Giving Traditional Odisha Art A Modern Twist At BEADS In Bhubaneswar

Bhubaneswar: One of the many attractions at the night bazaar at Ekamra Haat during the recently concluded Dot Fest in Odisha capital was the ceramic products put up for sale by the Bhubaneswar Experimental Art and Design Studio (BEADS). More than 500 people visited the stall. A set of shot glasses based on the design motifs of Dongri Kandh was the most sought-after item. The motifs featured a triangle and wavy lines that alluded to mountains and rivers.

The underlying philosophy of BEADS is its great selling point. It connects people and artists by intertwining the neglected artistic heritage and urban life by manufacturing eco-friendly, high-end lifestyle goods using a design thinking methodology that is both authentic and exclusive in nature with a modern twist. Their mission is to reduce plastic by encouraging customers to reuse and upcycle their packaging materials like jute bags and honeycomb paper wrap, which is 100% biodegradable in nature.

The philosophy of creating a framework for the promotion and preservation of sustainable handicraft production and consumption with an approach that conservation does not necessarily mean progress, rather combining disciplines results in both conservation and progress is a major draw for customers.

“Due to a lack of regular employment opportunities in this field, small artists are abandoning their traditional talent which is environmentally beneficial. BEADS aspires to make aware people through its products about the necessity to reestablish links with sustainability, resulting in a context in which crafts and artisans are more valued,” Sandeep Hota, one of the founders told Odisha Bytes, adding, “The folklore of Odisha, which is exhibited via crafts, serves as the inspiration for each new edition of BEADS.”

BEADS invites designers and artists to infuse traditional craft techniques with paradigms of innovation and design. The Dongria Kandha tribes of Niyamgiri hills, Rayagada, inspired Saroj Kumar Rout, an Odia ceramic artist, to design the first edition of BEADS. His creative visualisation, combined with the artistic rendering of transforming Dongria Kondh motifs into utilitarian objects like crockery gave a whole new dynamic to the ceramic art history of Odisha.

Upendra Ram, a ceramist and the first resident artist of BEADS on his research adventure collaborated to reinvent conventional materials and forms. Upendra blends storytelling and pottery to make human puns.

Recently, on January 21, BEADS held an Open Day for their  One Wall Residency with artist Abhishek Chakrabarty. Historically, walls have been used to express people’s thoughts, commercial and political messages. Protest speeches, texts and graffiti act as an act of confrontational and immersive dialogues about political movements, civil rights and liberation,

In the spirit of expression on walls, One Wall is a happening that raises awareness about the existential challenges that impact us all – pandemics, economic decline and climate change etc. A meaningful and valuable co-place that positively connects the present historical matters and the future as a source of transforming information.