INSTALLATION ART RECREATING THE BRITISH SUMMER
Visual Arts final project at Camberwell College of Art, University of the Arts, London, 2012.
Creators today are free from the shackles of pixels and pages. We can appropriate materials and objects around us to create more fulfilling and tangible experiences. For me it's about making the ‘everyday’ more special. During my academic year at London in 2012, like every other outsider, I became acquainted with the famous British Summer which is awash with rains. Using this as a point of departure, I conceptualized this installation to create a play between exaggeration and substitution by repositioning ordinary objects to create an extraordinary image. It poses a question to the accepted rules of image-making.
HAPPY PRODUCTIVE WORKSPACES
Client: Freshworks Inc. Chennai, 2017
Art filled offices are clearly the way forward and Freshworks embraced that very early. This particular office sprawls across 67,000 sq ft with high exposed ceilings; the architect designed ‘shipping container’ meeting rooms and laid out grunge carpets resembling a warehouse. One of the walls was a little over 1200 sq ft with a height of 25 feet which made the space look colossal.
Taking on the theory that thoughts impact actions, I explored stories and ideas that would create a positive work environment. Building on the inspiration from futuristic machines and manufacturing processes, I created a 3D production line that manufactures happiness, seamlessly traveling across spaces and ending in a burst of colours.
BRINGING STORIES INTO A SPACE
Client: Freshworks Inc. Chennai, 2017
I have seen how art could bring value into a workspace by transforming blank walls into detailed doodles and single frame narratives. A painted office not a printed (vinyled) one was my vision for startups, when I began working for Freshworks.
Their ground floor office had very high walls. Owing to the vast space the architect had created an indoor - industrialized feel with grunge carpets coupled with shipping containers. The wall I painted was a little over 1200 sq ft with a height of 25 feet which made the space look colossal. I conceived it as a flying steampunk ship that is seen taking over aerial cities in the sky - this wall art was meant to induce a feeling of greatness every time you pass by it. It glorifies the presence of Freshworks globally across different countries.
HAPPY PRODUCTIVE WORKSPACES
Client: Freshworks Inc. Chennai, 2020
As Freshworks expanded they wanted to harness all the talk around them into designed spaces. This included internal and external feedback on their rapid growth and success.
Taking on the theory that ideas lead to actions, and actions lead to results, I worked on wall art designs using quotes as breadcrumbs that onlookers could trace back to the source - leadership catchphrases, internal stories, testimonials and so on. The spaces were meant to foster a positive, successful environment within Freshworks, while reminding the workforce of what it has taken to reach so far.
CREATING WORKSPACES THAT PEOPLE CAN CONNECT WITH
Client: Freshworks Inc. Chennai, 2020
Art brings value into a workspace by transforming blank walls into detailed doodles and single frame narratives. My understanding was that whenever an employee looks up they should be seeing something they love, a kickstarter for their drive to work or a breakaway zone which allows them to bounce back. In retrospect my role was to help Freshworks foster a culture of creativity; so they were more likely to have happy, motivated employees who are more energetic.
Cycles made a comeback into a typographical piece which reads ‘Life is looking really good’ resonating with the companies’ recent achievements. An updatable timeline documents the milestones through their history so far; on another wall. And a beautifully custom-designed, hand-lettered ‘Customer for life software’ quote sprawls across a 90 foot long wall echoing their lifework.
CREATING WORKSPACES THAT PEOPLE CAN CONNECT WITH
Client: Amazon, WTC Bangalore, 2019
As a creator I use my art to help teams and organizations establish an identity of their own. I appropriate spaces and walls around offices to create more fulfilling, tangible experiences. My outlook revolves around making the ‘everyday’ more special through hand-painted walls.
This mural project was commissioned by Amazon - The Prime and Delivery Experience (Dex) teams operating in the India HQ, WTC Bangalore. Breaking away from the standard wall treatment across Amazon’s 20 floors, I created bright, bold exaggerated artworks for each space. The idea was rooted in visual ‘Indian’ness as this was Amazon India. My ground work included studying truck art and Indian charts. What unfolded was: A brightly coloured three-dimensional truck-style hand lettered design on the team wall; An Indian chart inspired reimagining of the Past, Present and Future of delivery on the Dex wall; A doodle of all the big product benefits on the Prime wall; And finally a ChalkArt wall where employees could write or draw, leaving their mark within the workspace.
CREATING AN IDENTITY, LEAVING A MARK WITHIN A SPACE
Client: Quint Bloomberg, Mumbai, 2018
Quint Bloomberg commissioned this artwork that would give them a unique identity within the Bloomberg office located uptown in One India Bulls Centre, Bombay. The design was two-fold, it lent a voice to their space while allowing for in-house content creation using the space as a bold bright backdrop.
The wall epitomized the philosophy of Quint, which is about telling stories about everyday experiences. When the commonplace is appropriated into art, they become curators of what makes a culture / city unique. In this case uniting young adults through a set of shared values - freedom of speech, equality, world cinema, queer movements, women power, performances, and entertainment.
OFFBEAT WORKSPACES FOR A MOTLEY CREW
Client: Synup Technologies Bangalore, 2018
As Synup expanded the workspaces also grew. For the next level Synup wanted to extend the themes revolving around a young, vibrant and diverse workforce.
Synup is a startup and like most have a lot of stories to share; thus each wall involved layering. Different artistic components and intricate details helped shape a complex yet clean design. For the first wall I explored ideas that would not only collate customer journeys but also challenge viewers to inquire more about Synup. The cafe space was populated with quotes in a chalkboard style - I wanted people to connect emotionally with the space through these words and lines. The conference room got across the team’s shared objectives, their working product, and how it influenced folks in their daily life, making things simpler.
BRINGING STORIES INTO A SPACE
Client: Cropin Technologies Bangalore, 2018
Cropin works in the area of Agri-Tech; they provide future-ready farming solutions. Farmers, E-Grocers, Seed producers fall into their circle of end users. They are a young but quickly expanding startup based in Bangalore.
I designed spaces that bring out their story - the products they were building, the markets they were supporting and their far-flung impact. I created bright but contextual artworks interspersing tribal art, earthy colours and botanical drawings of crops with product journeys and live updatable data as a part of an interactive wall mural.
EXPLORATIONS BETWEEN TWO & THREE DIMENSIONS
Self Initiated project at Camberwell College of Arts, London, 2012
Wired is a series of self initiated explorations where I use my sketches as a method to create images through reconstruction. Letting the material itself become the message - Thread, ropes, icing tubes and pipes became a method to create lines. I used them as I would use ink from a pen looping and connecting them into figures, words, illustrations and sketches - could the linearity they offered be used efficiently to add another dimension to the art?
OFFBEAT WORKSPACES FOR A MOTLEY CREW
Client: Synup Technologies Bangalore, 2018
Synup is a Saas based, growing organization working in the area of local intelligence. They wanted their space to reflect the young and vibrant culture of a workforce that is diverse and multi dimensional.
I reimagined the blank canvas of a wall as a three dimensional space where commonplace objects get a breath of life: Bottles, shoes, number-plates, lights, shelves metamorphize into spaces that are inspiring, edgy and positive.
At the entrance, bottles arranged uniformly - like a routine reality - reveal a team which is ‘high’ on work and ideas. A chalkboard hand-lettered wall lends itself to the idea that life is a spontaneous on-going process and we all need a breather from time-to-time. A bright, neat, cutout ‘Starter Kit’ wall gets you going on how Synup works. And a light-box wall mural livens up the bay after sundown just as the night shift begins their day.
CREATING WORKSPACES THAT PEOPLE CAN CONNECT WITH
Client: Freshdesk Technologies, Chennai, 2016
A high spirited organization like Freshdesk wanted spaces within the office to be treated as touchstones. It was important to keep the growing workforce aligned with their values. Instead of layered visuals the designs were more rooted and direct. An ‘A’ ladder fixed within the ‘Stay Hungry - Stay Fresh’ wall simply shows the way up. Plant pots holding real plants were used to write ‘We grow ideas’. A comically serious wall talking about putting people first - doodled with faces and quotable quotes. A faux tea kadai with local signs and a vibrantly painted wall iconifying local film star Rajinikanth to resonate with a workforce that is predominantly South Indian. Textures - chalk, bricks, wood or paint - are undercurrents that were explored, defining the ideas.
CREATING WORKSPACES THAT PEOPLE CAN CONNECT WITH
Client: Freshworks Technologies, Chennai, 2015
Freshdesk has always been passionate about the wellbeing of their workforce. Hence, they see a huge value in dedicating some spaces in the office towards art. I was clear that every time an employee looks up they should be seeing something positive; it could act as a kickstarter for their drive to work or as a breakaway zone which allows them to visually wander. I hand lettered catchphrases and assembled them with everyday objects. Cycles, pipes, tennis racquets and even shoes were appropriated into the artwork causing people to look at the day-to-day differently. A cycle blends seamlessly into the ‘I feel good today’ wall reinforcing the feeling of happiness. And another wall in the Play area was about team spirit and unwinding.
CREATING WORKSPACES THAT PEOPLE CAN CONNECT WITH
Client: Freshdesk Technologies, Chennai, 2014
What makes a culture or a city unique? When the commonplace is appropriated into an artwork, it becomes special. I worked on uniting people through a set of shared experiences - coming to office via share-autos, getting into huddles for brainstorming, communal coffee breaks and chitter chatter over local food.
I created Kawaii-like monsters going to work and made the artwork contextual while interspersing it with humour, everyday objects and local icons. For the cafeteria I chose a combination of local food and slang to make a mouthwatering visual. This is where my journey of painted office spaces began.
PAINTING A PERSONAL SPACE
Client: Studio Motley, Bangalore, 2018
Studio Motley is a niche architecture and urban planning firm located in Bangalore run by Kajal Gupta and Anand Kurudi. This wall art was commissioned for their nursery room / study as an experiment. The wall was hand cemented and left unfinished without any base work to give it a rustic look. The brief for this space was open ended. So I designed numerous elements keeping in mind that they needed to be small and intricate with breathing space. Since the room had a view of the garden I wanted to bring in details like plants or birds onto the wall. I decided to carry the monochrome feeling of the space into my artwork.
Through this mural I’ve attempted to do two things: Break a stereotype of always having a colourful nursery and create a softness on a hard surface like cement through intricate drawings of the birds of paradise and liquid lines of flight. No solid colours were used, allowing the grays of the cement peek through the artwork.
REDESIGNING A SPACE TO MAKE IT COME ALIVE
Client: Purestone, London, 2012 in collaboration with Kyle Henderson
Purestone is a digital marketing agency located in Union Street, London. Half their energy was getting lost in a battle to impress potential clients who entered the building and took an old, slow elevator to the fourth floor. The brief was simple - create something vibrant; a client should be blown away as soon as they enter the space. Retaining a small part of the existing graphic we drew around the theme of open ideas and thoughts getting built into something concrete. The window was incorporated into the artwork which ended in a cityscape.
This was the first wall I painted in 2012 - my first project in London, where labour and material costs were extremely high. There was much to learn - understanding the brief, conceptualizing a design for a large space, sourcing and acquiring materials, budgeting, preparing the wall, collaborating with co-artists, managing the client and simply gaining the confidence to create art in large spaces.
STORIES ABOUT THE STORYTELLERS
Client: Condé Nast, 2020
Condé Nast is a global media company that produces some of the world’s leading print, digital, video and social brands. Their workspace celebrates fashion, cuisine, music, culture and travel. While designing their India office which houses a part of their data analytics team I chose to work with a minimal pastel color palette.
The entrance traces a path from Condé Nast’s ‘walk of life’ to the diverse media through which they offer new perspectives. The inside space pays homage to the tools of each trade through a ‘framed’ wall of fame using real vintage objects. The recreation space is inspired from an old cover from ‘The Newyorker’ - where clouds turn into sheep, while books turn into birds - to celebrate the extraordinary.
Esper
THE FUTURE OF WORK
Esper is an Android DevOps Platform, bringing an agile approach to the entire product lifecycle. Engineers, Developers and Operations teams come together here - their space had to depict a futuristic world.
The company’s culture reflects a commitment to gender balance, which has been captured visually. Imagine a futuristic, undulating tunnel with cutouts, mirrors, floating androids, deployment parachutes and binary rain. You will run into a colour pop that cuts across the entire spectrum with special emphasis on purples and teal greens on all sides.
A playfully deconstructed Dev-Ops process unfolds through the length of the workspace, lending a semi-dark atmosphere to the place - allowing developers to work as anonymous heroes.
