11th National Convention of the Institute of Indian Interior Designers
The apex professional body of Designers, Architects and related Trade personals in the Country with a pan India presence spanning 29 Chapters and administered from its Head Quarters in Mumbai, IIID has a very crucial role to play in shaping the Nation’s Design policies and trends in the right directions. Towards this, President Pratap Jadhav, declared the theme for the new term 2015- 2017 as ‘Taking Design to the Masses’
In an effort to awaken the Design fraternity and related departments to core issues and the novel mission, the National Convention of IIID, ‘IMAGINE’ took place from February 18th to 20th in Indore.
2000 delegates together with a spectacular panel of 24 speakers including six International Speakers from America, Italy, Spain, Australia, Colombo and Brazil came together to deliberate on the theme. Shashi Tharoor, MP was the Chief Guest, giving a global perspective on Taking Design to the Masses while Dr Shailendra Mehta gave the keynote on Indian Design & Aesthetics.
IIID also literally took the theme to the masses via the first Design Road Show, a countrywide awareness campaign – ‘Design Yatra’. A design convoy of 4 Nano cars (symbolic of the theme) with IIID members and event partners will travel 15000 kms across the length and breadth of India in approximately 10 months with stops at its 29 chapters and centres, attending to design solutions for people and communities at various levels.
As part of Design Yatra each chapter city will see a set of 5 programmes.
A welcome ceremony to announce the arrival of the convoy and the mission it embodies coupled with an open forum with the citizens as to their views on design and the needs of the times.
City-specific discussion with the local authorities to initiate/ inaugurate a socially relevant design project like streetscaping, a junction, a park, etc. to show how design can bring beauty and order in public spaces.
A IIID meeting with all design-related professionals, representatives from parallel organisations and notable public figures will be invitees to be addressed by a renowned speaker will address the gathering to impart the vision and share ideas on the theme.
An interaction with students of design and architecture to ensure that the ‘future’ is in good hands.
A visit to a remote village or challenged settlements with telling needs, to study the possibility of design interventions for better living conditions. (Maybe learn from them about indigenous design responses put in place for survival)
A press conference to ensure coverage (over and above the tie up with media partners to make the campaign felt all through the Design Yatra).
Together with the distilled results from the deliberations of the Convention and the collective responses formulated from across the length and breadth of the country via Design Yatra, IIID aspires to come out with an action plan for Taking Design to the Masses. The proposal supported by well documented studies will be released in a book form and made available at all relevant forums and libraries.
