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The Republic of India is the Partner Country of German trade show Ambiente for 2018 – and designer Ayush Kasliwal has been chosen to create the annual Partner Country presentation.
The exhibition, which will be held in Frankfurt from February 8 to February 12, is organised by Messe Frankfurt.
Detlef Braun, member of the executive board of Messe Frankfurt, said: “After Japan, India is now Ambiente’s second Asian partner country. With its population of over 1.3 billion, India has an incomparable diversity, a rich culture and a tradition of art and craft. It’s also among our absolute top countries in terms of exhibitors. I’m confident that its partner country presentation will be a real highlight at Ambiente 2019.”
Curated by and designed by Jaipur-based Ayush, the Partner Country presentation will demonstrate ‘the importance of traditional craftsmanship for India today’.
Ayush is creative director and co-founder of AKFD & Anan Taya: an interdisciplinary design company which aims to ‘redefine ancient local craft traditions and artisan communities by providing design, technology, capital and creative collaboration’.
He works in multiple ways, from small batch manufacturing, to artisan-driven orders finished at his factory, to interiors and large-scale on-site installations throughout India. He believes that “objects are messages in physical form”.
Ayush said: “Many of India’s craft ecosystems still exist and have not been completely overwhelmed by industrial mass production. India makes a huge variety of handmade goods and this opens up enormous opportunities for the country. The future, especially for India, lies in craftsmanship – and Ambiente is a fantastic place to present handmade products.”
The presentation will be in Indian colours, and the products will be illuminated in the style of a design gallery, located at Galleria 1.
It will be divided into two parts. The first section, ‘Timeless and Handmade’, will celebrate products with everyday designs, including a number of authentic originals. Other handmade products in this section have been developed to meet the expectations of today’s international audience. The individual artisan stages of the work will be illustrated through photographs.
The second section will focus on established and emerging craft entrepreneurs, representing artisan communities and related organisations. The emphasis will be on their working methods and production techniques.
Ayush’s colleague Sandeep Sangaru, who owns multidisciplinary design consultancy Sangaru Design Studio in Bangalore, will be inviting visitors to a ‘picnic under a canopy of stars’ at Ambiente.
Sandeep will design the Café in Hall 4.1 as an installation. He will create an opulent Indian-style ambience for the ‘Starry Night’ Café, much of will be built of bamboo. It will have strong shades of blue, creating an atmosphere of relaxation, peace and enjoyment.
In addition to the Partner Country Presentation and the Starry Night Café, Ambiente will follow its tradition of holding a themed Partner Country Day on the Monday of the show. The Day will conclude with a reception when the Partner Country for 2020 will be announced.
Ambiente 2018 featured about 4,441 exhibitors who showed their wares over five days to 134,600 trade visitors from 168 countries.
Designer Ayush Kasliwal
