The Srishti Collective 2024, a two-day exhibition by the graduating undergraduate and postgraduate batches of 2024, was recently held by the Srishti Manipal Institute of Art, Design and Technology (SMI) at its new campus in Yelahanka. The event, which was organised for the first time after the COVID-19 lockdown, showcased 150 diverse thesis projects focusing on subjects of sustainability, mental health, and smart appliances, through design, research and technical application.
Dr. Arindam Das, the Director of SMI, explained that the “interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary” pedagogy allows students of diverse fields to come together, explore their interests and express their creativity through art, technology and design. Drawing on the “4Ps” — Presentation, Preparation, Project and People -- he emphasised that the semester-long process equips the students with skills useful for their “professional future.”
One of the displays from the exhibition. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRAGEMENT
With sustainability and ecology being one of the central themes of the exhibition, Pragya Khandelwal, a final-year student from Rajasthan explained that her project focused on sustainable Indian weddings. Coming from a family that has been in the wedding planning business for over 40 years, she was inspired to create this project due to the large amounts of waste she saw generated via decorations, food and transportation. Her focus was on sustainable decorations using reusable materials such as banana leaves, local plants and flowers. Without compromising on cultural values, Pragya’s project asks the question “Why can’t we make luxury weddings more sustainable?”
Another final-year student Tia Chaubey, focused on ecology and exhibited graphics of exotic birds and pets, highlighting the buying and selling of illegal birds and animals in the markets of Shivajinagar. “A lot of them had reptiles in little drawers”, she described. Through her work, Tia Chaubey aims to “sensitise people” about the “confinement and commodification” of animals.
Mental health was another theme that was explored through exhibits. One such exhibit was by Vidhi Jain, who looked at postpartum depression, drawing inspiration from mothers, both in her life and from social media. Through her work, she hoped to capture the lived experiences of postpartum depression and the struggle to conform to societal standards of being an “ideal mother”. Her work showed baby clothes hanging on a circular stand, with the mother’s stories embroidered on it, which represent traditional gender roles of Indian mothers.
