(From top): Didier Lecoanet, Sonia Jehan and Hemant Sagar (left to right) at Hotel Ashok; George Martin P.J (left) and Manil Gupta at Palette Gallery; members of Tatva Kundalini perform at the Absolut Vodka musical evening at Urban Pind; artists at the Oberoi Art Camp 2006

Inspired by the activities of Conserve, an NGO, Paris-based fashion designers Didier Lecoanet and Hemant Sagar are doing what they love best ? designing fabulous clothes and lending a helping hand at the same time. The Franco-Indian duo in association with the Delhi-based NGO, has created a raincoat from recycled plastic bags. With a limited edition of 300 pieces, the design will be showcased in the top boutiques and ateliers in Paris. And at Hotel Ashok where the two designers had invited friends and the media for the launch of their website ? www.lhairport.com, the raincoat proved to be the talking point.

Speaking about their association with the NGO, Sagar said, “This is not about charity, but giving business to people through the NGO. A good part of money from this ethical luxury product will be donated to Conserve. Later we’ll sell the product through our website too.”

The evening began with a short film on Conserve, which is run by Anita Ahuja who was present on the occasion and also received one of the raincoats from Sagar. The film showed how soiled plastic bags are collected by slum-dwellers, washed and then put to use to produce high-fashion products. After the screening was over, the two designers launched their website, which begins with a fun animation showing the duo flying in a jet.

Small wonder then that Sagar turned up for the event dressed in a pilot’s jacket. And playing airhostess was his long-time friend and actress Sonia Jehan (of Taj Mahal fame) who showed off a crisp jacket and skirt and a perky cap. Also present at the launch were French ambassador, Dominique Girard and wife Maud, JJ Valaya, Rahul Jain, Iggy and make-over artist Meenakshi Dutt, all in a decidedly party mood.

Life on the wall

It was an ode to urban life played out by two upcoming artists. The Encode Decode exhibition held at Delhi’s Palette Art Gallery (owned by designers Rohit Gandhi and Rahul Khanna) showcased the canvases of George Martin P.J and Manil Gupta, and proved to be a treat for art lovers who trooped in by the dozen.

While Gupta’s figuratives spoke volumes, Martin P.J’s abstracts were no less inspiring. With titles like ‘Our numbed conscience’, ‘Deconstructing the system of existence’, ‘The mockery of our hollow lives’, Gupta’s work presented the social conditions of life. “Human form interests me and for me, painting is the best vehicle to express how I perceive society. My paintings are about how I see life in a philosophical way,” said Gupta.

Martin P.J presented his take on urban life using a vibrant colour palette. He presented life in an urban space, as an unpremeditated reflection on the glass walls of huge architectural structures and buildings in the city.

Speaking on the occasion, Rohit Gandhi said, “Both the artists are young and their play of colours is unique. Their work is thought-provoking and challenges the viewer’s perception of reality and illusion. We’ve always been staunch supporters of young talent and their edgy yet insightful expression.”

As the visitors started pouring in, several guests and other artists soon surrounded the artists, and showered them with compliments. Besides Rohit Gandhi and Rahul Khanna, others like Shalu Jindal and artists Gopi Gajwani, Amitav Das, Vasundhra Tiwari, Rameshwar Broota, Manu and Madhvi Parekh also made a showing.

Musical highs

Statistics show that it’s the preferred poison of party people. And what’s a party with no music! Keen on promoting the right kind of music, Absolut Vodka held a musical event at the Urban Pind lounge in Delhi recently which turned out to be an energetic ethno-electro extravaganza. Two-year-old ethno-electro outfit Tatva Kundalini held centre-stage at the event. As part of their Chakraview tour, the band comprising 25-year-old Aditya and 28-year-old Nihit, teamed up with Chintan of Parikrama and sarangi player Suhail Yusuf Khan, to entertain and electrify.

The evening started fashionably late with the crowd trooping in post-dinner to enjoy vodka cocktails and music of a different kind. It was a ‘new age act’ all right with classical ragas blended with underground music. “Our music shows the influence of various genres ? rock, classical, psychedelic, trance and Progressive House,” said Aditya who plays the mandolin, dranyen (a Tibetan instrument) and the bass guitar.

Brand connect was a large part of the evening. As Siddharth Banerji, manager director of Kyndal India explained, “Our emphasis is on both inspiration and creativity. Absolut stands for fusion music as you can see in the Absolut Tracks where we feature artists from all over the world including China and Germany among others. We are promoting Tatva Kundalini as part of this project because we find their music fresh and creative, something that goes well with Absolut Vodka.”

Canvas calling

With art prices soaring and competition hotting up between galleries, art camps have become a popular way to generate goodwill ? and artwork, of course. So it was time again for Gallery Beyond’s, The Oberoi Art Camp 2006, which was held at The Oberoi in Mumbai. This was the fourth edition of the camp and instead of lighting the traditional diya, the artists opened the camp by signing a pristine white canvas.

The place was abuzz with artists ? 16 of them in all ? and the focus this time around was on contemporary artists. So present at the camp were names like S G Vasudev, Minal Damani, Brinda Chudasama Miller, Yashwant Deshmukh, Manjunath Kamath and Jayakumar. Chintan Upadhyay, clad in a colourful shirt, too dropped in as did Abir Karmakar and Uday Mondal, among others. The artists planned to make the hotel’s Mexican Room their studio for the duration of the camp, intending not only to produce works but exchange ideas as well.

Pictures by Rupinder Sharma and Prem Singh