As the rhythm of the drum beats filled the soul, the paper candy festoons smiled, the graffiti on the walls of JNC Road at Koramangala began to speak, and these individuals with an arty bend, showcased their creations at the Kitsch Mandi- Start up festival on Saturday.
Say cheese: Most of them are first time entrepreneurs, working from home. This kind of neighborhood start up festival is a sure space for them to get a real business deal. As you enter the mandi, you cannot miss them. They will stop you, ask you to say 'Cheese' for a Kodak moment. They are a bunch of college students armed with cameras and many a props, eye masks and mustaches in quirky shapes and sizes.
Bottled art: In this liquor country, hundreds of bottles gets uncorked everyday and Verghese an Electronic engineer by profession found a way to capitalise on it. He collects used liquor bottles...Absolute, Belvedere, Corona, Grey Goose and he has it in his arsenal.
He melts them and transforms them into keepsakes one would love to take home. He has made clocks, ashtrays, funky shaped bended bottles...and he calls his recycled bottled factory as 'Glass Hoppers'
Art for a cause: Sruthi, Taaneya, Gaurav and Somasree got together and decided it is time their work, should not just stay on their laptop screens, but need to get featured in postcards, canvases, scarfs, cushions covers and tees. Thus was born the 'Illustration Much'. The Artist too had their bit to add. Most of the art works, be it acrylic, oil, water colour or even hand prints displayed were impressive to say the least. With varied colour palettes, most of the artists experimented with rustic tones, creamy fluid textures and bold lines. While a few hand prints celebrated the beauty of Indian architectures; the wood engravings captured the attention of quite a few art lovers. On the other hand, a signature campaign was run by a few activists who garnered public support for the displaced Ejipura victims.
Others chipped in: Breaking all conventional norms of board games, a few individuals were also seen selling games inspired by Indian pop culture.
Apart from that, pottery workshops and hair braiding sessions were on the entire evening.
The final curtain call, playing a singular tune, was the piped piper, as an eclectic crowd followed suit.
(With inputs from Akshatha Shetty)