because you don't have the life experience to tell you that you can’t! Then, you eventually learn, but your mind is open, and your spirit is determined. You also are more optimistic, have more energy and can do much more at a younger age. You also have fewer responsibilities, which makes it easier to only focus on work.