India has a proud heritage of crafts. AnanTaya, co-founded by Ayush and Geetanjali Kasliwal, completes 15 years of reviving traditional crafts and livelihoods
BY MALATI K. VIJAY
Few designers have won critical acclaim and commercial success by reviving and redefining India’s ancient crafts for the contemporary world as has Ayush Kasliwal. The NID graduate, who has emerged as a significant design thinker of our times, brings a rare combination of creativity and innovation, sustainability and mindfulness to the products, furniture and interiors he designs.
Together with his wife, Geetanjali, an architect, he has made tradition future-ready by distilling the essence of India and its crafts into his designs. Today, Ayush Kasliwal Furniture Design studio (AKFD) and AnanTaya, the inter-disciplinary lifestyle design studio co-founded by the couple, are globally recognised for the new aesthetic they represent. Their repertoire encompasses furniture, home décor, tableware, lighting, accessories, textiles, fragrances and stationery, as well as interior projects, across the world.
“Over the years, I have come to see that there is something truly special about India, and Indian design. We have given the world concepts like yoga and Ayurveda—simple arts that connect us all. If this simplicity can percolate into objects and spaces, we could dowonders,” says Ayush of his love for the country’s crafts traditions.
It is this pursuit of simplicity and sustainability, vast knowledge of native materials and indigenous artisanship, and emphasis on the highest quality that have won AnanTaya the UNESCO seal of excellence four times. Yet, what stands out for the Kasliwals amid this stupendous success is that they have revived and fostered many dying crafts and given a fresh lease of life to thousands of artisans.
“Our vision is a million artisans. This vision has contributed, along with a core belief of AnanTaya being a way of life, to unending possibilities of bringing ‘anant ~anand hi anand’ to lives,” says Geetanjali. The couple’s creative enterprise has impacted more than 6,000 artisans, drawing awards by SIDBI (Small Industries Development Bank of India) and Union Minister Nitin Gadkari in December 2019 for being the highest employment-generation small enterprise.
By incorporating an amazing array of native crafts into their designs and projects, they have enabled the restarting and growth of many artisan clusters, master artisans and producer groups, and infused life into languishing techniques across Rajasthan and other parts of India. Whether it is the chic wire lamp by the birdcage-making village of Sultana, or the hand-beaten trays and Kalash hand-hammered stool by the Thathera metalwork artisans, or the Thikri mirror craft that decorates the walls of Punjab Grill restaurant they designed in Washington, their work is touched by the expert hands of generational artisans. The Tazia light is a result of innovative employment of a craft that had its relevance only annually for religious purposes. Ayush has also used Tazia in designing the Indian pavilion at Ambiente International Trade Fair (2019).
Following the dictum “design happens in the dialogue”, the Kasliwals’ interior projects spread across the world evolve on the basis of what the client and the context demand.
Some of their important projects include the recent Kshemavana, a wellness and naturopathy retreat near Bengaluru, Narendra Bhavan in Bikaner, and also the magnificent mudra installation at the T3 terminal, New Delhi International Airport.
Since he bagged the Charles Eames scholarship at NID for his work in ceramics to winning the Lexus Design Award India 2019, Ayush’s designs have earned many accolades—such as Interior Lifestyle Award 2015 by Messe Frankfurt, EDIDA India Designer of the Year (2013), to name a few.
AnanTaya products have been showcased at several prestigious international fairs. It also boasts an illustrious client list that includes Anthropologie, ABC Home, The Conran Shop, Terrain, CB2, Louis Vuitton and Tom Dixon (UK).
Excerpts from an interview with the Kasliwals as AnanTaya completes 15 years:
How do you look back on the AnanTaya journey?
GK: The journey of AnanTaya 15 years ago initiated a collaboration of design and craft. We started from a small room, now the family includes thousands of lives. Interestingly, it’s not the enormity, but the warmth and blessings that fill our hearts.
AK: The journey birthed perennial objects. When talented designers merged their curiosity with master artisans, the jugalbandi impacted more than 6,000 artisan lives and more than 30 crafts were revived and promoted. The brand has come a long way in influencing lives and this year is about celebrating it.
You have said that the future for India lies in craftsmanship. How do we make it happen in these times of machine-made mass production?
AK: Our motto has been: “We must find activities in which everyone can engage meaningfully and the world of crafts provides such opportunities.”
GK: I think it comes from the fundamental aspect of our life. Sustainable lifestyle is the way forward. We need to look at the wisdom in how our ancestors lived. How can we raise awareness of authentic crafts versus fake machine copies for the patron? How can crafts be democratised with more people demanding it, thereby lowering costs? Also, how can we measure the impact of every purchase, and the circularity of designs such that people can choose wisely? The scope of crafts can be expanded by engaging with them on a wider scale in projects, installations, lifestyle products, furniture, decor, etc.
Your idea of sustainable design…
AK: At the design level, we believe that if something works well, and is not rooted in a particular time, the object will be used for longer, thereby keeping it from going into a landfill. Where quality is concerned, consistently making high calibre products that get better with time is important. Products that look great in the beginning but deteriorate with use are not sustainable. Finally, materials sourced sustainably, or materials that are inherently sustainable, have a direct impact on their ecological footprint. We use a lot of recycled materials, fabrics, aluminium and recycled teak. We also use plantation timber like mango and sustainably harvested oak, and a lot of the products are finished in oils or water-based paints. Once the functional life of the product is over, it should be able to come apart for recycling.
GK: It is about considering one’s impact on the environment, community and, ultimately, on ourselves. How does it affect the underprivileged and the voiceless? Being conscious of how our decisions affect others is essential. Conscious materiality, modern yet culturally rooted designs, and well-engineered manufacturing create timeless objects that last for decades, and yet have circularity in-built in them.
Other than the age-old materials and crafts techniques that you use, what new materials and techniques would you like to experiment with?
AK: We are excited by the new recycled materials that are now easily available—tetra pack boards, tyres, papier mache, vegetable-based leather and a host of other materials, and we see immense potential in crafting with them. Perhaps the new paradigms combine ancient crafts with recycled materials, the imagining of which is aided by technology!
GK: Materials crafted out of recycled and upcycled materials are already being incorporated in our designs. The future looks promising with bio-engineered materials that go back to the earth gently.
(The writer is a Bengaluru-based freelance journalist and content consultant. Formerly with the Times of India, Economic Times and Livingetc India, she writes primarily on design, art and lifestyle. She also enjoys giving a healthy twist to various cuisines.)
