A two-day design festival, ‘DesignCon 2019’, said to be the first of its kind in Kerala, will open at Karaparamba Government High School in Kozhikode on Saturday.
DesignCon 2019 is being organised by TiECon Kerala and Avani Institute of Design in alliance with the Institute of Indian Interior Designers and Design Ashram.
At a news conference here on Tuesday, A. Pradeepkumar, MLA, and Tony Joseph, chairman of Avani Institute of Design, said the festival and the two-day conference would be a platform for students and young professionals to express their ideas.
Various sessions led by leading professionals, designers and planners across the country will discuss the impact of design on lifestyle, culture, society, politics, public spaces, ecology, and environmental sustainability. Panel discussion on the need for a design policy for a State like Kerala, especially in the context of recent floods and rebuilding after that, would be held, they said.
Live streaming of conversation between architects B.V. Doshi and Durganand Balsavar on ‘Design and society’ and a panel discussion on ‘Importance of design policy for the state of Kerala’ by V.V. Singh, partner with KPMG; Vishal Kundra, city planner and designer head at AECOM; Anil Kumar P.P., professor, department of architecture, NIT, Calicut; K.V Abdul Malik, project director, Impact Kerala Limited; and Mujib Ahmed, co-owner, Collaborative Architecture, are the highlights of the conference.
Writer Manu S. Pillai, illustrator Alicia Souza, artist Rekha Rodwittiya, designer Ayush Kasliwal, singer Shakthisree Gopalan, and fashion designer Sreejith Jeevan will be among the speakers.
Masterclasses
A session called 6x60, showcasing works by six young architects who made a commendable impact through design, and screening of two films on design are also part of the conference. Mentoring Masterclasses based on the theme ‘Winning Strategies: Leading in a Sustainable and Digital World’ curated by TiE Kerala for young entrepreneurs will be held on September 28.
Radhkrishnan K.G., founder, WebNamaste Consulting; Deepak Dayanidhi, IIM Kozhikode; Roy I. Varghese, senior partner, Roy Varghese and Associates; M.P. Sreeram, Partner, Aventus Partners; M.S.A Kumar, president, TiE Kerala will led the mentoring classes.
Contest for students
A student’s competition for designing ‘A future house from today’s context’ will be held at 10 different government schools to identify young talents in the design field through the initiative. Commendable work will be displayed as part of the exhibition and winners will be awarded at the valedictory function.
Other highlights
Friendship, a workshop on doll making by artist Radha Gomaty and Me the Change, a workshop organized by H2O NGO will also be conducted. Synergies, an exhibition on the Bihar Museum by renowned Pritzker Prize-winning Japanese architect Fumihiko Maki, curated by Opolis architects and Uruvam, an installation, will be part of the event. Wall of Art, a live wall painting session for students of the Karaparamba school curated by artist Riyas Komu, is another major attraction. The Oorali band will perform on September 28.
