In conversation with Ranjan Bordoloi

The Assamese furniture designer, who will be showcasing at Singapore’s Red Dot Design Museum, on his love for unconventional materials and why he uses the traditional hammering technique

March 23, 2018 01:58 pm | Updated 06:05 pm IST

At 27, Ranjan Bordoloi has already grabbed international attention (read Italian art director, Milan and Germany). He’s made it big as a furniture designer with his own studio in Assam and is on the recently-released Forbes ’ 30 Under 30 list for 2018.

Bordoloi is known for his work with traditional metals and bending them to shape using hand techniques. Pitoloi, his landmark collection — merging new-age aesthetic bar stools and chairs with traditional Assamese hand-hewn brass work, moulding, and welding techniques — shot him to fame at last year’s Red Dot Awards.

The IIT Guwahati graduate (in furniture and interior design) was the only Indian to bag two awards: Best of the Best, in the furniture category, for Pitoloi, and the Design Concept Award for the Kaathfula Chair — made with upholstered ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA) foam and reinforced without the use of metal or wooden frames that are found in traditional chair design.

As he gears up for his upcoming exhibitions across the country, the founder and creative director of Studio Bordoloi chats with Weekend. Excerpts:

Where do you see yourself in the country’s fairly young design narrative?

It’s been only three years since I started out as an independent designer (right after IIT), and the response I’ve received for my work is overwhelming.

However, it’s sad that even 50 years since the introduction of formal design education in India, the industry is still very nascent. There are many challenges we face as young designers.

Unlike the West, we do not have brands or galleries supporting us. Designers here have to do their own production, distribution and retailing. I’m not very good at it, so, at Studio Bordoloi, we are trying to find our own way of working in this new and emerging design scenario.

How has your home state Assam impacted your aesthetic?

I’ve always been inspired by good craftsmanship, whether it’s from Assam or any other place. My mother used to weave handloom, my uncles wove bamboo baskets, trays, stools, and I learnt bamboo weaving.

 Bota Table by Ranjan Bordoloi

Bota Table by Ranjan Bordoloi

Crafting handmade products used to be a norm in rural Assam and it impacted my thinking.

Before I applied to IIT, I had initially joined an engineering course. I then realised I wanted to do craft instead. Assamese artisans make brass utensils and I decided to use the same materials and techniques, and take it up a notch. Also, as an individual in a region where there are no industrial production facilities, it’s easier to invest in craft: anywhere between ₹10,000 and ₹15,000.

You have been recognised for your work with brass and foam. What other materials are you experimenting with currently?

I recently concluded a project that involved working with rosewood inlay artisans in Mysuru who use woods of different shades to make paintings. I was invited by the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) in Bengaluru and I am now exploring possibilities of using their technique to create three-dimensional objects such as curved trays. Since it was a 15-day workshop and we had to design 25 different products, we focussed on tableware and created fruit baskets and coasters. Next, I plan on working with carpet weavers in Nepal to create woven rugs.

You’re now planning to move from the artisanal space into manufacturing your line of furniture.

I am interested in both. Production techniques for handmade products are slow and sometimes inefficient, which makes a good crafted object expensive and not accessible to many. On the other hand, industrial techniques produce precise objects in an economical way, but takes away human jobs. A combination of both might be a way out and I am exploring similar methods. While I am practising with the limited resources that I have access to, we need more research on the arts. Entrepreneurs supporting youngsters to produce and market their products will help take artisanal practices to the next level.

What’s next?

As a part of EDIDA India 2018 Winner’s Show case, I am participating (fifth year in a row) at the ongoing India Design ID in New Delhi. My products will also be showcased at the Red Dot Design Museum in Singapore till September 2018 and we are also going to exhibit selected ones at D Code, a show in Mumbai (March 17 and 18) curated by architect-designer Ashiesh Shah.

For details, visit studiobordoloi.com

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