Saturday, December 09, 2006
Just sketching
Another story from the designer who went to India. This time in english because of unexpected intrest from abroad.
I can only tell you that working abroad is a good experience. Beside the fact that I (hope to) help people with my designs and working methods I also personally benefit from this project. My Dutch and Western perspective becomes more wide and I learn and experience new technologies, possibilities and methods. Every day my mind sees the world as very small (it's only 8 hours flying to India) and unending big (so many people with so many different ideas & perspectives...impossible to experience them all)......
After being education in the middle of a pile of bamboo pieces on how to use tools that are involved in the manufacturing process, the tables are now turned a bit. That is: me, becoming the tutor and they the students (at least that is what I had in mind, but things turned out differently). To test how the craftsmen read and react to my designs, a testprototype was asked to be made. I designed a small stool, that can be used as a storage place for magazins, papers e.g. Again it appeared that my small knowledge of bamboo material was clearly visible in the design. Fortunately due to the great experience of the bamboo manufacturers (these small indian people are great artists!!) eventually the product turned into what I had in mind.
From this I can conclude that time is too short to know all possibilities regarding bamboo in furniture. This might sound as a very bad thing for the project, but I think it can only be possitive. If I would know all traditional techniques of the craftsmen, I wouldn't be able to think out-of-the-box. I would only design similar products (as are produced now) and exactly THAT is NOT the reason for me being here. I want to introduce western design that will possibly involve different new techniques. At the same time, these new ways of manufacturing should be easy to be reproduced by the locals....
You see....the life of a designer is not easy...hehe
