St+art India Foundation with the support of Asian Paints Unveiled a thought Provoking Installation in Hyderabad

• Presented in association with India Design Forum, artist Daku’s installation ‘Why’ on the rampant pollution caused by single use plastics~

• The installation is in the form of a giant question mark (‘?’) placed in the Hussain Sagar lake and be open for public viewing for a period of 1 month

St+art India Foundation, supported by Asian Paints in collaboration with Government of Telangana and India Design Forum, has brought to Hyderabad an unprecedented Urban Art Installation as part of World Design Assembly 2019.

Daku Reveals St+Art HYD 2019 Pranav & Jay

Studies estimate there are now 150 million metric tons of plastics in the world's oceans, adversely affecting our marine ecosystem. Plastic-dumping is choking our oceans and governments across nations have begun to take measures to curb the growing menace of plastic pollution.

Engaging with this rapidly growing problem, street artist Daku’s installation ‘Why’ at the Hussain Sagar Lake is a colossal Question Mark (‘?’) created by using 3,00,000 recycled plastic bottles. The installation also produces its own energy through solar-power. Conceptualized by Daku and produced by St+art India and supported by Asian Paints in association with Showboat Production, Hyderabad, this project is commissioned by Government of Telangana and India Design Forum. The installation will be placed on the surface of the lake for a period of one month.

Stressing on the importance of art to create wide-scale impact, Ms. Giulia Ambrogi, Co-founder and Curator, St+art India Foundation, said, “Since 2016, when we started our work in Hyderabad, specifically in Maqtha, we have looked at the Hussain Sagar lake as a location brimming with meanings. Daku's idea started taking shape back then and is now relevant more than ever. Public art plays a fundamental role in spreading socially relevant messages in a strong, direct and understandable manner and urban art interventions like this installation are crucial to create awareness and start building sensitivity for a more sustainable future. We are immensely glad that the dream of creating such a powerful installation has come through on the occasion of the Hyderabad Design Week, thanks to the support of the government and other partners.”

Daku’s works are recognized for establishing site-specific dialogues with the spaces he works within. Executed in the form of public art interventions, they engage with contemporary and complex topics, affecting their spectators with simple yet incisive commentaries.

In the same spirit, Daku’s Question Mark aims to raise questions within the viewers - what can citizens do? What can governments and corporations do? Where do we go from here? What is the alternative? These questions are posed to citizens, tourists, civic bodies and corporations alike, in the hope of a solution. It provokes us to take note of the growing number of problems associated with single use plastics and encourages onlookers to self-reflect and start looking for alternatives.

Artist Daku had this to say about the installation, “As an artist, this is my contribution towards changing perceptions about the use of plastic, which is one of the biggest questions today. I hope this installation will help raise more questions in people's mind. This is my take on plastic against plastic.”

Exploring the use of public space as a tool for social messaging and impact, the installation seeks to initiate conversation around a rapidly escalating global problem. Through its scale and magnitude, along with the prominence of its location, it is sure to catch the attention of the city and bring to light a prevailing issue of our times. Making use of solar-powered lights, the ‘?’ will be lit through the night, making it accessible throughout the day.

Acknowledging the efforts made in lieu of the installation, Sri KT Rama Rao, Minister of MA&UA, Industries and IT&C in Telangana, tweeted, “As a part of #HyderabadDesignWeek, @streetartindia artist @daku156 has constructed an installation in the shape of a question mark with 3 lakhs upcycled plastic bottles questioning the use of single use plastic in the current ecological climate. My compliments to the ST+ART team.”

Special thanks to fundamental partners such as Asian Paints who have been constantly with St+art all across the country to create socially relevant public art projects. To Art@Telangana and Krishnakriti Foundation who have been key partners and collaborators across the years within all the projects curated by St+art India Foundation in Hyderabad. To Banyan Nation for the kind support in sourcing 3 Lakhs recycled plastic bottles.

About St+art India Foundation

The St+Art India Foundation is a non-profit organization that works on art projects in public spaces. The aim of the foundation is to make art accessible to a wider audience by taking it out of the conventional gallery space and embedding it within the cities we live in - making art truly democratic and for everyone. Since its inception in 2014, St+art has organized numerous street art festivals and public art projects across India in cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chandigarh, Calcutta, Goa and more.

About Asian Paints

Since its foundation in 1942, Asian Paints has come a long way to become India’s leading and Asia’s fourth largest paint company, with a turnover of Rs. 170.85 billion. Asian Paints operates in 19 countries and have 26 paint manufacturing facilities in the world, servicing consumers in over 65 countries. Asian Paints has always been a leader in the paint industry, pushing new concepts in India like Colour Ideas, Home Solutions, Colour Next, and Kids’ World.
 

India Design Forum

India Design Forum encourages innovation, fosters design education, and promotes the power of design. It was the first organization in South Asia to offer a global discourse on design; today it has an international reputation as India’s most pioneering design platform. Since its first edition in 2012, it has continued to be a strong advocate and active promoter of design in India, bringing together eminent Indian and international design-practitioners and thought-leaders to speak about the most exciting and impactful developments in design today.