When you think of Thiruvananthapuram a plethora of images flood your mind, with the grandeur and lineage of the city getting reflected in umpteen buildings, structures and landmarks, such as the Sree Padmanabha Swamy temple, the Napier Museum, Kanakakunnu Palace, the beach, Public Library, Central railway station, the Secretariat, Indian Coffee House…
Vijith Kumar and his wife, Rachana R.S. have celebrated the capital city by transferring all that is intrinsic to its image on to a 15x11 ft wallpaper canvas.
This work, better known as wall mural illustration, have been displayed on the 150 sq ft wall of their company, Andmore Creative Solutions Pvt Ltd, which functions in the office of Spectrum Graphics, at Pettah.
Cute images of every prominent structure in the city have been splashed on to the giant canvas which says, ‘Hi Trivandrum’. The wallpaper has been garnering a lot of likes on Facebook.
Vijith, a native of Payyannur, and Rachana, a city girl, both alumni of College of Fine Arts, have expressed their feelings of longing and belonging on the canvas. “We were in Bangalore for many years and like most Malayalis who work outside Kerala, we always longed to return home. Even though there are better job opportunities and exposure in other cities, there is nothing like coming back to your roots. We also wanted to promote the city as a brand. When we decided to start a company in Thiruvananthapuram, many dissuaded us saying there were better options in other places in Kerala. We felt that this was because the city and its multiple advantages have not been showcased properly. We wanted to show the world the charms of this vintage city that is an ideal blend of the old and the new. We have also interacted with a couple of people who run websites dedicated to the city,” says Rachana, who was a graphic artist/caricaturist with Asianet News and Suvarna channel, before becoming a freelance artist.
Every significant building you associate with the city is there on the wallpaper. Minimalism is the name of the game. With a few well-chosen strokes and pleasing pastels, the two have captured the likeness of the capital city’s famous landmarks.
“We started working on different images while in Bangalore itself and we worked on it for a couple of months. The designs have been made using Illustrator. The highlight of this work is its freshness. The designs are simple, but they say it all,” says Vijith, who has been an art director for 10 years.
The couple specialises in making explainer videos and designs to promote products. They are planning to animate the images on the wallpaper.
