Yelena Baturina, Russia’s richest businesswoman and founder of the philanthropic Be Open Foundation, kickstarted a global series of “Made in …” projects. After making its presence in four international design platforms — Milan, Basel, London and Miami, the exhibition was recently held in New Delhi, India. The venture aimed to ensure the survival of handmade products that include everything from furniture and tableware to textiles and jewels.
Be Open is a cultural and social initiative to support “intellectual development”. In a span of two years, it has established itself on the global design scene by finding its ways of fostering creativity, especially in up-and-coming designers by investing in the next generation. And Baturina, who has been involved in charities, has done intensive work before developing the idea.
Born into a simple, working class family, Baturina is a self-made woman and a pioneering entrepreneur having extensive experience in industrial management. She set up one of Russia’s leading development corporations, Inteco, which started manufacturing plastics and later diversified into construction. The company was known for producing state-of-the-art finishing materials and technologies for façade works, cement, panels and monolith housing and is now one of the largest real estate businesses in the country.
Though Baturina sold Inteco a couple of years ago, she continues to expand her business in the sphere of investments and development internationally, with offices in Vienna and London. She has been developing hotel and commercial projects in Russia, Austria, Ireland, Europe, Asia and Africa.
Her approach of developing creative ideas reflects in Be Open, as she continues to prioritise young people. She says: “We need to build on the past to create an appealing, convincing and sustainable future. The skills of handcrafting that underpin design need to be kept alive so that they can continue to inspire contemporary makers.”
Excerpts from the interview:
What is Be Open all about?
It is my commitment to invest in the creativity of the next generation. Be Open is a tool to open people’s eyes by bringing together creative minds, and not just designers or artists: there is a level of creativity in business that needs to be explored too. There are few opportunities for young people to express themselves creatively and Be Open, which has been created for such people, wants to change that characteristic.
We launched in April 2012 during Milan Design Week, and ever since have developed our works through exhibitions, events and panel discussions in four world design capitals. Known in over 50 countries, Be Open has also launched the “Inside the Academy” programme, an extensive educational platform offering support to young creative minds in schools and colleges, through an awards scheme and a ranking system.
What was the reason to choose India for your worldwide search aimed at ensuring the survival of handmade products?
Since business is in my DNA, I cannot forego the business aspect in this project too. I feel that the future of the handmade is about keeping it out of the moribund museum space and instead making it live and let it breathe by becoming part of the market economy. I am convinced that the theme of exclusive handmade production will gain more attention on the global scale, as the worldwide consumers are beginning to get tired of homogenised mass production. That’s why we are interested in the potential to work with craft as a future business model for the design world.
Craft, in India, is really an integral part of everyday life. That’s why it seemed the perfect place to launch our global investigation into the potential for the handmade in shaping our future. So, early this year, we held an exhibition, “Samskara”, in New Delhi. It showcased and revealed an imaginative reinterpretation of traditional skills by contemporary Indian designers. We exhibited over 350 objects designed by them and produced in collaboration with the masters of traditional Indian handicrafts.
In what way will it benefit the Indian artists?
The exhibition was a success, as never before had Indian designers of so many specialisations been brought together under one roof. The result was a fascinating overview, not only of where Indian design is today, but also of where it is headed. For many, Indian goods are associated with poor quality and cheap labour. The Be Open project proved that there is vast potential to reverse that perception. The designers were encouraged to think beyond their usual market and Be Open gave them an opportunity to appeal to the international audience.
The tangible outcome was that after the exhibitions, several of our “Samskara” designers received proposals from major international brands and also attracted the attention of investors. And though Be Open is not at all about receiving practical, down-to-earth outcomes, since I see beauty in handmade things, I am tempted to support small exclusive productions, giving designers an opportunity to survive in the globalised world.
Was there a set criterion for selection of designers?
We chose designers to represent all of the craft skills for which India is best known. They ranged from those who are just emerging to those who are established names internationally. It was important to show them in a light that dramatically changes the way that people might think about the tagline “Made in India”.
At the time of “Samskara”, where works of selected Indian designers were exhibited, you also launched a competition among the students of Indian design schools. How were they assigned for the concept — “Create the ultimate Indian object for our future”?
The competition was an open call to all students enrolled at recognised design schools in India. They were asked to present a detailed description of the design and build an object in one of the five categories: furniture, home accessories, home textiles, fashion and fashion accessories. The jury was presented with a long list of proposals that ranged from new takes on traditional clothing to more radical ideas such as decorative wear for the skateboard community or a self-supporting backrest. Ideas for contemporary furniture incorporated traditional materials and handcrafting skills that found new expression in styling and presentation.
What happens to the objects created by the designers for the “Samskara” exhibition and the design students?
A selection of those objects will travel to Milan Expo 2015, the aim of which will be to showcase the most imaginative and inspiring works gathered during the “Made in ...” research period, from around the world. They will be presented as though part of a new brand of contemporary design — grounded in tradition, yet reinterpreted for today.
What did the concept “India Through My Eyes” mean, in which winners would be invited on an all expenses paid trip to the next international Be Open event?
It was a global-scale invite to all web users willing to participate. The idea was to receive the vision of India in the minds of the global community — independent from whether one had been to the country or not. This was done because irrespective of it all, everyone carries an image of India! It may be extremely subjective or even mythologised, but it is part of the country’s positioning in the world and a very important thing to know. The competition ended last month and the winners are being defined out of over two thousand applications.
Where will the future Be Open events take place?
We continue to search for new platforms, as there’s still a long journey ahead. The options include the United Arab Emirates, where we hope to showcase the incredible beauty and richness of Islamic artisanal traditions. After all, no one can deny that the Arab world today is a fascinating blend of tradition and modernity, tremendous craft heritage and cutting-edge innovation.
–Nilima Pathak is a journalist based in New Delhi.
CAPTIONS
1. Yelena Baturina, Russian philanthropist and founder of Be Open Foundation.
2. Be Open Talks ‘The Future of Making in a Globalized World, New Delhi.
3. Samskara Exposition: Nirvana Composition.
4. Chairs made from everyday Indian objects.
PHOTO CREDITS: EVGENY NACHITOV
