Uttara Gupta

IR3596

The purpose of craft in interior architecture has moved from articulating a jaali element for managing the micro-climate of the built form (jaalis in jharokhas of Rajasthan to protect from the harsh sun and regulate winds) to decorating interiors with a carved jaali for aesthetics (Iron hill bar by AANDH Interior Designers). This shift of ‘purpose of craft’ in interior architecture is what has led to its depleting standpoint and use. With the background of numerous case studies varying in region, typology, year and designers, I intend to analyze the emerging directions of the ‘purpose and function of craft’ in contemporary design practices. The purpose of craft can be taken as a deeper enquiry to truly understand and value what generations of our elders have left as a legacy and use the morals of the practice to aid the future. Using the purpose of a craft in the present scenario of Indian projects and their case studies as an entry point, the research would delve into questions of speculating the future of crafts while negotiating with the restraints of the present world.