Manifesto:
Bansri Thakkar

My research and body of work toys with anti-perfection.

The idea of perfection is ingrained in Indian societies. Throughout my childhood I was taught and expected to be an ideal version of myself and live by certain milestones defined by society. There was always a predefined standard imposed by someone else, someone outside. Log kya kahenge or “what will people say or think” is a common expression in Indian culture. Societal expectations revolve around the idea of perfectionism. The ideal way to be, the right way to be, the only way to be. Individuality and eccentricity is rarely encouraged and is labeled as rebellious or problematic. Since a very young age, I was praised for being a perfectionist. “Color within the lines” was the stated goal. Qualities I tried to strive for presented themselves as aggressively restrictive. It took me a long time to realize that this spirit of perfection was burdensome, soulless, and paralyzing. I believe these social codes in my upbringing are analogous with the Modernist ideologies imposed on me through my design education.

My work interrogates and subverts expectations of making and aesthetics.

Given design’s prevelance on social media, the notion of aesthetics can appear to be a cosmetic exercise with tools and tutorials for all kinds of “cool effects.” Newly accredited institutions, online learning programs, and crash courses often teach graphic design from a branding or logo design perspective, reducing Modernist principles to a few rudimentary exercises for students to kick-start their career in design. Most of these programs promote design as an symbol of wealth and good taste that is concerned mainly with surface appearance that serves consumer culture. The word “designer” conveys luxury, exclusivity, and elitism. Graphic design and Corporate Modernism can seem synonomous. After teaching at one such institution, I find it urgent to construct new definitions of design and newer ways of making for myself.

I examine and deconstruct structures at play to elevate the whimsical, the impulsive, the intuitive, the ugly and the messy.

My work seeks to break away from the design norms and conventions taught over the years — such as a neutral and objective approach, stripping down of expression, reduction of all visual noise, purified and ‘invisible’ typography, and systematic uniformity.

By defying strategy, control and structure, I explore different modes of experimentation.

In each of my experiments, I moves from one material and method to another. I engage with processes that swing back and forth between analog and digital media. At times, I use ink or a phone camera and Photoshop or code. At others, I cede control to the random hand of gravity on a scanner bed. I scavenge for discarded objects. I am interested in methods that allow the relationship between the hand, eye, and materials to be a strong part of the design process. I am interested in processes where bodily actions play an active role and gestures guide image making, transforming the process into an experience itself. The element of discovery or unraveling of the experience is central to my work.

Through my making, I finds ways to unlearn.

Informed by the work and writings of artists and designers such as Jeffery Keedy, Martin Venezky, James Victore, and Jean Arp, I have assessed these experiments in the form of a personal unlearning manifesto. A manifesto helps articulate a point of view. It shapes theories, beliefs, and values into actionable form. It helps the readers discover their own position. It is a tool anyone can make, share, and use.

We know that design organises, clarifies and beautifies. Through my work, I explore ways in which design can also liberate. Informed by my reality and how I situate myself within a dominant Western culture, I look closely at how I make.

2021