Born and brought up in Mumbai, Shemal Pandya has always had the freedom to do what he wanted to do. Throughout his childhood, like every other child he’s changed his mind about his profession every second day from engineering to law to being a chef (I myself wanted to be a carpenter when I was a child). But one day in seventh grade, Shemal learnt about design and that was it. He knew he’d found what he had been looking for and he never looked back. Shemal chose to pursue industrial design as he found it to be his calling.
I wanted to be an industrial designer when I joined my design school, I felt the expression of space along with elements within and around it to be more apt for me.
Shemal is influenced in his work by many artists, some of the past while others contemporary. However, it is not just the art but also certain philosophies that have had a great impact on his and subsequently his work.
Frank Llyod Wright, Walter Gropius, Leonardo da Vinci, Alvar Alto, van der Rohe, Tod Williams and Billie Tsien, Norman Foster, Anupama Kundoo, Firda Kahlo, Dali, and so many more! Their work has expanded my vision, however, my personal style is more influenced by the actual philosophies; the Bauhaus, Liberalism, Rationalism, Objectivism.
Shemal always enjoys the interactions that people have with his creations and their reactions and feedback are a constant source of inspiration for him. Talking about his artwork and the process behind his creations, Shemal firmly belives that the relationship between the object and its environment is very important;
I believe understanding the context, function and the impact is crucial before developing narratives for the design. With a pedagogy of learning by doing, my discourse focuses on creating physical variations, a process I deeply enjoy.
In terms of his future, Shemal is very interested in and is seeking to enter the field of public architecture. He sees himself integrating sustainable practices with honest designs and solutions. He wants to see himself developing spaces that make the audience think. He doesn’t discount the idea of becoming a teacher himself one day in the future.
I see myself teaching design; I feel there is so much to learn while you teach!
He recalls an interesting incident that occurred to him while he was working on an illustrations as a part of his college assignment.
After painstakingly finishing the illustration I was working on, I figured, let’s preserve it. So I just sprayed it with varnish, and the entire underlining, which was traced using carbon paper, just started melting! The entire illustration dissolved right in front of my eyes! Funny thing is, it got really appreciated by the faculty!
Currently interning with Auroville Bamboo Centre, he is working on developing their permanent campus. He is also developing various options to translate a humble material like bamboo to better integrate into the building construction industry. Although an introvert at heart, Shemal has taken up a really great initiative to better the lives of those around him. He is starting classes in basic design for the local artisans and workers in the setup. This is an initiative that he cares deeply about and it is one that will improve the lives of those around him by allowing them to better their work.
On the topic of deriving from Indian Culture, Shemal believes that the world today is not divided into different cultures anymore but is one giant interconnected society;
What exactly is our culture or someone else’s culture? World today is a beautiful amalgamation of cultures and beliefs, and inspiration should be drawn from everything and anything!
Quick Questions:
A book that everybody must read?
The Little prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery
Your favourite movie from all time?
The secret world of Arrietty
Your Favourite Hexadecimal Colour Code?
Favourite Font?
Raleway and Times Modern
What’s the most annoying cliché in art that you’ve observed?
That you have to be different.
Which is the coolest project that you’ve seen on BananaBandy?
Street Art by Bocu
If you were not an artist then what would you be?
Chef or a Philosopher.
