Projects
The studio continually experiments with extending boundaries of traditional techniques, base pairings, and conceptual narratives—with extraordinary results.
We were delighted to be part of the India Art Fair 2024’s inaugural Design section, reprising our place with a curated collection of artwork from the studio. The exhibit’s immersive piece for this edition was Silken Passage, a 28 ft long and 8 ft high mural inspired by the Silk Road.
For over a millennia, a network of routes known as the Silk Road contributed to the exchange of goods and ideas among diverse cultures. The vast sinuous metallic tapestry of the mural’s carefully selected designs led us from nature’s blooms to crafted vessels, of sculptural forms and topographies. We drew inspiration from this historic exchange, setting out to interpret a coming together of past and present in the studio’s signature repoussé language.
The studio also showcased limited edition pieces, coffee tables, consoles, mirrors, screens, and such that were selected as examples of the contemporary design vocabulary that is emerging from India at this moment in time.
For over a millennia, a network of routes known as the Silk Road contributed to the exchange of goods and ideas among diverse cultures. The vast sinuous metallic tapestry of the mural’s carefully selected designs led us from nature’s blooms to crafted vessels, of sculptural forms and topographies. We drew inspiration from this historic exchange, setting out to interpret a coming together of past and present in the studio’s signature repoussé language.
The studio also showcased limited edition pieces, coffee tables, consoles, mirrors, screens, and such that were selected as examples of the contemporary design vocabulary that is emerging from India at this moment in time.
India Art Fair collaborated with designer Vikram Goyal for a special screening of ‘Drawing in Metal’, a short film about the studio’s relationship with the metalworking technique of repoussé. Directed by Aradhana Seth, ‘Drawing In Metal’ is a documentary that focuses on how repoussé comes to life in the artist’s ‘karkhana’, or studio. The intricacy of the technique–the process of hammering metal into relief from the reverse–is looked at closely, with attention to its smallest details.
The film explores the nuances of the process–the beating, hammering, pouring, grinding and chiselling of the metal that leads to its final form. The technique is key to some of the studio’s most elaborate, layered artworks,bringing textured visuals to a metal canvas in a way only this technique allows. “Repoussé for me is very special,” says Vikram Goyal. “There’s a great, dynamic play between how much pressure is applied on one part, because it is at the expense of its neighbouring areas. This is where the skill of an artisan comes into play. No piece comes out exactly the way the designer imagined it, because there’s no way the designer can guess how much pressure is going to be applied. Which makes each piece unique and special; and that’s the beauty of repoussé.”
Brass is the beating heart of Goyal’s work, in large part for its place in Indian structure and culture. “The material I choose to work with, brass, is an old, traditional material. There is a richness to it.” Art historian and curator Annapurna Garimella adds that it links back to the Indian penchant for gold. “Brass is not a substitute for gold, but it’s part of that spectrum of the gold aesthetic. It’s not a pure metal; and that’s what makes it such an interesting material. Because it is used for moments where more purity is required.”
For Aradhana Seth, telling the story as thoughtfully and sensitively as possible was paramount. The film was shot in three days, with many days prior to it spent on copious research. “We had to be careful about choosing what we wanted to shoot and keeping it tight,” says Seth.
“We would often bring in different kinds of furniture into the form–repoussé and beyond–so you could understand the scope of the workshop subliminally,” says Seth.The visual treatment of the film centres around the richness of the brass as it is worked upon in various forms; from the metal sheet that will be placed upon the wax bed, to being shaped with tools until it tells the story that was imagined on paper by the Vikram Goyal team. “When you make a film, you always start with a blank canvas,” says Seth. “For me, I go in with the knowledge that I have about the subject compartmentalised into one part of my brain. I begin researching, observing and having conversations which helps me visualise the film and take it in the direction I would like to go. From the start of the shoot, I wanted to use the many metal sounds from the workshop as the soundtrack. They are an integral part of the sound design.”
The sound of metal as it bubbles to a boil, or clangs beneath the hammer, immerses the viewer further in the process of the brass being shaped into the story it will tell. “Like all craft, the way to work with the material is completely embodied,” says Garimella. “In drawing, if you exhale or inhale a jagged breath, your line comes out jagged. There is always this question of managing the energy in the craftsman’s body, and breath being that energy as they wield the hammer and the chisel.”
The most important element for Seth was the ‘jugalbandi’. “There were many types of jugalbandi [intertwinings] that I wanted to explore. The first, between the brass and the raal [wax], and how they work together and complement each other. Then, between the design studio and the workshop . And lastly, cinematically; with the metal sounds as the soundtrack of the film. There are multiple jugalbandis.”
LINK TO THE FILM | DRAWING IN METAL
The film explores the nuances of the process–the beating, hammering, pouring, grinding and chiselling of the metal that leads to its final form. The technique is key to some of the studio’s most elaborate, layered artworks,bringing textured visuals to a metal canvas in a way only this technique allows. “Repoussé for me is very special,” says Vikram Goyal. “There’s a great, dynamic play between how much pressure is applied on one part, because it is at the expense of its neighbouring areas. This is where the skill of an artisan comes into play. No piece comes out exactly the way the designer imagined it, because there’s no way the designer can guess how much pressure is going to be applied. Which makes each piece unique and special; and that’s the beauty of repoussé.”
Brass is the beating heart of Goyal’s work, in large part for its place in Indian structure and culture. “The material I choose to work with, brass, is an old, traditional material. There is a richness to it.” Art historian and curator Annapurna Garimella adds that it links back to the Indian penchant for gold. “Brass is not a substitute for gold, but it’s part of that spectrum of the gold aesthetic. It’s not a pure metal; and that’s what makes it such an interesting material. Because it is used for moments where more purity is required.”
For Aradhana Seth, telling the story as thoughtfully and sensitively as possible was paramount. The film was shot in three days, with many days prior to it spent on copious research. “We had to be careful about choosing what we wanted to shoot and keeping it tight,” says Seth.
“We would often bring in different kinds of furniture into the form–repoussé and beyond–so you could understand the scope of the workshop subliminally,” says Seth.The visual treatment of the film centres around the richness of the brass as it is worked upon in various forms; from the metal sheet that will be placed upon the wax bed, to being shaped with tools until it tells the story that was imagined on paper by the Vikram Goyal team. “When you make a film, you always start with a blank canvas,” says Seth. “For me, I go in with the knowledge that I have about the subject compartmentalised into one part of my brain. I begin researching, observing and having conversations which helps me visualise the film and take it in the direction I would like to go. From the start of the shoot, I wanted to use the many metal sounds from the workshop as the soundtrack. They are an integral part of the sound design.”
The sound of metal as it bubbles to a boil, or clangs beneath the hammer, immerses the viewer further in the process of the brass being shaped into the story it will tell. “Like all craft, the way to work with the material is completely embodied,” says Garimella. “In drawing, if you exhale or inhale a jagged breath, your line comes out jagged. There is always this question of managing the energy in the craftsman’s body, and breath being that energy as they wield the hammer and the chisel.”
The most important element for Seth was the ‘jugalbandi’. “There were many types of jugalbandi [intertwinings] that I wanted to explore. The first, between the brass and the raal [wax], and how they work together and complement each other. Then, between the design studio and the workshop . And lastly, cinematically; with the metal sounds as the soundtrack of the film. There are multiple jugalbandis.”
LINK TO THE FILM | DRAWING IN METAL
At this year’s PAD London (10 - 15 October 2023), Vikram Goyal showcased collectible design pieces that demonstrate his New Delhi-based workshop’s mastery of metal. Curated by Nilufar, this notable debut at PAD marks Goyal’s first international exhibition and the first solo presentation at the global design fair by a contemporary designer from India. It comes at a time of heightened interest in art, craft, and design from the Indian sub-continent within the collectible market, and attention on the region as a hub for global creativity.
The collection of ten limited-edition pieces features furniture (consoles, benches, side tables), lighting (chandeliers, wall sconces) and wall panels – all intricately hand-made by expert artisans. Each object explores and celebrates a range of heritage techniques in metalwork that have existed in India as early as the 3rd or 4th century BC. One such is repoussé, the art of painstakingly hand-beating a metal sheet into three-dimensional forms. Vikram Goyal has spent 20 years cultivating expertise in this skill, and others, among his artisans, developing an abstract sophistication and contemporary design language, often imbuing almost academic and surprisingly modern interpretations of Indian cultural traditions, narratives and philosophies into his work. New pieces by Italian designer Christian Pellizzari will offer an enriching creative exchange with Vikram Goyal’s work on the stand.
The collection of ten limited-edition pieces features furniture (consoles, benches, side tables), lighting (chandeliers, wall sconces) and wall panels – all intricately hand-made by expert artisans. Each object explores and celebrates a range of heritage techniques in metalwork that have existed in India as early as the 3rd or 4th century BC. One such is repoussé, the art of painstakingly hand-beating a metal sheet into three-dimensional forms. Vikram Goyal has spent 20 years cultivating expertise in this skill, and others, among his artisans, developing an abstract sophistication and contemporary design language, often imbuing almost academic and surprisingly modern interpretations of Indian cultural traditions, narratives and philosophies into his work. New pieces by Italian designer Christian Pellizzari will offer an enriching creative exchange with Vikram Goyal’s work on the stand.
Vikram Goyal inaugurated his collaboration with Nilufar Gallery on the occasion of the Milan Design Week 2023, while presenting several pieces: Archimedes’ Twist (console), Braque’s Geometry (wall sconce), Thar (modern bar cabinet), Ophidian (cabinet), Borobudur ( architectural table) and Geodesic (multi-faceted tables).
Vikram Goyal is driven by creative inquiry, unearthing immersive experiences through inventive, yet deliberate forms. A dual approach to materiality defines his conceptual take on design: it is rooted in reviving local craftsmanship and artistry while also experimenting with sculptural abstraction.
Vikram Goyal is driven by creative inquiry, unearthing immersive experiences through inventive, yet deliberate forms. A dual approach to materiality defines his conceptual take on design: it is rooted in reviving local craftsmanship and artistry while also experimenting with sculptural abstraction.
Award-winning, uniquely designed, two-level, 710 sq. m bungalow built on a 1,297 sq. m plot in serene Moira village, with stunning views of the Moira Church and paddy fields, developed by designer Vikram Goyal. The colour palette inside the house, whether in the objects or the upholstery, pivots between shades of beaten gold, khaki, brown and black, culminating in a brilliant flourish of camouflage that gives visitors a peek into the owner’s psyche—part trendy, full revolutionary. The courtyard has pillar-shaped fountains that are also laterite; lit up at night, they look like lingams. The extensive use of laterite as ornamentation and as an architectural element is revelatory. There is more stone— Kadappa and Machala—and naked concrete on the ceilings. The surface of the house is rugged. The walls are made of exposed laterite—a local Goan stone that is rust-coloured, like terracotta, and used to its best advantage as it is here, juxta posed with the dark luxury of the rest of the home.