Stunning Sparklers

ISSUE: 128

Debasmita Ghosh’s experiments with glass have led to a lifestyle accessory brand that encompasses delicate jewelry with as much ease as larger than life chandeliers

How did Aadikara come about?

DG: Aadikara started as my graduation project at NID in Ahmedabad. I wanted to culminate my academic journey with a project that brought together my inclination towards glass design, Indian crafts and design entrepreneurship. Along with creating several designs as part of research, material and technique exploration and prototyping, I created the first full range of glass jewellery inspired by the calla lily flower, as part of the project, in collaboration with glass artisans from Firozabad, Uttar Pradesh. After NID, I established Aadikara as an Ahmedabad-based glass design studio specializing in glass jewellery and lighting design.

Tell us about your recent foray into academia.

DG: I have taken sessions for design students at NIFT Gandhinagar and also mentored a graduation project in glass accessory design from NID Ahmedabad under Aadikara. Sharing my experience of working as an independent designer with young and curious minds is a great way to engage in exciting conversations; it also makes me reflect upon my journey, which essentially started as a design student. I like to discuss themes such as nature and form, design and craft sector and social design with students. I am not sure how I will go forward in academia but I do find designing curriculums relevant to my explorations into extending my design practice. I would like to engage in hands on workshops and course modules and look forward to the outcomes at various levels of design thinking and execution

What has been the most challenging design you’ve ever worked on?

DG: It happens to be my first range of glass jewellery inspired by the calla lily flower. It was conceptualized as a fusion of glass and metal components and although the glass moulding process was in place, the challenge was to figure out the metal fixture. It had to be done in a way that it holds the jewellery together structurally and enhances the esthetic of the intended fusion but also doesn’t overpower the visibility of glass. With multiple iterations during prototyping, a balance was achieved to tackle these concerns and I was glad to know how it was perceived as an elegant and seamless coming together of metal and glass components within the design framework of Aadikara. The cohesion thus achieved made way for me to further explore this fusion, which I am still doing.

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