India is a country that is said to change your life once you visit it. Although it is in the same Asian region as Japan, people's way of thinking, culture, customs and environment are said to be very different. SIRI SIRI designer Naho Okamoto visited India in December 2019. What did she see, hear, and experience? And what kind of power did you bring to your creation? Unravel the journey of about 3 weeks.

A big "give" and a "take" that doesn't have to come back

The journey begins with the invitation of Momoko Kudo, a friend and architect who designed SIRI SIRI SHOP. In the past, he has traveled to Switzerland (https://assemblage-sirisiri.jp/blog/2018/8/1), Milan, Italy, Hokkaido and Nagano with the aim of visiting contemporary architecture scattered around the world. I was. Chandigarh, a city in northern India. Known for its urban planning by Le Corbusier in the 1950s, the buildings of Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeanneret are dotted as World Heritage Sites. Okamoto himself has been interested in India for many years, saying that it is a place that people should visit at least once in their lifetime, but he had never been to India before. Okamoto: “Compared to Japan and Switzerland, there is a wider range and depth of culture, technology, and society, so I thought it would be a country where my skills would be put to the test in many ways. I thought it would be a good opportunity.” There was a time when there was an Indian restaurant next to his parents' house, and Okamoto had some kind of connection with Indian culture and people. In terms of the environment, it may have been a visit to India that could finally be said. Such a trip had a strange development even before departure.

Kudo and Okamoto had different departure dates, so Okamoto had to spend two weeks by himself, excluding Chandigarh and Mumbai. When I was thinking about the difficulty of traveling alone due to the unrest in North India, I happened to talk to the manager at the Indian restaurant I visited for the first time. It seems that he asked his relatives to stay and guide him.

In addition to my acquaintances in Jaipur, Agra, and Chandigarh who are planning to visit. Although I knew the temperament of Indian people to some extent, I really felt the stance of "a big give and a take that doesn't have to come back" in terms of the closeness of relationships and give and take. I was reminded of the differences in communication methods between Japanese and Swiss people, and the national character of not being hasty and thinking too much, and letting things take their course. Okamoto: Even if a foreigner shared the same concerns at a Japanese restaurant, I think it would be difficult for a Japanese person to get involved with this sense of speed and distance. Their hospitality is completely different from that of Japanese people.”

Words and things I learned from daily life in India

In the field, I stayed with three families in each town. In my first trip to Delhi, I was taken care of by a family who helped me with my solo trip. She took care of Okamoto who wanted to go shopping, arranged for shipping, exchanged money, and arranged tickets. Suddenly, she would take me to a local beauty salon and tell me about Indian culture and philosophy. And at home, we talk about various things while enjoying meals, snacks, and drinks made by our mother. He says that he felt that "In India, people still have a sense of closeness" when they see families constantly exchanging words with each other while receiving hospitality. They took me to famous places, but what I remember most was the story of my father and mother, and the way of thinking of Indian people.

Okamoto: They often talk about life and philosophy.

My mother, who was walking around town with me, once told me that she saw a line of people singing in the morning mist and said, "They are singing for the sake of their lives." From the perspective of how to perceive the scene in front of me, I was able to see the mother's thoughts. Words that ooze out of the person's way of thinking and outlook on life beyond a concrete answer. This is one of the things Okamoto remembers from his trip to India.

The father of the family who took care of me in Delhi. “He was a stylish civil servant who always had the same color turban and shirt, and was very serious.”

A mother who gave me a philosophical talk. At home, in addition to cooking and sweets, he is a good cook who makes seasonings such as ghee (an edible butter oil that has been made in South Asia since ancient times) and sugar.

In Jaipur, the next town I visited, I went to the home of a father and mother who were born in a self-sufficient and poor region and who struggled to succeed in their business. It was an experience that I could never have had in Japan or Switzerland, where I was shown the difference between the lifestyles of those days and now. According to him, the photographs of his youth that his father showed him gave him the impression of pre-war Japan. He says that reliving the times that once existed in Japan in India made him think deeply about what affluence means.

On the way to my father's house, who runs a fish farm in Jaipur. I stopped by the farm late at night and had the employees treat me to chai tea.

In Jaipur, I also went shopping because I wanted to see handicrafts in daily life. At the clothing store in the market, the colors and patterns of the textiles of the sari (Indian dress) and the colors and patterns of the salwar kameez (Indian suit), which consists of a dress (kameez), trousers (salwar), and stole (dupata). Touching the combination, he was moved, saying, "I was really surprised by the wonderfulness that I could not think of in Japan." By the way, when it comes to textiles, I also visited a fabric store with Mr. Kudo in Mumbai, and learned about the passion and commitment of Indian people to materials.

Slip-ons recommended like mountains in the market of Jaipur. Even though it was called beige, there were many colors with subtle differences.

In Chandigarh, the last town he visited, he received a bangle from his mother as a sign of farewell, and he discovered how Indian jewelry should be. For example, this bangle is a traditional ornament derived from the Hindu word bangri, and is indispensable to Indian culture with various meanings such as universality and rank symbols. In addition, as it is also a culture of dressing up, jewelry in general is familiar. High-quality gemstones can be mined, and metal processing techniques are also available, so cheap to high-end items have become established as traditional crafts.

Okamoto: In India, there is a traditional style for the shape and how to wear jewelry such as bangles and large earrings. We follow a single pattern and create variations by changing patterns within that category. It felt like a Japanese kimono, and perhaps that's why the designs were mostly classic."

Phenomenon experienced becomes the foundation for creating designs

Where my family brought me to watch the sunrise. India has a lot of dust, so the morning sun and setting sun look beautiful as they are reflected in the dust.

Okamoto usually takes pictures while traveling, but he rarely does design sketches. Since he considers design and visual elements to be subjectively observed in advance and actively searched for, unexpected encounters with people and events are rather stimulating. In fact, there is so much information in the city that there is no time to carefully examine the design elements.

SIRI SIRI designs are always free. You are not bound by a specific theme. Conversely, it can be said that the things that Okamoto sees, hears, and experiences during his travels are the foundation for creating designs, that is, they are accumulated within Okamoto himself.

Okamoto: The experiences and knowledge gained through travel are almost never expressed in a concrete form.

In other words, there are perspectives such as ``this design has such a background, so let's do it this way'', ``this motif has a cultural meaning, so it should be something that reflects that intention''. To be politically conscious. For example, the textile design, which seems to be a fusion of Indian elements and British design, is perceived by Westerners as a colonialist expression born from the British occupation of India. . The knowledge I gain from my travels is also a consciousness that I cannot ignore as a designer based in Switzerland.

Admiration for "chaos" reconfirmed as an Asian

Tree seen in Chandigarh. I took this picture because it was interesting to see the mixture of New Year and Christmas.

While tracing the memories of the trip, an interesting keyword "chaos" popped up. The last place I visited was Chandigarh, an area where Le Corbusier worked on city planning as mentioned above. The function of the city is defined for each sector (division), and the atmosphere is quite different from other regions in India just by organizing people's behavior through architecture and design.

It is now a so-called luxury resort area. Perhaps because Le Corbusier's philosophy of creating a safe city through urban planning remains, it is relatively safe even though it is located in northern India. Okamoto says that he was able to "feel the impact of design on behavior" in Chandigarh.

Okamoto: I've always considered chaos to be unconscious events that occur in places where unorganized people's movements and emotions are mixed, and unintended things that occur. I did.”

Switzerland, in particular, is a country where chaotic elements can be said to be zero. Everything from communication, buildings and society, to the design of every corner of the city, has an organized beauty. I chose Switzerland as my base in the first place because from a young age I couldn't stand the cluttered atmosphere of Tokyo and the chaos of public spaces with posters and advertisements that had no trace of beauty.

Okamoto: When I am in Switzerland, I feel that Japan is part of Asia, but the West and Asia perceive chaos differently.Switzerland is supposed to be the most comfortable country, but there are times when I suddenly miss the chaos of Tokyo. I was surprised because I didn't think I had such feelings.However, when I saw a scholar who described the chaos in Tokyo as "functioning chaos" in his book, I realized that it was different from India's chaos. I think it's something different. I think that's what I learned on this trip. ”

He says that it was rare for him to feel like he wanted to go back to Switzerland at the beginning of the trip because he could not stand the chaos of too much information and the mixture of people and animals.

Okamoto: When I came into contact with India's overly complex society and people's emotions, at first I didn't know if I should accept them or not. It is difficult to accept the chaos of India, even if it is just one country.’ However, it is good that I was able to understand how much I can accept the breadth of India, as I had initially thought. It was an experience."

Okamoto described India as "an experience that cannot be obtained from everyday life" in Switzerland and Tokyo. It was an unforgettable time to visit when it became an opportunity to test the range of sensibilities and vessels. This intense experience and dialogue with the host family will someday foster and become a part of creativity someday.

Written by Sanae Kimura