We love designs that at once marry form and function and do so with panache. As we design our houses in Goa, we are constantly on the lookout for products that elevate a spatial experience through colour, texture, and shape - all without compromising on functional capabilities. The Rio lamp by designer Harshita Jhamtani delivers all this and more.

The Rio shines in different natural stone finishes ranging from White Travertine, Bheslana stone, Green Forest Marble, and Sandstone, among others. In each case, the designer says, “All the lamps are carved out of a single block and have a fluting detail complimenting the properties of each stone.” The diverse options available ensure that there’s a Rio that works for every design style and every kind of space.

Furthermore, the Rio is built to last. In interpreting sustainability, Harshita Jhamtani qualifies, “As a studio, we believe that the most sustainable practice for a designer to adapt, is to create products that their patrons can buy once and cherish for a longtime. We bring this very dream to life by creating long-lasting unique pieces that shall take a small step towards accelerating the low carbon economy.”

Images courtesy Harshita Jhamtani designs

The Rio lamp is minimal, yet artful and robust with its material sensibilities. It is a beautiful way of bringing the elements of the outdoors, indoors. It is timeless in its rustic simplicity.

I discovered Bapi Das at the last Kochi Biennale in 2018. Bapi’s work is genius. First because of his choice of medium. Discarding the typical medias of visual media, Bapi uses a needle and thread. He pulls threads from clothes like a dupatta and uses these threads to embroider and stich his artwork. Second, he manages to achieve this extreme level of detail using single threads that often a magnifying glass is needed to explore his work. And finally, and most importantly, he draws what he calls ‘dream like episodes’, that have their context in his daily life, his struggles, dreams and thoughts. One can very easily get lost in Bapi’s world while exploring deeper into his works.

Trajectory, The Shifting Imaginery

References:

Verve Magazine article on Bapi Das

The Wire article on Bapi Das