Production Designer: Anna Schlaich
Production Design Intern: Anuradha Genrich
Director: Michael Keusch
Producer: ITV Production Berlin for ZDF Television, Release February 2013
Category: Spaces + Design
Ci Vuole Lo Spazio
Ci Vuole Lo Spazio (It needs more space)
Master Thesis Team: Anuradha Viswanathan, Elena Prokina; Space: Appartemento Lago
Thesis Supervisor: Francesca Benedetto, Yellow Office, www.yellowoffice.it
Ecosystem in Miniature with Yellow Office
Part of Master Course in ‘Interior Design Special Edition: ‘Contemporary Living’ Milan, Italy from Nuova Accademia di Belle Arti, Milan, Italy
Balconies are a conjunction point, where two very different habitats meet: Juxtaposition of the inSide and the outSide. InSide is man-made, man-controlled domicile and the outSide is the nature-weather conditionedscapes. The space dedicated to a balcony is very less. If one chooses to have a lot of plants in these balconies, he forfeits the usage of other activities for the lack of space.
Our own project, Appartamento Lago, located in the prestigious design District, facing Via Brera, has balconies that measures as little as 70cm x 225cm.
Interview Key Points
The balcony must invoke curiosity through choice and shape of plants and different plant arrangements. And thereby bringing attention and creating a focal point. It could act as vitrine-showcase and stimulate design conversations.
Design solutions for pink balconettes facing the Via Brera:
1. BRACCIOVERDE
Inspired by the flexibility of the arms of common household table lamp this could be a playful space saving element in your balcony.
2. PONTEVERDE
As the name suggests, it bridges the two balconies to save space. Ponteverde can also act as a communication tool between two balconies of different owners when they share responsibility of a moving garden in between. Maybe the neighbour can water the plants while you are away!
3. TERRA-BITE
You can have your garden and eat it too!
TerraBite is born out of the idea to facilitate a mini flower / vegetable garden by providing extra movable terra-space in small balconies. The unit is shifted up and stays up till the balcony is in use and brought down to be watered and when the balcony is empty.
The Unit consists of a metal-wire mesh, that lets the water seeps throught the mud, to the water drawers storage, which helps reusing the water. The unit is also fitted with solar panels, atop the metal scissor fork lift. This solar panels then transforms photons to energy that lights the bottom of the unit.
Design solutions for yellow balcony in the interior courtyard:
STACK-UP! Set of three trays stacked on top of another fixed to the balcony railing
1 Clothes hanger (Day Time / semi private space)
2 Tray with provision for holding small plants (All time)
3 Tray with provision for holding cups/glasses, candle & ash tray (Party Time)
Trays can be combined in different combinations to suit the user.
Blind Wall Installation
Team: Anuradha Viswanathan, Elena Prokina
Concept: Anna Barbara; Studio: Via Piranesi
Project Link: Blind Wall
Responsibilities: To create interesting formations with a colleague with the remains of jeans from a factory outlet for possible exhibition at the Salone Internazinale del Mobile 2011. The formation was approved and executed as an installation by Via Piranesi for Milano Design Week premiering 13 April 2011.
Stazioni Futuro Exhibition
Project Head: Anna Barbara & Luca Poncellini
Architectural Studio: Via Piranesi
Project Link: Esperienza Italia
Responsibilities: To conceive and deliberate with team as well as superiors and develop initial designs for interior spaces (Cluster of cubes of Fibonacci Sequence) for Stazione Futuro in ‘Esperienza Italia 150’.
Stazione Futuro is one of the key exhibition, part of Experienza Italia 150, celebrating 150 years of Italian unification. The exhibit is a journey that starts in the present day and leads into Italy’s future. The items are narrated using sophisticated languages such as multimedia, 3-D videos, holograms and augmented reality and are grouped according to relevant areas.
Smokin’ – Sound Design Installation
Project Team: Sorawit Klaimark, Paride Piccinini, Anuradha Viswanathan
Sound Design Project Tutors: Anders Petter Andersson, Fredrik Oloffson
Part of Master Course in ‘Interior Design Special Edition: ‘Contemporary Living’ Milan, Italy from Nuova Accademia di Belle Arti, Milan, Italy
I worked with two other students to experiment with various sensors, by making an inanimate everyday object, an Ashtray on a garbage bin, interact, combining music, sound design, interaction design, experience design and service design using Arduino guided by Sweden’s most experienced interactive sound furniture designers as our faculty.
We also included a social message through the object i.e. The Ashtray coughs when it senses too much heat (through cigarette butts). The prototype was placed inside the school campus and caused quite a stir.
Aayirathil Oruvan, Feature Film
Art Director: Thota Tharrani
Assistant Art Directors: Anuradha Genrich, Preethi Kanthan
Director: Selvaraghavan, Release 2010
Aayirathil Oruvan is a fantasy-cum-adventure film, in the lines of Indiana Jones. I got an opportunity to work in the first schedule for the film as Assistant to Art Director Padmashri Thota Tharrani: in charge of the main characters (an Archeologist) room. The only rule set to us (the art department) – was not to use any nails in the original location-room, yet create a cluttered and crowded room from top to bottom.
As assistant, I was asked to present my sketch solution for the archeologist room and Chief Cannibal’s hut.
Dasavatharam, Feature Film
Art Director: Thota Tharrani
Assistant Art Directors: Anuradha Genrich, Preethi Kanthan
Director: K S Ravikumar, Release 2008
In charge of set research, construction and decoration for this magnus opus film, ‘Dasavatharam’, headed by Padma Shri Thotta Tharrani, our team had to recreate the Former US President Bush’s Oval office. Shot during peak Indian summer, a christmas-festive set design, with the famous HMS Resolute desk and filled with President Bush’s favourite Texan paintings was erected.
The Art Direction for this movie received several critical acclaim: ‘The art team started working on the pictures and created a look-alike of the Oval office with perfection that they received words of praise from the Consul General, David Hopper…’
Bhishma, Theatre
Art Director: Thota Tharrani
Assistant Art Directors: Anuradha Genrich, Preethi Kanthan
Press: Set Construction from National newspaper, The Hindu dated 2007/11/17
For a theater stage design of an Indian mythological play based on Bhishma, I sketched to create an Indian chess board with Pandavas & Kauravas, the rival cousins on either side, defined by shades of colours of evil and good, combatting the Great Kurukshetra War in the center. An apprenticeship with renowned National Award Art Director Padmashri Thota Tharrani enabled me to work on the prop and décor.
Sokkudhe Manam, Television Show
Art Director: Anuradha Genrich
Director: Pradeep Kaliparayuth, Poorman Productions
Telecast: 2007-08, Jaya TV, More than 100 episodes
‘Sokkudhe Manam’ is a music show which is popular for performing golden film melodies of 1970s & 1980s. As Art Director, I had to create a set that could be easily dismantled and set-up each month. Magazine reviews appreciated the black and white images of the yester-year singers and musicians and felt it brought back the classic charm and beauty of soulful music.
Jaiyam, Television series
Client: Jakarb Productions
Director: Prabhu Nepal
Project Partner for set design & construction: Preethi Kanthan
Telecast: 2005-08, Jaya TV, More than 200 episodes
‘Jaiyam’ is a story about four women and their families who come from different backgrounds of society fighting their everyday lives to live in comfort, peace and happiness. As Art-Directors we were challenged and successfully created 15 sets in a space of 7,000 Sq. Ft. The set had to display a confluence of Carnatic fervor and classical Bharathanatyam tones (traditional music and dance forms of TamilNadu).
