First there was Open Street,which saw the city coming together to make M G Road, the liveliest it has been in years. And now Designuru, a week-long festival of art and architecture, has transformed it once again.
Exhibitions of architectural works and plans, as well as streetscapes by interior design firms lined the M.G. Road boulevard, drawing a good deal of attention from passersby Thursday evening, at the start of the long weekend. A model for the upcoming Metro Rail stations, made from bamboo caught the eye right away too.
The boulevard also came alive that evening with a discussion on public planning, with BBMP Commissioner Kumar Naik and BMRCL's head of finance, Vasanth Rao in attendance. The discussion, moderated by architect Naresh Narasimhan and helped along by a participative audience, saw ideas like converting the top floor of K.R. Market into a culture centre begin to take shape. “We've been having 17-hour days,” laughs Ranjini Shetty, junior coordinator of Designuru, which has seen well known architects and artists of all kind making their presence felt at the venue, sharing anecdotes from their lives and helping people understand their deep connection with the concept of design. “It is a public dialogue,” says Ranjini, the daughter of prominent architect Gayatri Shetty, of Gayatri and Namit Architects (GNA), who is also the chairman of the Indian Institute of Interior Design, the backbone of the festival.
Inspired by the London Design Festival , Designuru was an ambitious project from the start, she reveals.. But not too far into their efforts, the team planning the festival, realised it needed to start from the ground up. “We have started by looking at urban planning itself and where we stand right now,” explains Ranjini.
The festival is not entirely confined to M G Road. Those passing through St. Mark's Road could find themselves momentarily confused by a 3D projection of a seating area, complete with chairs and a bookcase that occupies prominent space. “This is our way of asking for more pedestrian- friendly spaces. We call them Recreate Rest,” informs Ranjini, describing the 3 D image as a “social experiment.”
The only festival of its kind, which offers a platform for artists, architects and interior designers from all over the country, Designguru is being held for the first time in Bengaluru, but as always the city has been willing to embrace the new and novel. Although the heat kept crowds at bay Saturday afternoon, more emerged to enjoy the novel sights M G Road had to offer by evening. “Colleges have been very enthusiastic about taking part,” says Vishwas Hegde, a young architect from Gayatri and Namit Architects.
A series of workshops have also taken place over the course of the week as part of the festival, which is aimed at promoting the idea of reclaiming public spaces, the development of a sustainable plan for the city and making design a public dialogue. Focusing on the loss of the city's heritage, INTACH, has lined the upper level of the boulevard with pictures of heritage homes from across Bengaluru.
Film and theatre personalities, Prakash Belawadi and Arundhati Nag were a part of the art events, complete with interactive sessions with audiences. “We haven't focused on art as much as we would have liked though,” admits Ranjini. But this can be put down to teething problems as Designuru has long-term ambitions, which include building Bengaluru’s green architectural identity, a project that aims to give back and bring design to city planning.
