Chris Mart-In Ahmedabad !

November 19, 2016, an evening when Billboard topper artist Chris Martin rocked the Global Citizen Event at Mumbai with his mesmerizing voice and the astounding band Coldplay. And December 2, 2016, Ahmedabad’s art scene was rocked by Chris Martin through his vivid design skills. Nonetheless, both Chris Martins, by any stretch of imagination are not at all related to each other, but their creations did certainly touch every soul, overcoming every man made barrier. The inauguration of Crafts meets Technology, an exhibition, where design visionary Chris Martin, hailing from the streets of Iowa, USA has channelized his aesthetics in the form of home decor furniture products, was organized at Kanoria Centre for Arts. The exhibition will be open from December 2, 2016, to December 4, 2016, for all spectators.

It is heartening to note that designer from far across land finds inspiration in traditional Indian crafts. The project of amalgamating design talent of Chris with artisanal skill of India is a part of Fullbright-Nehru Research in India and was supported by Design Innovation and Craft Resource Centre (DICRC), CEPT University as part of the Craft Innovation Fellowship Program. As a professional furniture designer, Chris analyzed the practical furniture requirement across the globe and then experimented with the cultural talent of India as an experiment.

With the help of local artists Chris learned the pattern of Mata Ni Pachedi, but to really connect with the folklores of it, he empathized with its purpose of formation, its significance in one’s devotional life and its worshipping methods. Thus while crafting his furniture he made sure to design a seat, where a person sits on it but that certainly doesn’t hurt his religious sentiments. Chris converted the Indian sitting ‘Khatla’ into a comfortable lounge seating by just elevating the base for a back support. The USA has been using metals in furniture for a long time but the medieval furniture pattern of India that uses burnt wood enticed Chris’s interest, resulting in his Love Bench produce, a bench designed for two people to sit opposite to each other

Chris talked about his passion for working with artisans from different countries, and mentioned his upcoming project in Ghana. He looks forward to carrying all these learning back to the USA and collaborate with the artisans for a broader market sale for them.