VERVEMAGAZINE.IN 209How did you get involved in this project?
I was developing a range of fonts based on carvings,
stucco work and sculptures in Indian temples about
a year ago. That was when I happened to meet Ameet
Mirpuri. I hit upon the idea of using these fonts to create
the room numbers and the hotel logo.
We have used design playfully so that guests can
experience and interact with the space in a meaningful
way. Each of the crafts originally depicted mythological
lore, societal customs and ancient legends. In the Tholu
Bommalata rooms, the headboards are in the shape of
an old-fashioned theatre,
with puppets and theatre
curtains for that touch of
quirkiness. The colourful
benches with wheels
are inspired by soda
carts, one of the main
attractions at a jatra.
The wardrobe comes
with multiple doors and
compartments, and if you
open some, you will find a
leather puppet inside!
Tell us what it took to
dovetail the rich legacy
of local craftsmen with
the expectations of
the global Indian
consumer.
Everyone involved in this
project is from Andhra and
is essentially in it because
of their passion. A fair bit
is inspired by the ancient
Andhra temple culture,
which has substantially
informed my own design philosophy. I have been
deeply involved in the design of the headboards —
the centrepiece of each room — and the curation
and production of the artworks. Everything, whether
it is a study table or the bathroom decor, is laden
with details.
These days when people travel, it’s not about where
they are going but their entire experience and takeaway,
so we wanted to tell a story. We also have booklets in
the room that inform guests about the crafts and point
them to spots they can visit, in and outside Vizag, if
they want to learn more.
Is this your first hotel project?
This is my first interiors project and it was challenging
and educative, because from the conceptualisation to
realisation, things change. I usually conduct workshops —
from metal casting and embossing to wood carving and
woodturning — for local governments, businesses and
NGOs. The Andhra Crafts Council and the Telangana
Crafts Council organise these, and a designer works
in tandem with local artisans to help them create and
market designs. I train existing artisans with new skills
as well as new artisans who can come into the crafts.
Some crafts have to be
taught. And some are
generational, but the
new generation has to
be mentored, and that’s
where I come in.As a trained and
educated professional,
what have you learned
from working with
local self-taught artists
and sculptors?
Working at a design
studio pays you well,
but it doesn’t give me
the creative satisfaction
I crave. I prefer to
collaborate with clusters
in remote villages or
towns outside the cities.
Working at the grass-
roots level has helped
me push my boundaries.
I am mainly interested
in furniture and had
not worked much with
fabrics until I spent a year living in Narsapur, about four
hours from the Vijayawada airport, where I learned how
to knit and crochet from the local community.
Being trained and educated, we get into a mechanical
way of doing things at times, and occasionally we need
to unlearn. As students, we thought that we had to
constantly innovate or improvise. So, when we work
with a crafts cluster, we try to develop something out
of the box that they haven’t seen before. But the most
important thing is to be sensitive to the locals. If we want
to change things up, we have to ensure it doesn’t dilute
the core identity of the craft.KRUPANAND KARTHIK, 33
HANDICRAFTS DESIGNERTHE THOLU BOMMALATA ROOM