Ways of Nature - Decolonizing Design: 2nd Bhopal Design Festival 2024 by Jagran School of Design

PNN
Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh) [India], December 4: The Jagran School of Design at Jagran Lakecity University hosted three-days Bhopal Design festival 2024 in November, featuring inspiring keynotes, engaging panel discussions, interactive workshops, and competitions, redefining the role of design in cultural and ecological transformation.
- 400 students and 16 teams attend from across India and Asia
- 7 Keynotes sessions, 4 panel discussions, 8 master workshops and 5 fireside chats ignite conversations around creativity, art and design
- Sustainability, Plurality, and Empathy in Design Thinking
The theme of this year's festival was "Ways of Nature: Decolonizing Design."
Building on the success of last year, the festival saw convergence of design experts, creative practitioners, animation and filmmakers, students, and the public, that explored how nature's wisdom can reshape design thinking and practice/s.
This year's event featured powerful visual experiences, animations, films, sound, installations, and more, along with keynote talks, workshops, panel discussions, and exhibitions. The goal was to spark fresh ideas and conversations about how design can move beyond homogenized / fixed frameworks and embrace the fluid, vibrant principles of nature.
Conceived & Curated by Jagran School of Design, Jagran Lakecity University, the festival reflected the school's mission of empowering students to innovate and contribute meaningfully to global design culture. Through initiatives like the student-driven Design Hive and Film and Animation Club, and ongoing collaboration with alumni and industry leaders, the school cultivates versatile, forward-thinking designers ready for a global stage. BDF 2024 delivered a thought-provoking journey into design's potential to create a more harmonious, nature-inspired future.
The theme Decolonizing design called one to unlearn dominantly imposed concepts and start reconnecting with the natural intuitive wisdom of nature. It requires moving back from colonialist frameworks that have placed severe constraints on innovation, thereby opening up space for designs as variable, fluid, and vibrant as nature is. Our festival may encourage the silent to speak, the hidden to appear and the missing to present so that nature assists in reviving innovation through undisturbed processes. Harmony, strength, and respect for the interconnections of all of life now become important, moving designs away from human control and toward absorption into a wider, connected web of synergy.
Dr. Vidya Rakesh, Director, National Institute of Design was the Chief Guest of the inaugural session which was also graced by Dr. Nilanjan Chattopadhyay, Vice Chancellor Jagran Lakecity University and Prof. Diwakar Shukla, Dean Faculty of Humanities, Arts and Design and Dr. Ritesh Ranjan, Head Jagran School of Design.
Around 20 speakers from across India, UK, Germany and Canada joined this festival as speakers, master trainers and experts.
The Festival also featured the captivating fashion show, "Ethereal Flora: A Journey into Nature's Essence," celebrating nature through innovative design. The event also included engaging competitions such as Vernacular Logo Design, Visionary Venture, and Visual Storytelling. These activities immersed participants in a dynamic environment, encouraging the exchange of ideas and fostering valuable connections among creatives, designers, and students. And a exhibition on the "Ways of Nature - Decolonising Design", has been curated and created by the students of design.
The festival concluded with a Valedictory Session, featuring Shri.Anuj Prasad, Founder & CEO of Desmania Design, and Shri.Ashish Agarwal, Director of NIFT Bhopal, as Guests of Honour, who praised the festival's role in fostering creativity and advancing design discourse.
The Bhopal Design Festival 2024 stood out as a platform to reimagine design through cultural perspectives, inspiring participants to embrace inclusivity and sustainability in their creative pursuits.
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