[PhotoSparks] Designuru: come join the festival for urban re-design and creativity

PhotoSparks is a weekly feature from YourStory, with photographs that celebrate the spirit of creativity and innovation. In this photo essay, we feature the creativity and designs on display at the first ever Bengaluru ‘Designuru’ festival!

In the earlier 85 posts, we brought you a wide range of creative photographs from an art fair, world music festival, painting fair, telecom expo, art museum, mobile showcase, math museum, social hackathon, bookstore, co-working space, sensorium, international design week, flower show, outdoor ads, startup roadshow, computer museum, startup T-shirts, business cards, art therapy, startup festival, Diwali rangoli, Vesak, jazz festival, modern art gallery, ecopreneurs, painter-poets, health activists, eNGOs and digital innovators.

Bengaluru’s latest addition to the creativity circuit is Designuru, a nine-day festival of art, architecture and design, aimed at bringing together citizens and professionals to create a better city. The Designuru festival (the name is a clever pun!) features stimulating installations, exhibitions on urban heritage, curated walks, posters on 'Bengaluru English,' design workshops, a mandi for craftworks, movie screenings, foodtrucks, cartoons on city life, art works from recycled materials, and talks by experts on issues ranging from green buildings to waste management.

Held at the Rangoli Metro Art Center on MG Road, the festival was inaugurated by Minister for Bengaluru Development and Town Planning K J George. The event is organised by the Institute of Indian Interior Designers (IIID), to create a design-based platform for urban dialogue. Similar urban design festivals are held in cities around the world, and it is great to see the movement come to Bengaluru as well to increase awareness about design and aesthetics.

Some of the Bengaluru projects proposed by architects include re-designed walkways for Ulsoor Lake, new pedestrian crossings at crowded junctions, and underground subways which do not disturb heritage neighbourhoods.

So whether your interest is local governance, bamboo architecture, waste management, modular home design, pottery or neighbourhood heritage, stop by and see what you can do for the Designuru movement. And if your city does not have such an annual design festival, start one yourself!

Got a creative photograph to share? Email us at [email protected]!

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