One of our earlier adventures, took us to the heartland of pottery, step-wells and the Aravallis - Surajkund, near Delhi. This was on the gateway to Agra. The larger task at hand was to help reposition a luxury address as a city resort for Delhi. Amongst nearly 8 distinctive experiences we created, the one that comes to mind earlier than the rest was the Folk Studio. This is where a salon studio gave way to an experiential artisan innovation studio.
While a prime driver for conceiving this studio and space was to not only give local culture and artisans an expression but also create live on-site collaborations with modern ceramic masters and artists to create a private label of functional and decorative ceramics. These are not only craft and technology intensive products but also sustainable and the harbingers of a rich tradition(The whys of this story is for another time - it is equally interesting).
Given that the address was moored in one of the most vibrant centres of crafts and arts in India including pottery this was as much an immersive customer experience as also a private label program that allowed the hospitality group to create its own line of ceramic ware and utilities. The Aravallis, the stepwells and the stories of the earth that surrounded this place added to the aura. This was an example of a business model innovation and spatial experience that sat comfortably with sustainability ethics and preservation of heritage. The name that automatically came to mind for it was Folk Studio.
Folk Studio was an address that opened up vistas for traditional pottery masters (and decorated, fine maestros they were) to collaborate and work with modern ceramics exploratory artistes. The centre also collaborated with Delhi Blue Pottery, Life Positive Foundation and Jiva wellness, to create the Roots Festival. This was a community experience and festival centered around earth craft, wellness and symbology. The inaugural edition had Devdutt Patnaik demystify the earth symbols in India, while audiences immersed in wellness secrets and fascinating ceramics.
Tradition met exploration here. The studio produced a versatile body of work, ceramic utilities and products that found favor with corporate buyers, guests and offices in Delhi as also the group's other luxury addresses looking for custom collections of functional ceramics including crockery, cutlery, installations & showpieces.
Collaboration between the traditional masters and the modern expressionists produced magic.
This project was envisioned for the Luxury hotel in Surajkund by Pranali Daundker (Founding Partner with NYUCT Design Labs and an alumnus of Sir JJ School of Art).
Program innovations
The project created a unique collaborative scholarship program for National award winning artisans - the masters of clay - to not only collaborate with modern design exponents to create a private line of ceramics for the hotel (some of which found place in other luxury hotels and were also commissioned by buyers) but also interact with discerning patrons and showcase one of the country’s foremost indigenous discipline.
The studio was helmed by National and Presidential awardees Harkishenji (conferred the Shilp-guru title, the highest award for crafts in the country) and Girirajji (Limca book of records holder) collaborating with artists like Mr. Arun Mukhuty an ex Sanskriti Ceramics teacher, trained by the legendary Mr. PR Daroz, Rekha Bajpe Aggarwal from Delhi Blue Pottery, Sandeep Manchekar and others. Arun had also been awarded the Ceramic Sculpture award by A.I.F.A.S, in 2009. Needless to say, the work was prolific as also inventive.
The studio introduced earth-craft and ceramic workshop programs for adults as also introductory capsules into the world of clay for enthusiasts, apart from being a experiential store where customers could buy or commission their requirements from.
The studio and NYUCT Design Labs' series of ceramic adventures and exploratory spaces also got the attention of legendary artiste Kate Malone, MBE in London, who came down for a residential workshop series.
Business and sustainability, never out of sync.
Reinventing an experience, both for customers and patrons.
The studio also helped in helping the national artisans clear a substantial inventory of their creations with keen buyers. The studio and exploratory space also caught the attention of legendary artiste Kate Malone, MBE in London, who came down for a residential workshop series.
Out of the box format
An industry innovation, this was a first of its kind model, that not only supplanted traditional and inside the box notions about hospitality spaces but also created monetisable program innovations cum commerce space.
Pranali Daundker (venture designer, co-founder at NYUCT Design Labs and ex Saffron Art) led the creative and design vision for the project working with several ceramic masters.
NYUCT Design Labs and its partners have had fun and learning, helming numerous experience design adventures & innovations.
The team has had amazing fun creating transformative experiences that blend design, culture, material, hyperlocal elements and storytelling. They include switching on a rainforest with 26 innovations, adventure trails & products, off-roading experiences, a museum, twisty tea parties on demand, food & culinary tourism programs, visitor circuits, sustainable experiences, wellness festivals, music destinations, sound maps of India, immersive zones, coral rejuvenation programs, ceramic studios, lomo-walks, bird walks, bee-keeping experiences, heritage installations, inventive films, cultural spaces and more. This adventure within all of them remains special - for its sheer out of the box format.
NYUCT Design Labs' experience and spatial design projects have been a synthesis of form, function and experience to transform customer journeys and create immersive spaces & stories. Stories that one can live in, touch, feel and sense. These have been created at several luxury addresses.
About NYUCT Design Labs and the business of design
As a venture design firm we work with you to blueprint and design ventures, innovate or simply solve a problem. Our lab and its interdisciplinary team of techies, designers, strategists, experience architects and branding experts explore what your customers, employees, and partners want in order to create transformative strategies, ventures and experiences. With a collective wisdom and experience of more than 188 years amongst the team, we love to make the amazing and build the better.
Should you have a venture in mind or want to explore possibilities with innovation & ideation workshops or want to create an extraordinary experience, we would love to hear from you.