KGAF keeps fest momentum rolling

MUMBAI: When Indian craft and Italian design get together, the results are pretty waterproof.

MUMBAI: When Indian craft and Italian design get together, the results are pretty waterproof.

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A wet, grey Monday evening posed no obstacle for the 120 people who showed up for ‘Heritage Goes Pop: Design and Culture in Contemporary Times’, a discussion about the artistic sensibilities of the two countries, held at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj museum on Monday evening.

Art critic and cultural theorist Dr Alka Pande moderated a discussion among advertising and branding professional, Alok Nanda; architect-designer Rooshad Shroff; and Giorgio Galleani, who heads the Collections at Milan’s Triennale Design Museum.

Each used their discipline to discuss traditional design in a contemporary context. Kala Ghoda motifs and Art Deco typography were reinvented as luggage tags and posters by Nanda’s store, Filter. Traditional crafts found a new life as tiles, bulbs and décor in luxury fashion stores. Iconic examples of Italian design competed for room in Galleani’s galleries.

The event was the first of the Kala Ghoda Arts Festival Series 2016-17, Mumbai-centric monthly discussions organised by the KGA Foundation and Avid Learning. “Every year I do the festival in February, and every time people ask me why we don’t do things through the year,” said Brinda Miller, KGAF’s festival director. “This is a way to keep the momentum going.”

The events are slated for one Thursday evening every month. They will cover similar subjects as the Kala Ghoda festival: dance, music, cinema, theatre, literature and the like. Next month: a talk on food. Never mind the skies, keep your Thursday free.