One cannot but help notice that handsome Vader in his blue-black coat dominates the photograph from which Nishi Chauhan looks out, petite in comparison. “I always liked being around animals and watching them, but Vader is the first real pet I have had!”
Trust, Nishi Chauhan to get a Great Dane, nothing less! But then again, Nishi was never scared of being bitten—she already has been by the design bug.
Dunk — her series of lamps combining discarded bottles and turned wooden parts from Chennapatna — has just won the Red Dot, Best of the Best 2014 with her series Animal Farm, an Orwellian debut, which takes place in the 21 century. A fish called Flo, Humf the Hippopotamus, Peeves the penguin, Gerry the giraffe, and Ellie the elephant complete with a long green snout make up the menagerie.
Textures, colours and intimate details come alive in her products. Even while studying architecture at Lucknow, she found herself more engaged with sculpting, making smaller objects and delving into the finesse of details than with thegreater scheme of building as an architect might be.
Talking about her design series, “Animal Farm was my first product combining animals, bottles, sustainability and craftsmanship.
Conceptual design is all very well, but I learned with Dunk that getting into production is quite a challenge. There was a parallel exploration of materials and processes for things to germinate.”
Over a period of six months, intensely engaged with ideation, the whole process started speaking to Nishi. She visited a group of Chennapatna craftsmen and was enthused to bring them into her objectives for Animal Farm. As artisans are not as conversant with technical drawings, Nishi created models out of polyurethane foam. “I use a hand file and needle file to achieve quite symmetrical forms and fancy shapes.” Then, she designed jigs for repeated drilling of hundreds of pieces, introducing the craftsmen to innovations that made production easier.
When she put the final products out, like a carriage of critters off Noah’s Ark, they garnered much attention. She was featured in Design Boom and several European buyers showed interest in purchasing her lamps. “The Red Dot really happened later, so more than an event, it has been a journey.” From 3000 entries all over the world, hers was one of 40 selected in the Best of the Best category. Nishi’s products were specially acknowledged for integrating craft into a modern industrial process and also combining recycling.
Winning the Red Dot gets her more visibility and channels for many consumers to reach her product, making her venture more sustainable. In the current generation, she slots herself in the “maker” culture, picking up the pieces to position design and craftsmanship on a distinctive platform. “How can I push the material? What are the constraints each time?” Her desire to dabble with different materials has thrust her into the craftsmanship mould, learning skills anywhere between pottery workshops to online videos teaching papier-mache. Already her online store is selling linocuts, pottery and lamps as Nishi navigates seemingly disparate territories. Her Rhinoceros prints in short edition were envisaged after a trip to Cambodia. “I saw these shadow boxes with beetles and moths. They were really fascinating.” For the pattern of the Rhinoceros Beetle, Nishi proceeded to learn linocut and made prints at a printmaker’s studio in Bangalore. “I’m a big fan of making things on my own,” she says, noting Bangalore has a thriving culture that allows for such experimentation.
For an independent entrepreneur who works collaboratively - from design to making, packaging and delivery - Nishi’s toughest test is to maintain quality and get her audience to see that premium craftsmanship comes at a price. Self-propelled and adventurous, Nishi has a propensity to stick with a project once she gets on it, keeping her nose on the trail, never losing the scent. “Working on my own, I have only me to inspire myself! It requires patience and persistence.”
More than anything, Nishi has learned that once her design is out in the world, different people get different things out of it. As she says, “Putting out the intention of why I did something is important but I still have to be willing to take how other people see my work. With Dunk, recycling and making something with my hands that was aesthetic and appealing was vital. Yet some may call it cute! And I have to accept that.”
Shop at store.nishichauhan.com
