As you walk into theNational Institute of Fashion Technoglogy (NIFT) in Madhapur, a large rock that has undergone a colourful makeover catches your attention. It showcases a weaver’s village in Cheriyal. Done by artist D Sai Kiran, the art has a loom in focus and depicts weaving, pottery, metal sheet beating and textile related tools. “It is educative and decorative too. Even the uninitiated will be curious to learn more about it,” smiles professor Lakshmi Reddy. Until a few days ago, the rock had a skull painted over it. “I did not relate to the art and wondered why this negative energy amidst young students,” she says. When the director decided to decorate the campus, the rock was the first to get a makeover with Cheriyal art. Students of different departments went on to create installations under the guidance of their teachers. “The idea was to create a campus ambience to encourage students’ creativity. Something that motivates them,” says Prof V Sivalingam, director, NIFT, Hyderabad. As their annual event ‘Design Showcase’ will feature the students’ creations, these installations too will grab eyeballs.
Spirit of hope
Two NIFT students
Visitors are met with an entire row of installations at the Textile department. Some of the themes include the four seasons, the five elements of Nature (depicting fire, water, earth, air and sky), traditional festivals of Telangana and one installation showcasing the Tree of Life. Under the watchful eyes of their faculty Sasmita Panda, the sixth semester students unleashed their creativity to make these. When the class went on a shopping spree, they were armed with an instruction to use the traditional crafts of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana and blend it with other fabrics to create their art works. Mridibha Tiwari and Kopal Rajpali’s project ‘The Aroma of Aurora’ is inspired by spring. “It signifies a new beginning and also conveys the spirit of hope,” shares the duo. In a span of 10 days, the girls worked from 9.30 am till 9 pm to complete the installation.
Tanvi Gupta
With a touch of dokra
A black butterfly with some exquisite bidri work and a fascinating fish made with dokra art are the show stoppers of the Fashion and Lifestyle Accessories Department. Guided by their professor Lakshmi Reddy, the fish and butterfly were cut from a black metal sheet. The motif has been designed by Salil, a student. After powder coating the sheet in black, a silver paint was used to enhance the bidri effect.
installation - fish
On the other hand, Tanvi Gupta and Trishi Chaudhary used golden colour for the dokra fish. “Dokra is usually used for jewellery. The beauty of dhokra lies in its roughness,” states Tanvi. The challenge was to use colour that works well on the metal sheet. “We discussed about enamel pens and paints and finally decided on markers as they give an excellent finish and also sustains for a longer period of time.” Trishi’s dream is to be a product designer. “We enjoyed the experience and we got to learn how with simple lines and circles, one can generate a form,” he states.
Knitwear students
Listen to your heart
A team of six students of the Knitwear Design Department has created a knit-based installation; the work will be put up soon. The team made a giant pixelated heart and divided it into a rainbow of colours. Each of these colours are made of computerised swatches. A cursor leads to a follow button next to the heart. “This is a millennial generation and social media plays a significant role in our lives. Our theme is ‘Follow your heart be it in career or love’,” states Neha Rajesh. A carpenter gave shape to the wooden blocks and the students worked on it after college hours for two-and-half weeks.
Created by six students of NIFT
The idea was born from their brain-storming sessions under the guidance of their professor Shivanand Sharma. “One faces a lot of criticism and appreciation for their ideas and thoughts these days; so we decided to spread this message — listen to your heart,” she says.
