5 Talented Artists Will Showcase Their Installations At BACARDÍ NH7 Weekender Pune 2017

This year’s edition of BACARDÍ NH7 Weekender Pune promises to be cooler than its predecessors in more ways than one.

After putting together a killer line-up of global superstar musicians, home-bred talents and the kings (and queens) of stand-up comedy, the 8^th edition of the Happiest Music Festival will feature ‘Your Happy Place’, the festival’s art & design showcase, co-curated by design and art studio, Design Fabric and festival organisers, OML.

The festival announced its call for entries for art installations in early September, after which artists across India sent in their interpretations of the theme and created installations that evoked positive responses. The initial shortlist of over 170 applications was made on the basis of a portfolio, and the subsequent 15 artists submitted proposals around their idea. It was then that the Design Fabric team got their final five. Here are the selected artists:

Acubestudio – A multi-disciplinary design studio based in Pune striving to create objects that foster unique experiences.

Aanchal Tandon – A 23-year-old design student from New Delhi who aims to create things that matter by engaging in honest conversations.

Digvi Shah & Aeshna Prasad – Architects by profession and design enthusiasts by choice, Aeshna and Digvi began their journey as installation artists over 5 years ago. Their shared love for creating experiential, spatial and symbolic installations brings them together for this installation.

Durga Gawde – @durgagawdestudio is run by practicing fine artist Durga Gawde who not only creates art but also shares her creative action with the world through educational programs based on the idea of learning through making.

{+}R.O – An architectural and design research collaborative based in Mumbai working on a diverse range of projects including architecture, interiors, product and speculative design.

“In recent years Installation Art has probably played the leading role in the Contemporary Art movement globally. And although India has a few renowned Installation Artists, it is still in its nascent stages as a practice,” says Sanket Avlani, curator of Design Fabric.

“So, when BACARDÍ NH7 Weekender approached us to explore a possibility of doing a curated, theme-based installation art exercise, it felt like an open call to entry might enable us to find artists from across the country. We saw around 170 applications from designers across disciplines and even design studios participating. In two rounds of selections, the final 15 submitted proposals that answered to the brief. With what is going around the world today, the theme of ‘Your Happy Place’ was to be able to create Installations that enable feel-good moments for those attending the happiest music festival. Kudos to the festival, flag-bearers for independent creators, for being the foremost promoters of culture across discipline and encouraging all forms of the Arts.”

Vijay Nair, CEO of OML Entertainment says, “The festival is a place for the creator community in India, whether in music, or in art, stage, graphic or visual design and technology. Through the years we’ve worked closely with some of the most groundbreaking artists in India, including Bombay Duck Designs who created the collaborative ‘The NH7 Periphery Art Project’ (2016), Shilo Shiv Suleman’s ‘Pulse and Bloom’ (2014) that was also showcased at the Burning Man festival and Ayushman Mitra’s ‘The Art of Kissing’ and ‘Lolly Dolly’ (2014). As much as the music, art, and design will always be key to the BACARDÍ NH7 Weekender experience.”

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