Double
Take
Double Take (2018) was the thesis project created to examine and explore Indian design practices juxtaposed with western tropes of India seen in pop culture, media, fashion, etc. An opportunity to explore my identity, and the intrinsically convoluted way it was evolving as an Indian designer in the Western world; this project was fuelled by the frustration of not
What began as an exploration into the marriage between Indian printmaking techniques and 'modern' graphic design quickly became fuelled by the colonization and Eurocentric forces that undeniably act as the foundation of what design education is in the western world. While reflecting on the 4 years at OCAD University, I quickly realized that a lot of why I fell in love with design, was all around me, in my own culture.
Yoga is cool. Yoga is relaxing. Yoga, is a trend that has been stretched out of proportion. The final piece of the print series is a critique on the most far fetched trends that yoga has manifested into. This piece shows examples of Group Yoga, Beer Yoga, Dog Yoga, and Goat Yoga, yes, you read that correctly, Goat Yoga. The question of appropriation around Yoga has been dismissed multiple times, as on the foundation level, yes, it is a physical activity that focuses on the body and mind as a whole, but trends that involve animals and intoxication shift away from the foundation of the practice.This piece is a critique on the various trends of Yoga found in the world today.
Iggy Azaelea’s music video for her song Bounce is filmed in India. She is portrayed as an Indian Goddess riding on an elephant. The images of Beyonce is from the Hymn for the Weekend music video. Her attire, although inspired by India, is a clear mix of multiple cultures. The facial jewelry is from Middle Eastern cultures (Omani wedding attire). The hand gestures are stereotypical and taken from classical Indian dance forms. While neither songs have any connection or relevance to Indian culture, India is often seen as a land of exotic things and people. This piece aims to show that the most powerful figures in the entertainment industry wrongfully borrow and capitalize on aspects from other cultures.
Desi Uncle Sam is a piece that critiques the appropriation that is seen in commercials and in sitcoms. The infamous PopChips commercial of 2012 shows a brown face Ashton Kutcher dressed in a Sherwani (Male Indian Wedding Attire), with a wig and fake facial hair. The second image used in this piece is from the television series Limitless, the lead, played by actor Jake McDormand, is dancing in a Bollywood themed scene, wearing traditional Indian clothes, and dancing with backup dancers who are dressed, again, in an attire that is a concoction of Indian and Middle Eastern clothing and jewelry. While the dance routine is exhaustively stereotyped as well, the issue becomes prominent in the overall scene, with the mixing of cultures to show one specific celebratory moment. While it is supposed to look “authentically Indian”, it mixes and takes from multiple cultures.
As self explanatory as the title and visuals are, this work is to mock and critique the stereotype and most common opinion of imagery of India and its culture. During preliminary stages of research, a question of “what comes to mind when you think of India?” was asked to a large audience, and most people said “The holy cow!”. Therefore, this piece takes images of cows from the temple (dressed in fabrics and jewelry), an illustrated cow from local Indian signage, as well as a photograph of a cow with large horns. Created here is a beautifully intricate floral Mandala that in a sense, glorifies the cow.